Greetings from Google!
The motherboard manufacturer Abit has a FAQ page dealing with the
issue at the address below:
http://fae.abit.com.tw/eng/faq/qa/2001/2001121901.htm
Although the Microsoft Knowledge Base article that they linked to has
been removed (at least the English version), the Chinese version of
the article indicates to me that all is required is to install a .inf
file enabling 48 bit LBA support in XP. That .inf file is available
from the Abit ftp site at the following address:
http://fae.abit.com.tw/download/utilities/48bit-lba/48bitLba.inf
Search Terms Used
48 bit lba support in XP
If you need any clarifications on this answer, I would be more than
happy to assist you further. Thank you for using Google Answers!
Best Regards,
blader-ga |
Request for Answer Clarification by
cbatters-ga
on
30 Apr 2002 11:10 PDT
This is the same info I received from a thread I started at VIA last
week which included a link to the same file.
http://forums.viaarena.com/messageview.cfm?catid=13&threadid=13119&STARTPAGE=1
The .INF downloaded contains the following code:
[version]
signature="$CHICAGO$"
SetupClass=BASE
[DefaultInstall]
AddReg=48bitlba.Add.Reg
[48bitlba.Add.Reg]
HKLM,"System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Atapi\Parameters","EnableBigLba",0x10001,1
Which is curious because it contains a WIN98/ME style signature
="$CHICAGO$" . This is unlike any other XP INF files which typically
include Signature="$Windows NT$"
Please advise if you have actually tried this INF on XP with a 160GB
drive or are just passing along data from other internet postings.
Clint
|
Clarification of Answer by
blader-ga
on
30 Apr 2002 11:40 PDT
Greetings once again from Google!
To answer your question, yes the signature is indeed in the Win98/ME
style. However, since this INF file does no more than add a additional
value to the registry, the signature does not matter at all in this
situation. The registry setting for enabling 48 Bit LBA support is the
same for both 9X/ME and XP/NT/2000. In this case, the signature makes
no difference at all.
According to the Chinese MS Knowledge Base article, the instructions
are to add a registry value named "EnableBigLba" of type REG_DWORD in
the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Atapi\Parameters\
of your registry manually using RegEdit. This is exactly what the you
have downloaded INF file does, and no more. It's simple there for your
convenience so you won't have to manually add the values. As I have
said before, the signature, although it is indeed of the 9x/ME
variety, should not matter at all in this case, since all it is doing
is a simple addition to the registry.
(Note: As always when doing things like these, it is a good idea to
set a System Restore Point and back up your registry before committing
any changes)
To answer your question though, no I have not actually tried the INF
file, since I only own a puny 40 GB Maxtor. =\ I'm just passing along
what I could find. If you need any further help, let me know. I can
read Chinese, and I think the Chinese MSKB article addresses all of
the issues associated with enabling 48 bit LBA support.
Again, don't hesitate to ask for further clarification. I'm always
more than happy to assist you further. Thank you once again for using
Google Answers!
Best Regards,
blader-ga
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
cbatters-ga
on
30 Apr 2002 12:42 PDT
Appreciate your quick responses.
The only way this could possibly work would be if the 48 bit LBA
capability was latent in the XP (or WIn98/ME) ATA driver code and
could be enabled by simply adding a registry setting. While I "hope"
this works, I am not optomistic especially given the fact that MS did
not ship XP with this enabled and also removed the post from their
site.
I will, however, sign off on your answer so you can be paid based on
your prompt response.
Thanks,
Clint
|
Clarification of Answer by
blader-ga
on
30 Apr 2002 12:55 PDT
Greetings from Google!
To address your concerns regarding XP's support of 48 bit LBA drives,
I have translated the following from the Chinese MSKB article:
"Windows XP contains 48 bit LBA support for ATAPI hard drives. This
will allow your hard drive to go beyond the 137 GB limit. However,
this is still considered new technology, and Microsoft has only tested
a limited number and types of hard drives."
So, to answer your question, yes, Windows XP does contain latent
support for 48 bit LBA, but the feature is not officially supported by
Microsoft.
I hope this addresses all of your concerns. Thank you for the question
and rating!
Best Regards,
blader-ga
|
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