testing that a large drive works all the way!

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.hardware (More info?)

I'm bought a SATA V maxtor 200gb hard drive. I'm following their instructions
about how to install windows XP to this drive (i.e. make sure you have XP SP1
at least, and install the Maxtor Big Drive enabler program under XP when
installed.)

Only problem is, now I'm paranoid, as if your OS has the 137gig limit still in
place, you won't know until you write that much data to the disk and try to
read it back! (according to maxtor themselves) So, is there a program or easy
way to write a whole load of (worthless!) data to the disk and verify the
reading of it? I'd rather not find out about the large drive enabler software
having failed by losing real data at the 137gig mark some time in the future!

thanks
alex

 

[Philo]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.hardware (More info?)

"Alex Hunsley" <lard@tardis.ed.ac.molar.uk> wrote in message
news:10ce5mc4i9lbc15@corp.supernews.com...
> I'm bought a SATA V maxtor 200gb hard drive. I'm following their
instructions
> about how to install windows XP to this drive (i.e. make sure you have XP
SP1
> at least, and install the Maxtor Big Drive enabler program under XP when
> installed.)
>
> Only problem is, now I'm paranoid, as if your OS has the 137gig limit
still in
> place, you won't know until you write that much data to the disk and try
to
> read it back! (according to maxtor themselves) So, is there a program or
easy
> way to write a whole load of (worthless!) data to the disk and verify the
> reading of it? I'd rather not find out about the large drive enabler
software
> having failed by losing real data at the 137gig mark some time in the
future!
>
> thanks
> alex
>

just right click on the drive and look at properties

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.hardware (More info?)

On Wed, 09 Jun 2004 14:55:23 +0100, Alex Hunsley
<lard@tardis.ed.ac.molar.uk> wrote:

>I'm bought a SATA V maxtor 200gb hard drive. I'm following their instructions
>about how to install windows XP to this drive (i.e. make sure you have XP SP1
>at least, and install the Maxtor Big Drive enabler program under XP when
>installed.)
>
>Only problem is, now I'm paranoid, as if your OS has the 137gig limit still in
>place, you won't know until you write that much data to the disk and try to
>read it back! (according to maxtor themselves) So, is there a program or easy
>way to write a whole load of (worthless!) data to the disk and verify the
>reading of it? I'd rather not find out about the large drive enabler software
>having failed by losing real data at the 137gig mark some time in the future!
>
>thanks
>alex

This may (or may not) rule out that a 128 GB problem is present for a
disk larger than 128 GB in Windows 2000/XP:


Test that the operating system (DeviceIoControl) reports the disk
larger than 128 GB.

Test that the partition tables are OK, and that partitions according
to the partition tables ends within the reported disk size.

Check that sector 0 (the MBR) is not the same as sector 268435456.
Require that the disk is partitioned.

Estimated run time: 1 second. Estimated programming time: 2 days.
Estimated chance of anyone actually using it: 0.000001.


I do not remember having seen a case where a 128 GB was present, while
the disk was reported by the OS (DeviceIoControl - not Disk
Management) as larger than 128 GB, but it may be the case with some
third party disk drivers.
--
Svend Olaf

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.hardware (More info?)

philo wrote:
> "Alex Hunsley" <lard@tardis.ed.ac.molar.uk> wrote in message
> news:10ce5mc4i9lbc15@corp.supernews.com...
>
>>I'm bought a SATA V maxtor 200gb hard drive. I'm following their
>
> instructions
>
>>about how to install windows XP to this drive (i.e. make sure you have XP
>
> SP1
>
>>at least, and install the Maxtor Big Drive enabler program under XP when
>>installed.)
>>
>>Only problem is, now I'm paranoid, as if your OS has the 137gig limit
>
> still in
>
>>place, you won't know until you write that much data to the disk and try
>
> to
>
>>read it back! (according to maxtor themselves) So, is there a program or
>
> easy
>
>>way to write a whole load of (worthless!) data to the disk and verify the
>>reading of it? I'd rather not find out about the large drive enabler
>
> software
>
>>having failed by losing real data at the 137gig mark some time in the
>
> future!
>
>>thanks
>>alex
>>
>
>
> just right click on the drive and look at properties

