Overcoming 8GB BIOS limit

[Folkert Rienstra]

Whoops, its the DOS Ultimate Boot CD that has them.
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

And unless one of them ignores what the bios feeds
it then he has the same problem as with Fdisk.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Remember the 'Fdisk bug' technique mentioned by Folkert? If I want to
try that, how do I find out *exactly* what the number of sectors is?

Use Svend's Findpart from http://www.partitionsupport.com/utilities.htm
Try both the Dos and Windows version.
They will give a bit more info than the partition tables alone.
It may also give us some better insight in your partition(s) as well.

 

[Joep]

I believe OP just proved you wrong.

That's weird. However other points I made still stand. And again, as you
admit there's no thing as a 'free space partition' you can not make one
either.

(It's that red daze again, isn't it, Joepie. You really need to calm

down).

I am calm you nitwit.

[idiot's rant snipped]

Yes I see, you cut out your own garbage.

 

[Joep]

Nope, he ripped it out of context and then you snipped it even more
and that made it "semi-casual, incorrect and incomplete" and therefor
wrong, according to your own values.

You must really hate yourself. I know I do.

 

[Joep]

Wow, for once you actually understood what I said. What was the magic word?

That's an obvious lie, Joepie.

What's the lie exactly Limpus Dickus?

irrelevant.

Anyone can see who it is that is making all the noise, Joepie.

I hope so Limpus Dickus.

And since OP can't add space even in Windows it may take yet a bit longer,

Joepie.

Which is weird and exceptional. You didn't know that OP couldn't either
smart ass

limitation?

And if he had an extended defined under that limitation, that limitation stays,
even under Windows. Similar to my case where I sector cloned a smaller drive
to a bigger one. Different cause but same limitation.

No, normally it doesn't. Your crappy PC hardly defines the standard fool.

Have it your way.


The real issue was how to partition the unused space even with that 8 Gb BIOS
limitation.

By creating 'free space partitions'. Patented that already. FNUT partition,
type 00 ...

Then "please" prove it to us, Joepie.

How could I hunnuybuns? You wanna come over here?

Yeah and you Joep@diydatasomething obviously didn't know about it.
Shame on you, Joepie.

No I didn't. I don't feel shame. I know and admit I don't know everything.
If that would have been a reason for shame you'd be a busy guy.

Maybe you should beat it into me, right Joepie?

Ah, are you into that kind of stuff Limpus Dickus?

 

[Joep]

Sorry Joepie, but I don't think that you fooled anyone.

Zeg domme eikel, ik heb je maar weer eens aan mijn kill filter toegevoegd.

 

[Rod Speed]

And unless one of them ignores what the bios feeds
it then he has the same problem as with Fdisk.

I used the word TRY for a reason.

 

[Michael]

You can create 3 primaries and an extended with Linux fdisk in any
order.

But I don't have linux. That's the point. I need to use a DOS/Windows
utility to do this (unless the Libranet Linux 2.8.1 CD includes it,
uncompressed. I'd have to create a Linux boot floppy somehow and copy
it over.)

So if I create an extended partition from a utility Tanmoy offered to
send me (presumably DOS) can Linux reside in a logical drive(s) inside
that extended partition?

 

[Rod Speed]

But I don't have linux. That's the point.
I need to use a DOS/Windows utility to do this

No you dont, you can boot the knoppix linux CD.

(unless the Libranet Linux 2.8.1 CD includes it, uncompressed.
I'd have to create a Linux boot floppy somehow and copy it over.)

Much easier to boot the knoppix CD.

 

[Michael]

You can create 3 primaries and an extended with Linux fdisk in any
order.

No you dont, you can boot the knoppix linux CD.


Much easier to boot the knoppix CD.

But (a) I don't have a CD burner and (b) this PC can't boot from a CD.
I need to do it from a floppy.

 

[Rod Speed]

No you dont, you can boot the knoppix linux CD.

Much easier to boot the knoppix CD.

But (a) I don't have a CD burner and (b) this PC can't boot from a CD.

Makes more sense to fix both of those problems.

I need to do it from a floppy.

Did you try the other partitioning progs that are included on the
Universal Boot CD ? Those should be easy to put on a floppy.

 

[Tanmoy]

Hello,
I am watching this topic for some time and had posted one myself. The
easiest way for you is to plug off the hard drive and plug in to a
friend's computer that recognise it(full capacity). Now create the
extended partition and logical drive. Plug it back to your computer and
forget all BIOS limitation.

