Differences in Partition Size Between Disk Management & Windows Explorer ....why?

[Techie#1]

Partitioned a new 2TB WD EARX HDD yesterday into 3 partitions of
1)30gb (for O.S..win7 32bit+s.p1),
2)10gb (for Personal backups)
3) Rest approx 1.7tb (for Media dump/Archive)
from Windows Disk Management.

This is usually what i do/have done for last 3x 1tb WD Hdd too... & there was no confusion /differences in sizes as shown between Disk management & Windows Explorer as well as Acronis Disk Director suite. But this time,as i find out there are differences in size records(although minor) as displayed between Disk management(which i assume to be the truer depiction) & the Windows explorer(both in xp & 7).Following are the size differences in the hdd partitions as displayed Disk management & Windows Explorer & also Acronis Disk Director:


As the partitions appear in Windows Disk management:

As the partitions appear in Acronis Disk Director suite:

Finally as the partitions appear in Windows Explorer//it doesn't tally with the above two//:

Now,can any1 count me why these difference is there ,while i never faced such partitions problems ever b4,...where i might have gone wrong this time?

**I myself have readjusted the partition sizes as they appear in the windows explorer to be precisely of 30gb,10gb & the rest 1.7tb as because of the simple logic that i would be using windows explorer the more than disk mgmt. or acronis...so it looks better !

Any idea or recommendations as how to put the problem straight(everything in perfect consonance with each other ) & therby solve the weird quirky issue!

Thanks to those who help !

 

[HailStonE]

Please put up bigger images.. cant make out anything in the above posted pics...

 

[Techie#1]

jesus....how did those images change into thumbnails :O ?
anyway, images correctly put again...hope they don't change again !
btw...replies to the aforesaid issue more welcome now!

 

[flash23]

@Techie#1
The difference in space is due to space allocation for The MFT (Master File Table) and Recycle Bin.
The recycle bin is usually set to 10% or 1GB.

The Disk Management utility and Acronis suite see the actual space while Windows Explorer sees the usable space.

 

[Techie#1]

But if you have read my entire post... as I said, this has happened this time first... same type of patrtitions on other HDD also done previously, but everything (disk management, acronis & also windows explorer) then used to show exactly the same partition sizes.... so I'm quite confused on the size differences this time!

 

[flash23]

If no space is reserved for the Recycle bin then one can definitely see the same sizes all across the board.
as you can see also the Archive drive has 1GB less in windows explorer.

Do you recall getting any messages like 'Do you permanently want to delete the file/folder as the recycle bin is not not large enough' when deleting any files? Or had you set to automatically delete the file/folder permanently? If such was the case then it explains everything.

 

[Techie#1]

Maybe what you say is true,i did get messages like 'Do you permanently want to delete the file/folder as the recycle bin is not not large enough' while deleting large/huge single files sometimes in the other hdd....but then how unmindful of me,if i had overlooked this! But again best AFAIR ,all previous hdd partitions sizes used to be in unison in Disk management,Acronis & also in windows explorer! Anway, let me recheck the older disks if i had been unmindful & get deeper into things ! Maybe i am really forgetting the basic things after all those years or simply being unmindful...sad !!!

& if what u say is true, what would you have done if u had to partition such a drive:-

a) Go to partition a hdd & making the partition sizes to a round fig size(i.e 30gb,40gb,50gb etc) based totally on the Windows disk management & leaving the partition sizes in windows explorer in fractions,

.....or

b) Go to partition a hdd & making the partition sizes to fractions (example 29.9gb,39.9gb,etc) in the Windows disk management & leaving the partition sizes in perfect round figures(19gb,30 gb,etc) in windows explorer(as i have done now) just to appear better & look clean in windows explorer ...which I use more frequently !

Thanks flash for the replies!

 

[cranky]

First, understand that Windows does a lot of rounding to arrive at the final size tally as it only displays two decimal places. Actual partition sizes are in blocks and sectors, the 'bytes' and higher figures you see are approximations.

Also, only when the sector size and partition size tally perfectly, will you have a partition size that every program will agree on the size because Explorer reads the space attributes (bytes) whereas partition managers read the partition data.

IOW, what you see is normal and not worth losing sleep over. If you want exactitude, use multiples of 1024 when formatting (10GB = 1024000MB) and carry over balance to the last partition. That was what I used to do when partitioning a drive, which I do not really do anymore.

 

[Techie#1]

I an not really not loosing any sleep over it.. rather was bit intrigued as to why the dsk mgmt & win explorer we're not tallying over partition sizes.. which they "perhaps" did earlier(maybe my fading memory not correctly remembering the ""exact"" earlier partition sizes of the other hdds ) which Afair I also always do partition in exactitudes of round figures like 10GB=1024mbx10,etc in disk management. Maybe this is simple like my memory not keeping up with what I "exactly" did earlier while partitioning the hdds & what should naturally follow!

Anyway thanks for clarifying or rather refreshing my memory friends: )

 

[flash23]

what would you have done if u had to partition such a drive:-

a) Go to partition a hdd & making the partition sizes to a round fig size(i.e 30gb,40gb,50gb etc) based totally on the Windows disk management & leaving the partition sizes in windows explorer in fractions,

.....or

b) Go to partition a hdd & making the partition sizes to fractions (example 29.9gb,39.9gb,etc) in the Windows disk management & leaving the partition sizes in perfect round figures(19gb,30 gb,etc) in windows explorer(as i have done now) just to appear better & look clean in windows explorer ...which I use more frequently !

Thanks flash for the replies!

I'd prefer having rounded off figures in the win explorer, because that is what I/we use day to day.

If you want say 500GB visible in the Win Explorer then while creating a partition enter the partition size as 501*1024 MB and you will have 500 GB visible in the explorer.

 

[smAsh]

Simply because Disk management console rounds off upto two places and windows explorer rounds off upto one place. So if you round off the 30.02 GB to one place it will become 30 GB.

 

[Techie#1]

Thanks friends...yes i just forgot(my mistake,my ageing memory) of how i partitioned the earlier disks & made this thread at spurt of the moment! Thanks for refreshing my memory ,issue solved...the admin may kindly close the thread .