Why is my hard drive only being seen as 504, 528, or 540 MB?

Updated: 06/30/2020 by Computer Hope

Start troubleshooting this problem by entering your BIOS setup and enable LBA (Large Block Addressing) or ECHS (Extended Cylinder-Head-Sector). If these aren't an option, see if the computer or motherboard manufacturer has a BIOS upgrade to enable this option in the CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor).

How to enter and exit the BIOS or CMOS setup.

Caution

When changing the hard drive modes to Standard CHS (Cylinder-Head-Sector), extended CHS, or LBA, it changes the layout structure of the hard drive, which can cause data read errors. We recommended that when changing modes after changing the hard drive, that the hard drive be formatted in the new mode. Additionally, this can occur when changing the hard drive from one computer to another if the modes differ between the two.