If this is not possible you can download a utility written by me
http://www.geocities.com/datareco/partition/partinfo.zip save it to
any folder and run it. It will create a file PARTINFO.DAT (512 Bytes)in
the same folder. You can mail it to me as an attachment, so that I get
the existing partition info. I will create an extended partition and
send it along with another utility to create the extended partition and
logical drive.

Hope this will solve your problem.

Best regards
Tanmoy

 

[Zvi Netiv]

Hello,
I am watching this topic for some time and had posted one myself. The
easiest way for you is to plug off the hard drive and plug in to a
friend's computer that recognise it(full capacity). Now create the
extended partition and logical drive. Plug it back to your computer and
forget all BIOS limitation.

I have been following this thread for some time too and am amazed by the amount
of misleading advice that has been posted to it, so far. ;-)

If this is not possible you can download a utility written by me
http://www.geocities.com/datareco/partition/partinfo.zip save it to
any folder and run it. It will create a file PARTINFO.DAT (512 Bytes)in
the same folder. You can mail it to me as an attachment, so that I get
the existing partition info. I will create an extended partition and
send it along with another utility to create the extended partition and
logical drive.

If that method worked then you wouldn't need the current partition table data
because it's standard (for an 8 GB max size ME partition - type 12, 255 heads,
1024 cylinders, 63 sectors, which yields 16,450,497 of total sectors in the
partition). Besides, there is no problem even if you miscalculate the total
number of sectors in the partition as long as the type, active partition byte,
CHS of the partition beginning, and preceding sectors are correct. The drive
will boot on these and function normally.

From the above, and with the knowledge that the drive is 40 GB total size, you
can write an MBR image file, with the "synthetic" extended partition and write
it to block 0. But IMEO, it won't yield the expected result. In case you
missed it in the OP later posts, FDISK only sees 8 GB of his drive from Windows.

Hope this will solve your problem.

What will solve his "problem" is an add-on IDE controller card.

Regards, Zvi

 

[Zvi Netiv]

Makes more sense to fix both of those problems.

There is nothing broken in the inability to boot from CD with that old machine.
They just don't have that option in their boot order, in the BIOS setup.

Did you try the other partitioning progs that are included on the
Universal Boot CD ? Those should be easy to put on a floppy.

The content of the CD boot track can't be put on floppy, certainly not "easily",
as that track can't be seen when exploring a bootable CD.

Regards

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

That's weird.

However other points I made still stand.

What other points, that was your whole point.

And again, as you admit there's no thing as a 'free space partition'

you can not make one either.


I am calm you nitwit.

So you keep saying.

[idiot's rant snipped]

Yes I see, you cut out your own garbage.

Oh?

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

You must really hate yourself. I know I do.

Thanks Joepie. Glad to see that you are deadcalm now.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Zeg domme eikel, ik heb je maar weer eens aan mijn kill filter toegevoegd.

Again? How many of me do you need in there?

 

[Rod Speed]

There is nothing broken in the inability to boot from CD with that old
machine.

Never said there was.

They just don't have that option in their boot order, in the BIOS setup.

In which case it makes a lot of sense to replace it with something
that isnt that old that can boot from the CD, likely for free.

The content of the CD boot track can't be put on floppy, certainly not
"easily",

I didnt say it could. I just meant that those partitioning
apps that are on that CD can be downloaded and run
on the PC that cant boot from that CD.

as that track can't be seen when exploring a bootable CD.

Irrelevant to downloading them instead of using the bootable CD.

 

[Zvi Netiv]

Never said there was.

You didn't, but I doubt that the OP understood you differently.

In which case it makes a lot of sense to replace it with something
that isnt that old that can boot from the CD, likely for free.

He needs to change the motherboard for that, with a newer BIOS. This whole
thread revolves on the OP insisting to have it his way, with the old 166 mhz
motherboard, and with no boot overlay.

Regards, Zvi

 

[Michael]

He needs to change the motherboard for that, with a newer BIOS.  This
whole

thread revolves on the OP insisting to have it his way, with the old 166 mhz
motherboard, and with no boot overlay.

I am trying to do this without having to go to great lengths, e.g.
replacing the motherboard. If I was going to do that, why don't I just
use a different PC (I do have newer ones)? I have no reason not to
want to use overlay. However, the software put out by Western Digital
says something about "by proceeding, all existing data will be lost".
I don't know whether this is just to warn you about the program having
the *ability* to reformat, or that just by clicking Next it will. I
also thought that the only overlay that would work was the software put
out by the manufacturer. Am I wrong?