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[dscott77]

This question was posed elsewhere on the forum but never answered. I, too, have a 2TB Maxtor OneTouch III Turbo that my Intel Mac G5 "Get Info" feature (command "I") measures as 1.36TB. "About This Mac" lists the following:

OneTouch IIIs SBP-LUN: Capacity 1.82 TB

Volumes: Untitled: Capacity 1.36 TB

I simply plugged in the drive right out of the box and HAVE NOT installed any of the software that came with it. Frankly, I don't want OneTouch backups or a RAID configuration. I just want to store a massive number of digital photo files and have access to them via one drive rather than multiple ones.

So where is the extra .64 TB hiding?  

Before I decide whether or not to return it (and another) to Fry's, does anyone know if reformatting is the route to the maximum capacity on this model? Accompanying documentation said it was pre-formatted for Mac. Do I have to install the OneTouch software?

[severescott]

did you ever find out the answer to that question? because mine says the same thing and I am wondering why too.

Thanks

Scott

[dscott77 · Accepted solution]

Yes. The actual capacity is, in fact, 1.82 Gigs but you must erase the drive and the way it was formatted at the factory to get there. I'm a Mac person so I used "Disk Utility".

1. Launch Disk Utility

2. Select the disk (making absolutely certain you're designated the right one!)

3. Select the "Erase" button at the top of the window

4. Select Volume Format as "Mac OS Extended"  

4. Then select the "Erase" button at the lower right of the window 

This, of course, will erase everything on the disk but if all you're after is max storage, and not the Maxtor-supplied formatting to accommodate it's software, no problem. I've done this to two 2TB Maxtor OneTouches, got 1.82 Gigs from both and have been using them for simple storage ever since. (Although, it seems like one should get a little more than 1.82 but folks on other sits say this is about right for 2TB. 

[desbrisay]

Thanks for figuring this out and documenting the resolution here!  I had the same confusion when I hooked up my new 2-TB drive today, only to find that it's actually a 1.82-TB drive with only 1.36 TB of capacity!  I'll follow your advice and reformat the drive to get the full 1.82 TB.

It turns out that 2 TB (decimal) is equal to 1.82 TB (binary), and the decimal size is what disc-drive marketers use to advertise their wares (it makes the drive seem larger after all!).

1 TB (binary)   =   2^40 = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes

2 TB (decimal) =   2,000,000,000,000 bytes

(2,000,000,000,000  bytes / 1,099,511,627,776 bytes = 1.82

[dscott77]

I wish I could claim the praise but I actually found the solution in an Apple discussion forum. However, I want to thank YOU for explaining the different ways (decimal vs. binary) manufacturers come up with capacity designations. Very interesting. In any case, these drives are very useful for those of us with enormous numbers of high resolution photographs in digital form. It takes two of these "2TB" drives to comfortably accommodate mine. 

[qwerty654]

They should sell it as what the OS thinks it is. Let's say you have a recipe that calls for 1 gallon of milk, you go to store buy a container that says "1 Gallon" then realize it's not actually 1 gallon, it's less, but only "because your cup measures differently". No matter if the size is accurate, you still don't have enough to make your darn cake! If you need 300GB to store your files and you buy a 320GB HD, get home and Windows says "Sorry you only have 290GB", you're still F*****.

[AlanM]

Hi all,

Thanks for your patience.  This Knowledge Base article was in the publishing queue and was just published yesterday.

I hope it helps. Giving credit where it's due, dscott77 above, in the Resolved post, already gave the same instructions. Kudos to him/her.

Message Edited by AlanM on 04-23-2009 08:02 AM

[MrButkus]

Also remember.. just like a Dell or Compak or HP PC.. they dump tons of software on their computer HDs.

So you get this 80Gb drive and it's already has 40 Gb filled up.

So formatting the drive erases all the extra software, directories and stuff on these externals and gives you the largest possible space.