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3-8
When you set it to Auto then the detailed parameters of the HDD will be shown in the remaining items of
this menu.
* A new IDE HDD must be first formatted, otherwise it can't do the read/write. The basic step in
using a HDD is to run FDISK, and then FORMAT the drive. Most current HDDs have already
been subjected to low-level format at the factory, so you can probably skip this operation.
Remember though, the primary IDE HDD must have its partition set to active within the FDISK
procedure.
+ If you are using an old HDD that is already formatted, auto detection can't detect the correct
parameters. You may need to do a low-level format or set the parameters manually, and then
check if the HDD is working.
! ARMD means: ATAPI Removeable Media Device. Such as: IDE ZIP, IDE LS120, etc.
Cylinders:
When disks are placed directly above one another along the shaft, the circular vertical "slice" consisting
of all the tracks located in a particular position is called a cylinder. You can set the number of cylinders
for a HDD. The minimum number you can enter is 0, the maximum number you can enter is 65535.
Heads:
This is the tiny electromagnetic coil and metal pole used to create and read back the magnetic patterns on
the disk (also called the read/write head). You can configure the number of read/write heads. The
minimum number you can enter is 0, the maximum number you can enter is 255.
Write Precompensation:
The minimum number you can enter is 0, the maximum number you can enter is 65535.
Sectors:
The minimum segment of track length that can be assigned to stored data. Sectors usually are grouped
into blocks or logical blocks that function as the smallest units of data permit. You can configure this item
to sectors per track. The minimum number you can enter is 0, the maximum number you can enter is 255.
" Maximum Capacity:
This item will show the maximum capacity of your storage device.
LBA (Logical Block Addressing) mode:
Two options are available: Off ) On. The default setting is Off. You can select Auto for a hard disk >
512 MB under DOS and Windows environment. Select Off under Netware and UNIX environment.
The earlier LBA mode can support HDD capacities of up to 8.4GB, and this mode uses a different
method to calculate the position of disk data to be accessed. It translates Cylinders (CYLS), Heads and
Sectors into a logical address where data is located. The Cylinders, Heads, and Sectors displayed in this
menu do not reflect the actual structure of the hard disk, they are just reference values used to calculate
actual positions. Currently, all high capacity hard disks support this mode, that's why we recommend you
use this mode. Currently, the BIOS can support the INT 13h extension function, enabling the LBA mode
to support hard disk drive capacities exceeding 128 GB.
SX7-533
Note
Chapter 3
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