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137GB limit - ESDI_506.PDR and other limits


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Thanks firstly for the info on this thread.

The BIOS is also a crucial issue AFAICT....

Found a free utility that says it will tell you if your BIOS supports 48-bit Logical Block Addressing (LBA). Not tried it yet, though.

http://www.48bitlba.com/hdinfodetails.htm

Note the free version is for those with a floppy disk drive which I guess covers most of us here.

HUMM....Just tried the freeware version. Doesn't do much -- just a demo! :realmad: (contrariwise to what appears to be stated on website). But I guess it might be worthwhile to pay for the full version rather than risk an unnecessary BIOS upgrade. What do you think?

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Hotswapping BIOS chips is not for the faint of heart, though... :whistle:

There is a definite chance of deep frying both BIOS chips during the procedure!

YMMV, of course, but I think this warning is warranted. Read well about it before atempting it.

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Hotswapping BIOS chips is not for the faint of heart, though... :whistle:

There is a definite chance of deep frying both BIOS chips during the procedure!

YMMV, of course, but I think this warning is warranted. Read well about it before atempting it.

Perhaps someone might know...

BIOS in question is: Award BIOS v6.00PG. Not been able to find out if it supports >137GB.

While I'm on this topic I'm also a bit puzzled about the 137GB fix (software), Esdi_506.pdr, and the version that's installed: File Version 4.10.2230 (product version 4.10.2222). Is that correct for 98SE2ME.

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@Analada

Here:

http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/iaa/sb/cs-009302.htm

Intel® Application Accelerator

48-bit LBA Test Program for Windows* Me/98 SE/98

The MS-DOS*-based 48-bit LBA test program below can be used on systems running Windows* Millennium Edition (Me), Windows* 98 SE, or Windows* 98 to determine if the BIOS is capable of supporting hard drives larger than 137GB (48-bit LBA). The program will provide one of the following results:

PASSED - BIOS is currently 48-bit LBA capable. No additional steps required.

FAILED - BIOS is currently not 48-bit LBA capable. BIOS update needed.

UNDETERMINED - Test program is not able to determine if BIOS is 48-bit LBA capable.

The 48-bit LBA test program was designed to run in a true MS-DOS environment - not an MS-DOS prompt window. (Instructions for running the program in true MS-DOS can be found at the bottom of this page). Running this test program from an MS-DOS prompt from within Windows Me, Windows 98 SE or Windows 98 may work but you may see some irregularities and formatting issues.

Download the Intel 48-bit LBA Test Program [EXE]

File Name: 48lbachk.exe

Size: 33,860 bytes

Date: 11/14/02

Note: Due to the current BIOS architecture, you will need to have a hard drive larger than 137GB installed on your system before running this test program. Otherwise, the following error message will appear: "We cannot determine whether your BIOS is 48-bit LBA capable, because you currently do not have a 48-bit LBA hard drive installed."

jaclaz

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Really looking forward to use UNIATA 9X – Universal ATA & SATA driver Windows 9X version. I know it is much more work than writing a kernel mode driver.

I am very much puzzled by disk controller driver scheme that Windows 9X uses. I am just a photographer/graphic artist and I do not have background and knowledge to solve my problem.

I really wonder what I am doing wrong? Maybe I have incompatible ios.vxd? There are few disk/controller drivers posted in MSFN here but none of them seems to bail my Dell system out from DOS compatibility mode disk access nor can I access DVD Rom either.

I thought that I had to have upgrade files by pair when it comes to disk controller under Windows 9x. User driver core like xxxx.mpd or xxxx.pdr and a modified interrupt hook like ios.vxd or ios.386.

:thumbup Universal ATA kernel mode driver for Windows NT (a.k.a., UNIATA.SYS) really has been a greatest saviour. It solved my problem on Windows NT immediately on my Dell. You do not need *.vxd files for Windows NT that does not have to load from real mode once passed stage 1.5 (ntdetect.com) and stage 2 (ntldr.bin).

