installing Win2000 on 200 GB drive

[Matt Garman]

I just put a new 200 GB hard drive in my dad's computer. We figured
we'd take this opportunity to re-install the OS. Well, to my
chagrin, I realized that the BIOS (Abit KT7) didn't support 137+ GB
drives. Well, we flashed the BIOS, and now it recognizes the full
drive size.

However, Windows 2000 still recognizes only ~137 GB. I did a bit of
Google'ing on this subject, and it looks like 48 bit LBA wasn't
added until service pack 3. But our Win2k install CD is NOT service
pack 3 level.

So what should we do? If we create, say a 100 GB partition, install
Win2k on that, then install all the latest service packs, should
Windows *then* recognize the remaining 100 GB?

Now, actually, we installed Win2k plus all the service packs before
we realized that we weren't seeing the full drive capacity. So then
we flashed the BIOS. At that point the BIOS recognized the whole
200 GB, but Win2k wasn't showing any extra unformatted space... I
want to avoid installing Win2k and all the service packs only to
find we still can't see the whole drive.

Is there a better way to go about this?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[JAD]

how are you 'looking' at unformatted space with 2000?
through the install procedures or through 'my computer '/ file manager?
use the software that came with the drive or download from manufacturer and
look at the drive partitions.

 

[Matt Garman]

how are you 'looking' at unformatted space with 2000? through the
install procedures or through 'my computer '/ file manager? use

After we had installed Win2k the first time, we were looking at the
drive via:

Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management ->
Disk Management

After upgrading the BIOS, and seeing that Win2k (apparently) still
wasn't picking up the remaining space, we deleted all the partitions
with fdisk. So our next "look" at the drive was through the Win2k
installer (which reports the drive as 137 GB).

the software that came with the drive or download from
manufacturer and look at the drive partitions.

Hmm, that's a good idea. Do you happen to know offhand if Seagate
has a DOS-based partitioning application? We're OS-less now, so
anything we do pretty much has to be through a DOS boot floppy. Or,
are you suggesting using the manufacturer's tools *after* the Win2k
install?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[JAD]

http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/drivers/discwiz.html

Dos based before windows install


HTH

 

[Andy]

Two (and only two) conditions must be satisfied for Windows 2000 to
properly recognize disks larger than 137GB:
1. Install SP3 or SP4, and
2. EnableBigLba = 1 in the registry (see Microsoft Knowledge Base
Article - 305098 48-bit LBA Support for ATAPI Disk Drives in Windows
2000).
When the disk capacity shown in Disk Management is correct, then
Windows has been properly configured.

If you really want to install onto a single 200GB partition, you can
partition and format the drive in a computer that supports large
drives. Then install Windows to the existing partition (setup will
only see the drive capacity as 131000MB, though the partition will be
shown as 191000MB or so). Once installation is complete, immediately
install SP3 or 4 and EnableBigLba in the registry.

 

[Fuckknuckle]

I just put a new 200 GB hard drive in my dad's computer. We figured
we'd take this opportunity to re-install the OS. Well, to my
chagrin, I realized that the BIOS (Abit KT7) didn't support 137+ GB
drives. Well, we flashed the BIOS, and now it recognizes the full
drive size.

However, Windows 2000 still recognizes only ~137 GB. I did a bit of
Google'ing on this subject, and it looks like 48 bit LBA wasn't
added until service pack 3. But our Win2k install CD is NOT service
pack 3 level.

So what should we do? If we create, say a 100 GB partition, install
Win2k on that, then install all the latest service packs, should
Windows *then* recognize the remaining 100 GB?

Now, actually, we installed Win2k plus all the service packs before
we realized that we weren't seeing the full drive capacity. So then
we flashed the BIOS. At that point the BIOS recognized the whole
200 GB, but Win2k wasn't showing any extra unformatted space... I
want to avoid installing Win2k and all the service packs only to
find we still can't see the whole drive.

Is there a better way to go about this?

Thanks,
Matt

What's it look like in the disk management console, Sparky?

 

[old jon]

I just put a new 200 GB hard drive in my dad's computer. We figured
we'd take this opportunity to re-install the OS. Well, to my
chagrin, I realized that the BIOS (Abit KT7) didn't support 137+ GB
drives. Well, we flashed the BIOS, and now it recognizes the full
drive size.

However, Windows 2000 still recognizes only ~137 GB. I did a bit of
Google'ing on this subject, and it looks like 48 bit LBA wasn't
added until service pack 3. But our Win2k install CD is NOT service
pack 3 level.

snipped some.

Surely you could format the drive as 2 times 100GB, I`m sure it would see it
all then ?.

 

[cfphillips]

snipped some.

Surely you could format the drive as 2 times 100GB, I`m sure it would see it
all then ?.

If it's western digital, use wd lifeguard 11.0 for windows to change
the settings in windows.
http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp?cxml=n&pid=999&swid=1
..

Go here and read about it.
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc...2hfdGV4dD0xMzdnYiBsaW1pdA**&p_li=&p_topview=1

If it is not WD, go to manus website ansearch knowledge base for 137gb
limitation. If you don't change it it windows,it could screw up your
drive from my research.

Also, I wouldn't partition it as 1 big drive as it takes forever to
defrag. I'd do 50gb,50,50,50 and put the os on c;. Put your
games,movies on one, music on one and all important stuff on one.
Reason being is if windows messes up and can't be fixed then all you
have to redo is the OS on C: and you don't lose all your stuff.

Chris

 

[James T. White]

Is there a better way to go about this?

You could use PartitionMagic to upsize the partition after you install and
upgrade Win2K.