SP2 and 48 bit LBA

[Barry Watzman]

In SP1, in order to use 48 bit LBA disk drives (IDE drives larger than
137 gigs), you needed a registry entry at:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Atapi\Parameters

Variable "EnableBigLba" as a "Reg_DWord" set to one.

I had this variable in my registry prior to upgrading to SP2. Now it's
gone.

Is this no longer used in SP2? Is 48 bit LBA access enabled by default?

Thanks.

 

[slowJet]

Yes, disk wise. But your bios may have a limit for a
partition size, and even that may be only for the Primary
Windows Partition, as windows disk manager can be used to
partition the remaining freespace.
But this is not so bad (if the bios will allow 16 GB or
more for the primary partiton, usuually up to 128 GB)
because you really don't want a hugh primary Windows
System partition.
16, 24, 32 but not 64, 76, or 152, etc.

SJ

 

[Barry Watzman]

Bios isn't an issue. I have a 200 gig drive and have been using it for
about 2 years. I was just surprised to see that the registry entry is
now gone.

So the registry entry is no longer required? And, in fact, if present
will actually be removed?

 

[SlowJet]

Then it was all a left handed issue.

Thanks for wasting my time.

But someone else may see the post, someone that bothers
to look through the infomation and read all the
insightfull knowledge and helpful links, so that they
will know exactaly what to do when they install SP2.

Well, we can dream, can't we.

SJ

SJ

 

[Andy]

If you look at the recent revision of "How to enable 48-bit Logical
Block Addressing support for ATAPI disk drives in Windows XP"
<http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];303013>, it
states "Note The previous registry setting is ignored in Windows XP
SP1 and later."