This Dell is the first system in my life that come with SATA II/ATA133 bus. I have built at least 25 systems in the past 20 years for myself and friends but always with SCSI bus after 1995. I did use ESDI controllers and disks built by Control Data Corporation until 1995 because ESDI bus was already 16 bit (about 12MB/sec in 1990) whereas SCSI remained 8 bit bus (about 3 - 5MB/sec). Transition from ESDI to Wide SCSI (20MB/sec in 1996) was nothing difficult since both relied on physical jumper pins.

I understand that “You get what you pay for”. SATA and ATA133 controllers comes almost free when you buy a system or motherboard since they are just some “bonus multifunction controller segments” built into south bridge i82801G, GB, GH so called multifunction port 27xx devices compared to hundreds of dollars invest in SCSI HBA.

When I built a computer in the past, typically I used two SCSI controllers per system. One GDT86xx series with an Intel i80303 from Germany and an Adaptec 39160. This type of set-up, you can browse internet, print a digital photo, burn CDR all at the same time without interfering each operation on Solaris or Linux or Windows NT (sometimes have infamous JAVA stall happens on NT just like on Windows XP). You can not do this with Windows XP even on newer Dell with dual core mini-tower machine. The drawback of home built system is very costly, heavy and creates a lot of heat in the summer.

Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 SE have been particularly difficult to install in an USB2.0 and PCI-E system such as this Dell Dimension Dual Core on 945 chipset.

These two OS are most difficult to install on SATA. I had to temporarily set a SCSI card 39160 and put SCSI disk in channel A bus and CDROM in Channel B bus, start with 640x480 old 4 bit VGA colour. Then I transferred on to SATA II Drives. I have succeeded making Nvidia PCI-E card and USB Hub to work successfully both on Windows NT and 98 SE. I still have disk access problem only on Windows 98. Phoenix BIOS is dated 2007 and has no problem on any other operating system except Windows 98.

My problem is particularly deeper since I have to protect other partitions where Windows NT 4.0, Windows XP, BSD Unix 4.3, Solaris 10, Debian Linux and SUSE 11 already installed and working and some of them are sharing applications and data quite competently.

Intel seem to be influenced by at least one of software giants not to provide legacy OS drivers for their newer motherboard/chipset. You can still build up ground work manually to make PCI-E video and USB Hub to install even on 900 Series Chipset using still available 800 Series driver. You do need a Windows 2000 or XP to make screen capture shots of memory address port maps and IRQ displayed on device manager and then PCI/VEN device port codes from Hkey Local Machine Enum MF and PCI branches of registry taken from working Windows 2000 and then manually enter by hand on Windows 98 SE whose ground work already built by lower class drivers (i.e., 845 and 915 classes) up to 945 or 965 class. You also have to disassemble 965 class driver so that you can get PCI/VEN port information such as North 244XX South 27XX. With Brute Force effort, I succeed on Video and USB Hub. I can use USB memory disk both on NT 4.0 and Windows 98 SE.

Dell Dimension Minitower

Intel 945, Socket 775, Dual Core, XP installed at factory

82801GB/GH/GR ATA/SATA II/RAID (I do not care for this kind of fake RAID)

nvidia 6600GT PCI-E

WD VelociRapror 300GB (278GiB) x 2

Seagate Barracuda ES2 1.0TB (954GiB)

Philips DVD-R x 1,

SB Audigy PCI

pinecloud

Edited by pinecloud
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While I'm on this topic I'm also a bit puzzled about the 137GB fix (software), Esdi_506.pdr, and the version that's installed: File Version 4.10.2230 (product version 4.10.2222). Is that correct for 98SE2ME.

I answered that question here. If you wish to have a full view of the history behind the version numbers conundrum, and have time for it, do read the whole original LLXX topic.

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While I'm on this topic I'm also a bit puzzled about the 137GB fix (software), Esdi_506.pdr, and the version that's installed: File Version 4.10.2230 (product version 4.10.2222). Is that correct for 98SE2ME.

I answered that question here. If you wish to have a full view of the history behind the version numbers conundrum, and have time for it, do read the whole original LLXX topic.

Many thanks! I guess this is/will be one of the most important updates as smaller capacity HDDs seem to be hard to find now, at least in UK.

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