Re: Breaking 137GB Barrier 440BX

"Mike Tomlinson" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:qjgJcnCtI1REFw0O@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
In article <pfa1g.6325$P2.5224@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Recra <recra05azy@xxxxxxxxx> writes

- Buying an add-on PCI card that would provide 48-bit LBA support.

Best option, but unattractive to you.

- BIOS "extensions". I remember many years ago, you could buy a "BIOS on a
(ISA) card" that would either extend the main m/b BIOS or run in place of it.

Anything like this exist today, to do "modern stuff" like get a 48-bit
LBA translator up in memory and cooking?

No.

They used to call them "Dynamic Drive Overlays".


- Dynamic Drive Overlays. Yuck, but maybe.

Don't go there. Just don't.

Works fine.
Just know how to reinstall one or run it from an emergency floppy when the *** hits.


If you don't have 48-bit hardware support, can you use a HDD greater than
137GB as a "137GB drive"

Yes.

-- and later, if you do apply a 48-bit LBA hardware
support, will the unused space appear as "unallocated"?

Pass. Probably,

Not, unless it was partitioned by an app that is not using the bios
to size the disk. Free space will be related to what the app can see.
If 48-bit LBA support is added the free space as recorded in the
partition tables need adjustment.

but you'd be very wise to take a backup before attempting to partition and use it.

I want to start using the drive now, but want to make sure I'm not screwed
down the road when I decide on a 48-bit LBA approach.

You don't _need_ 48-bit hardware (BIOS) support to use a >137Gb drive if
you're not going to boot off it.

Will boot fine without it too if the primary partition is 137GB and even if
it is bigger but at the very small risk that a file that needs access before
the drivers are running can not be accessed. Usually that's not a problem.

As long as your OS has 48-bit LBA support built into its IDE drivers, you can
use a large drive as long as you're happy to continue booting off a smaller disk.

Nonsense.


Install the new disk and configure it in the BIOS as "None" or "Not
Installed". The BIOS IDE scan may lock up if you don't do this.
Ensure your OS has 48-bit LBA installed and enabled - see www.48bitlba.com
for details on how to do this and a test utility (EnableBigLba.exe)
for Windows. All modern Linux kernels support 48-bit.

Use Disk Management in Windows and your preferred tools in Linux
to partition and format the drive. It can then be used normally.

Be warned that if you reinstall your OS or apply any patches or fixes
that disable 48-bit LBA, the data on your large disk will be at serious
risk. It may take only one write to scramble the partition table and
lose all the data.
.