Techniques In Drive Configuration; The 8.4-Gigabytes Barrier; Operating System Limitations - Maxtor DiamondMax 17 80 ATA Installation And Use Manual

Installation
3.7

TECHNIQUES IN DRIVE CONFIGURATION

3.7.1

The 8.4-Gigabytes Barrier

Newer BIOS's allow users to configure disk drives to go beyond the 528MB barrier
by using several BIOS translation schemes. However, while using these translations
the BIOS using Int 13 functions are limited to 24 bits of addressing which results in
another barrier at the 8.4GB capacity.
To overcome this barrier a new set of Int 13 extensions are being implemented by
most BIOS manufacturers. The new Int 13 extension allows for four words of
addressing space (64 bits) resulting in 9.4 Terrabytes of accessible space.
Whenever possible the DiamondMax 17 80-160GB AT drive should be used on
systems with BIOS that support Int 13 extensions. If that is not possible the
following are some techniques that can be used to overcome this barrier:
– Use a third party software that supplements the BIOS and adds Int 13
extension support.
– Obtain a BIOS upgrade from the system board manufacturer. Many system
board manufacturers allow their BIOS to be upgraded in the field using
special download utilities. Information on BIOS upgrades can be obtained on
the System Board Customer Service respective web sites on the Internet.
– Insert the Cylinder Limitation Jumper (CLJ) on the drive (see Section 3.3.1.4).
3.7.2

Operating System Limitations

Most popular operating systems available today have additional limitations which
affect the use of large capacity drives. However, these limitations can not be
corrected on the BIOS and it is up to the operating system manufacturers to release
improved versions to address these problems.
DOS and Windows 95 use a File Allocation Table (FAT) size of 16 bits which will only
support partitions up to 2.1 GB. Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, and Windows ME
use a FAT size of 32 bits, allowing partitions of up to 2.2 terrabytes. Windows NT,
2000, and XP Use NTFS, which allows partition sizes up to 16 terrabytes.
3-16 Maxtor DiamondMax 17 80-160GB AT Hard Disk Drive