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Posted by Tobi on May 19, 2006, 7:53 pm
Please log in for more thread options Thanks for the tip! I used the Feature Tool and found that the capacity
is really set to the 16 GB instead of the full 20 GB. However, when I
change it to the 20 GB and save, it changes it but when I reboot and
look at it again, it is changed back to the 16GB value. Needless to say
that PM7 still doesn't see it. Do you have another suggestion?
Thanks a lot!
dg1261 wrote:
> > I have a 20GB drive which has an IBM recovery partition
> > on it that takes up about 4GB and is hidden. I am now using
> > the drive as an external USB drive and would like to get
> > rid of the hidden partition, but PartitionMagic 7 doesn't
> > see the hidden partition. I have also tried killdisk, but no
> > luck. Is there a way to reclaim the 4GB?
>
> To determine the right tool for job, you first have to know how the
> partition is being "hidden". When you say PM doesn't "see" the hidden
> partition, what does PM see? Does it know the hard disk is 20 GB? Or does
> it think it is a 16 GB disk?
>
> If it sees a 16GB hard disk, then that--along with your mention of
> IBM--suggests the part of the disk in question is instead a HPA
> ("Host-Protected Area"). HPA hides a section of the hard disk by getting
> the disk's firmware to "misreport" itself as being smaller than it really
> is. Thus, PM (and killdisk, as well as nearly every other utility) will
> think the disk is really 16GB or so, and it can't touch something it doesn't
> even know is there.
>
> If you determine it is, in fact, a HPA you are dealing with, then go to
> www.hgst.com and do a search for Hitachi's "Feature Tool". Among other
> uses, the Feature Tool will allow you to unmask the HPA so the firmware will
> thereafter report its full size. Then reboot and PM should be able to
> handle it. (Note: in the IBM PARTIES scheme of doing things, the unmasked
> space will typically appear to be unallocated space, but you'll be able to
> use PM to overwrite it with new partitions.)
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