Did you actually read my message?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.hardware (More info?)

philo wrote:

> "Alex Hunsley" <lard@tardis.ed.ac.molar.uk> wrote in message
> news:10ce5mc4i9lbc15@corp.supernews.com...
>
>>I'm bought a SATA V maxtor 200gb hard drive. I'm following their
>
> instructions
>
>>about how to install windows XP to this drive (i.e. make sure you have XP
>
> SP1
>
>>at least, and install the Maxtor Big Drive enabler program under XP when
>>installed.)
>>
>>Only problem is, now I'm paranoid, as if your OS has the 137gig limit
>
> still in
>
>>place, you won't know until you write that much data to the disk and try
>
> to
>
>>read it back! (according to maxtor themselves) So, is there a program or
>
> easy
>
>>way to write a whole load of (worthless!) data to the disk and verify the
>>reading of it? I'd rather not find out about the large drive enabler
>
> software
>
>>having failed by losing real data at the 137gig mark some time in the
>
> future!
>
>>thanks
>>alex
>>
>
>
> just right click on the drive and look at properties

In particular, did you read the part of my message that said:

"...if your OS has the 137gig limit still in place, you won't know until you
write that much data to the disk and try to read it back! (according to maxtor
themselves)"

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.hardware (More info?)

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 09:38:31 GMT, svolaf@inet.uni2.dk (Svend Olaf
Mikkelsen) wrote:

>This may (or may not) rule out that a 128 GB problem is present for a
>disk larger than 128 GB in Windows 2000/XP:
>
>
>Test that the operating system (DeviceIoControl) reports the disk
>larger than 128 GB.
>
>Test that the partition tables are OK, and that partitions according
>to the partition tables ends within the reported disk size.
>
>Check that sector 0 (the MBR) is not the same as sector 268435456.
>Require that the disk is partitioned.
>
>Estimated run time: 1 second. Estimated programming time: 2 days.
>Estimated chance of anyone actually using it: 0.000001.
>
>
>I do not remember having seen a case where a 128 GB was present, while
>the disk was reported by the OS (DeviceIoControl - not Disk
>Management) as larger than 128 GB, but it may be the case with some
>third party disk drivers.

That is what will happen, OS reporting higher than 128GB but only
supporting 128GB, on Win9x with supplied drivers... so I know it is
possible in general but not if it applies to Win NT variants (2K, XP)
also.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.hardware (More info?)

kony wrote:

> On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 09:38:31 GMT, svolaf@inet.uni2.dk (Svend Olaf
> Mikkelsen) wrote:
>
>
>>This may (or may not) rule out that a 128 GB problem is present for a
>>disk larger than 128 GB in Windows 2000/XP:
>>
>>
>>Test that the operating system (DeviceIoControl) reports the disk
>>larger than 128 GB.
>>
>>Test that the partition tables are OK, and that partitions according
>>to the partition tables ends within the reported disk size.
>>
>>Check that sector 0 (the MBR) is not the same as sector 268435456.
>>Require that the disk is partitioned.
>>
>>Estimated run time: 1 second. Estimated programming time: 2 days.
>>Estimated chance of anyone actually using it: 0.000001.
>>
>>
>>I do not remember having seen a case where a 128 GB was present, while
>>the disk was reported by the OS (DeviceIoControl - not Disk
>>Management) as larger than 128 GB, but it may be the case with some
>>third party disk drivers.
>
>
> That is what will happen, OS reporting higher than 128GB but only
> supporting 128GB, on Win9x with supplied drivers... so I know it is
> possible in general but not if it applies to Win NT variants (2K, XP)
> also.

According to maxtor it is needed for XP! I've applied the registry fix from
maxtor anyway. (According to the reg fix program, there *was* a change that
needed making, because when I tried re-running the program a second time, it
said "the fix has already been applied so nothing has been done")