Ken said:
Paul said:
I'm planning on installing a new 320 gig IDE HDD in my computer. I
bought this computer in May 2003, so I'm not sure if my BIOS and IDE
can handle the full capacity. (In other words, whether it supports 48-
bit LBA.) I have a report from Everest that says these:
BIOS Properties:
BIOS Type Award
Award BIOS Type Phoenix-Award
BIOS v6.00PG
Award BIOS Message W6390VMS V2.4
040303 18:13:39
System BIOS Date 04/03/03
Video BIOS Date 01/05/07
[ VIA Bus Master IDE Controller ]
Device Properties:
Driver Description VIA Bus Master
IDE Controller
Driver Date 01/07/2001
Driver Version 5.1.2600.0
Driver Provider Microsoft
INF File mshdc.inf
Device Resources:
Port B400-B40F
[ IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers / VIA Bus Master IDE Controller ]
Device Properties:
Driver Description VIA Bus Master
IDE Controller
Driver Date 01/07/2001
Driver Version 5.1.2600.0
Driver Provider Microsoft
INF File mshdc.inf
Hardware ID
PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_0571&SUBSYS_39011462&REV_06
Location Information PCI bus 0, device
17, function 1
PCI Device VIA VT82C571 IDE
Controller
Device Resources:
Port B400-B40F
If you need more information, I can post the full Everest report here.
BTW I've already upgraded to XP SP2, so that removes that particular
potential compatibility problem.
There is some mumbling here about supporting a 160GB disk, near the
bottom of the page. Your BIOS version of 2.4 is later than the 1.1
version where the issue is mentioned. 137GB would be the transition
point to 48 bit LBA, so it is probably OK.
http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=downloaddetail&type=bios&maincat_no=1&prod_no=307
That motherboard also appears on an HP.com web page, but I didn't manage
to find any BIOS information or updates there.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00006230&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=373506〈=en
There are also workarounds, such as installing a PCI card with IDE
controller
on it. Like a Promise Ultra133 TX2 or something more recent.
http://www.seagate.com/support/kb/disc/tp/137gb.pdf
Paul
OK, I give up!
How did you two establish that the OP was talking about an
MSI board? There are a few boards using that chipset, not
only MSI boards, and even MSI has more than one such
board.
Luck;
Ken
Kony mentioned it was an MSI board, so I tried MS-6390.
http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=downloaddetail&type=bios&maincat_no=1&prod_no=307
I found three manuals, for versions V1.0, 2.0, 3.0. Now that
I look at it, the BIOS are divided into some for "PCB 2.0". The
2.4 version would be for PCB 2.0, whatever that means.
To add some fun to it, the pictures in the three manuals are
all different, so it doesn't look like two versions share the
same PCB.
A V1.0 board claims VT8233A/VT8235 as the Southbridge,
while the other two claim VT8235 (and UltraDMA 133).
Ultra133 came out in ATA/ATAPI 6, at the same time as
48 bit LBA.
The chipset info from VIA, indicates that VT8233A is UltraDMA 133
capable, which raises the question why the MSI manual doesn't
mention it. Based on the VIA information, that would suggest
the hardware is ready. But no one can make any statements
about the BIOS, unless the BIOS provider chooses to do so.
(top of page 6...)
http://www.via.com.tw/en/downloads/whitepapers/chipsets/legacy/chipsets_km266.pdf
So, you're right, it is an untraceable mess.
The date of the BIOS mentioning "160GB HDD" is 2002-04-12.
The V2.4 BIOS is 2003-04-03. For Asus motherboards, the
cutoff date for 48Bit LBA was Jan 2003 (their claim is
any board Asus started producing after that date, should be
48 bit LBA). So a BIOS delivered in April 2003, is
still too close to that point in history, to say
with certainty that they fixed it.
That is why I included instructions for a workaround,
in case it doesn't work out. Even boards that are
supposed to be 48 bit LBA, sometimes demonstrate
they are not. So seeing a notation on a BIOS download
page, doesn't mean it is guaranteed.
Paul
