Does the size of USB changeable?

[hz363]

    Hello All:

    2-year ago I bought a 128 GB ESD USB 3.0 from Walmart and did

not find any problem.

    Today I found the size of it is 32 GB!

    Is the size of USB changeable??!!

    Could you tell me the reason.                       --  Zhao

[IT_WinSec · Accepted solution]

Hello @hz363 

Thank you for posting in the HP Support Community.

The size is not changeable - the way it was manufactured this will be its size/capacity.

However, if it shows 128, not 32, this means Windows (your operating system) can only see and use 32. The others Windows cannot see or use at the moment because these may not be formatted or recognizable

While being kept on any storage device (including hard disk drive or USB pen drives), files and data is being stored based on a file system. File systems are structures about how data is stored , there are rules and orders about storing the data, there is no chaos there. More info >> https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/f/filesyst.htm

Windows supports limited number of file systems and partition tables (lower number compared to other operating systems).

• If the USB drive or part of it has been formatted or partitioned on some non standard file system
• or If only part of the USB drive has been partitioned

this will render the Windows File Explorer  (known as Windows Explorer) to only see part of the entire capacity.

I hope this makes sense to you.

- Let me know what you last did with this USB pendrive and what you wrote on it

• Make sure your USB drive is plugged in.
• Open Start -> type control.exe  to open Control Panel
• Go to Administrative Tools -> Computer Management
• Select Disk Management (more info)
• Take a picture/screenshot of what you see there and post it back here, please >> https://www.take-a-screenshot.org/

[hz363]

    Hello IT_WinSec:

    Thanks for your very good answer. I have done the screenshot. 

     How to post the picture to this screen for you to read?

                                                                            -- Zhao

[IT_WinSec]

You are welcome, @hz363 

When you reply to this thread here, while composing the message, on the lower left side there is a Browse... button

Use it to find your screenshot file(s) and attach them to your next reply.

Alternatively, you may use a cloud account (if you have one) from Google (Google Drive/Docs ), Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, etc and give me a link.

You may also use some web sharing service like WeTransfer, upload the file there, and give a me link to see it

[hz363]

Hello IT_WinSec:

I am going to send you the "Screensot"  but I can not find the "lower left side there is a Browse... button"!!!!!

I did find a "Message Tags", it can not be used to send Screenshot.

                                                    --  Zhao

[hz363]

    DearHi, Can you see this Screenshot? --- Zhao

[IT_WinSec]

Hi,

Yes, I can see the screenshot.

I can see the USB pendrive - it is the one listed as Disk 1 / Removable

As you can see it has 1 partition named with H: and capacity 32 GB - It looks like this USB has been used for installing some operating system.

It also shows  ~83 GB unallocated space - free unallocated unused space.

In order to regain the space, you have 2 options :

• either delete everything (including H partition) and then make one single new partition with total 115 GB
• extend the existing H partition and you will have ~115 unallocated space. Then create a new partition with all the available space

In my opinion the best option is the first one if you want to delete the existing information.

Please, read this article for all the options with details >> https://www.howtogeek.com/101862/how-to-manage-partitions-on-windows-without-downloading-any-other-s...

"How to Delete a Volume"

"Create a New Volume" and use all of the available space

Before you ask... 🙂 ... you wrote you bough 128 GB drive but it only shows 115 GB (32+83.69)  -  this is normal (the real usable space of the drive)..... More info >> https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/128gb-sandisk-ultrafit-only-showing-115gb-available.2923938/

[hz363]

   Thanks!!   The problem all have solved!

                                                                         -- Zhao