[The Skeptic]

Hi everyone.

Would appreciate your assistance. I have a Dell Inspiration 1100 that needs hard disk repacement. It's running on 28 bit which limits it to 32 gigabyte. The faulty disk is 30 gigabyte. I can'y buy a disk that size. All newe drives are much larger. I DO NOT want to update the BIOS. I just want a replacement. My question:

If I install a larger disk will it only recognize the 30 gigabyte (which is fine with me) or it may cause other problems.

I would appreciate definitive answers. No guesses or maybys, please.


Thanks.

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If I install a larger disk will it only recognize the 30 gigabyte (which is fine with me) or it may cause other problems.

this is pretty much how it would go....if it can only detect 32GB then that's all you would see....

[dsenette]

If I install a larger disk will it only recognize the 30 gigabyte (which is fine with me) or it may cause other problems.

this is pretty much how it would go....if it can only detect 32GB then that's all you would see....

[The Skeptic]

Thank's dsenette.

I consulted some people here and no one had a definitive answer. I decided that I do not wish to be in a position in which I buy a disk for about 80US$ and find out that it is not recognised by the computer. I am sure that a BIOS update could fix the problem. I presented the computer's owner with the options and risks and decided, together, that he would be better off taking the laptop to Dell's dealership.

Thank's again

[fleamailman]

sorry I have not got any answers nor maybes, but I am curious to know if partitioning the harddrive into 30gb segments would help

[The Skeptic]

Hi fleamailman,

The reason I asked for no guesses and maybes was not out of rudeness. The reason is that I don't have a replacement to the broken disk and I was in a position that I had to buy a disk and start experimenting with it. I wouldn't care if I could use only part of the disk. What worried me was that the disk will not be recognised at all and I'll have over 80 US$ spent for nothing. Had I have a repacement I would experiment with it, of course, and would not post this topic in the first place.

[fleamailman]

no problem skeptic, reusing older computers always has me approving, just I am trying to find out for you if segmenting the drive would help, dual booting is another idea, or whether linux would change things, I don't know myself but curiocity is getting to me here so I asked, thanks

Edited by fleamailman, 03 September 2007 - 11:50 AM.

[fleamailman]

nope, neither segmenting nor dual boot will change things, worth a try I thought

the size of a hard drive for any specific PC is limited by manufacturer and BIOS. Generally, if the manufacturer says HD size available 'up to x size' that's what you are limited to. Physical dimensions of a replaceable HD for a laptop isn't what's important. What the actual PC can use is.

second hard drives are quite easy to come across, perhaps a local repair shop then, or second hard shop then, thanks