Understanding Hard Disk Drive Space

The hard disk drive on the Hewlett-Packard and Compaq computers with the Microsoft® Windows® operating system preinstalled may appear to be smaller than what is stated in the product specifications, in the documentation, or on the box. Hard disk drives are described and advertised by manufacturers in terms of decimal (base 10) capacity. Microsoft Windows and other programs, such as FDISK, use the binary (base 2) numbering system.

In decimal notation, one megabyte (MB) is equal to 1,000,000 bytes, and one gigabyte (GB) is equal to 1,000,000,000 bytes. In the binary numbering system, one megabyte is equal to 1,048,576 bytes, and one gigabyte is equal to 1,073,741,824 bytes. Because of the different measuring systems, you may see a difference between the size reported by Microsoft Windows and the size advertised. The storage capacity of the hard disk drive is as advertised.

Microsoft Windows reports smaller capacity in the Windows Explorer tool and in the Computer window because it shows information about one partition on the hard disk drive at a time. One of the partitions contains the system recovery information.

Note About Systems Configured with 4GB of Memory

For computers with a 32-bit operating system, all memory above 3GB may not be available because of system resource requirements.

This limitation is not limited to HP and Compaq systems. The memory above 3GB is used for system resources.

Confirming Total Memory

The system BIOS displays the full 4GB of installed memory.

1Turn on the PC.

2Press the F10 key. The BIOS menu displays. Confirm the Total Installed Memory.

Recycle — HP Planet Partners

HP is sensitive to the environment and has a program, Planet Partners, to make it simple for us to reclaim your old product for recycling. HP will help you recycle your old equipment even if it is not an HP product; we take back all makes and models. Visit our Web site to find out how easy it is to recycle: http://www.hp.com/recycle

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.

© Copyright 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

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