Windows 10: Hard drive shows much smaller than is

You're quite welcome. Glad we can help.
However, I suggest to use the smaller drive for Windows, 200 GB is enough (186 GB shown).
You can transfer Windows back to it then use 1TB drive strictly for data. Easier to manage and backup.
If you need help on this, let me know.

 

I have two main 1TB SATA drives which are now designated as:
C: (Drive 3), and
D: (Drive 2),

and two old IDE drives I keep on for making redundant data backups,
E: (Drive 0) and
F: (Drive 1).

Prior to a disaster, Drive 2 was C: and Drive 3 was D:.

Yes, I have to be very careful over making certain I never presume that C: is 0 and so on...

I had W10(Insider Program) installed on Drive 2 (Prior to disaster, this was my C: drive). I had a major problem and had to reinstall W10 from a downloaded image. It refused to install on C: - Drive 2 that it was originally installed on - Windows could not reinitialize the deployment engine., so I installed it on D: - Drive 3.

The new installation is on Drive 3 that I have now re-designated as "C:", and re-designated Drive 2 as D:.

In order to wipe the D: drive clean from the old Windows installation* and the attempted new installation that failed because of the above cited error, I changed Properties:Security:Advanced:Owner of everything on it to Administrators and gave Administrators "Full Control". I then deleted everything from that drive, including all hidden files except for the drive ID.

I have two issues now -

• If I create a text file on D: and then try to modify it, I can't. I am told I do not have permission, even though I am a member of the Administrators and Administrators has "Full Control".
• The drive shows as 186.31GB; it is supposed to be a 1TB drive. I know I messed up as I previously saw the balance of space beyond the 186.31GB in "Disk Management" as something like unallocated space or the like. I tried to delete the volume thinking I could then allocate the entire space but I was definitely wrong. Is there something like the old-fashioned "low level format" that I need to do now so the system will work with the full amount of space available?

I have just enough knowledge to be a danger to myself; this isn't the first time I have reaped the rewards of my ignorance. I am thankful that there are folks out there like you reading this that actually know what you are doing to help me; Thank-You.

I appreciate your guidance!

* Either disk cleanup, system files, wasn't getting the job done entirely or some other reason, but as I still had the problem of being able to delete the failed Windows installation that was not erased upon failure, I came up with the change of ownership as a means of deleting everything off of the drive.

:)

 

Hard Drive space much smaller than it should be

Thank you so much for the solution. I now have all my disk space.

 

Hard Drive space much smaller than it should be

Press Windows key + X

Click Disk Management

In Disk Management, check to see if there is any unallocated space next to 32 GB space of the external.

If there is, right click the 32 GB space then click Extend.

Follow the on screen space then recover the additional space.

 

Open Admin command prompt (Win+R->Command Prompt(Admin)) then type:
diskpart
select disk 2 =====> asuming D: is now disk 2
clean
create partition primary
format fs=NTFS quick
assign letter=D
exit

 

@ topgundcp: Thank-you very much for trying to help me!

I'm afraid that Disk 2 is still showing 186.31 even after a reboot. Both Disk 2 and Disk 3 are identical. Would you have any other ideas as to how I can recover the disk?





edit: Please forgive me; in looking at properties the drive in question is showing as a WDC WD200JD - a 200GB drive. I do not understand the confusion, perhaps I am getting way too senile, but I am going to start physically pulling drives and investigating. I will be back-

@ topgundcp: I sincerely apologize, am very embarrassed and rather concerned. I was completely mistaken in what I would have sworn to be the size of the drive. Your instructions did however allow me the restored ability to create and modify files, and I am thankful.