DIRECTORY Command Returns Incorrect 0 Bytes Free Message (99533)
This article was previously published under Q99533
SYMPTOMS
For high performance file system (HPFS) drives with partitions larger than
2 GB, the MS-DOS Directory command sometimes shows 0 bytes free even if
plenty of free space is left. You can read, write, restore, and backup,
but some applications that write automatically to the hard disk crash if
there is no free space.
CAUSE
This problem is not completely understood, but possible causes are:
- MS-DOS may simply return a zero because it is incapable of dealing with
numbers larger than the 2 GB its local partitions are limited to.
- The program may miscalculate the free disk space from the numbers
provided by MS-DOS; this is a very common problem.
RESOLUTION
If the problem persists, try to get a register dump of the MS-DOS function
Int 21h, AH=36h, DL=drive (1 based), and contact Microsoft.
| Modification Type: |
Major |
Last Reviewed: |
7/30/2001 |
| Keywords: |
KB99533 |
|