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Thread ID: 61329 2005-09-01 05:26:00 Big 160G hard drive only partly recognised Stephen45 (8811) Press F1
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385122 2005-09-01 05:26:00 Maxtor website provides a small 64kb utility (details below) which was supposed to allow the registry to recognise the full 160G. Have read NZPCW aug05 p105. I tried (details below) and it didn't change anything.

Am reluctant to update my bios - is that my only alternative?

I have a Maxtor <model 6L 160 PO> 160Gb drive but the operating system and /or bios only recognizes 128 G (c:29G + d:99G). The HDD was initially formated to 160G on the technician's machine, which recognised the full 160G. My OS is XPprof-SP2. My motherboard is over 2 years old. After reading NZPCW Aug05 p105, I tried to fix this in the following manner:
Searched Maxtor.com for a DDO. None.
Seached for downloads\utilities and found: "Maxtor Big Drive Enabler" at
download site url:
<www.maxtor.com
%20Downloads/View%20By%20Category/Desktop%20Storage/DiamondMax%20Family/Utilities&downloadID=11&displayEULA=true>
* File Name: big_drive_enabler.exe * File Download Size: 64 KB
* File Version: 1.0.3.1 * Revision Date: 04/02/03
* Compatible Operating Systems: Windows 2000,Windows XP Home Edition,Windows XP Professional

Which was supposed to solve the Problem of The full capacity of ATA drives larger than 137GB is not recognized by the operating system.

Suggested solution which _didn't_ work: "Installation Option 1. Upgrade the operating system to either Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 (or newer) or Windows XP with Service Pack 1 (or newer) and download the Maxtor Big Drive Enabler software patch. The Maxtor Big Drive Enabler, once executed, will update the Windows registry for large drive support." Then reboot.

I am reluctant to update my bios - is that my only alternative?
Stephen45 (8811)
385123 2005-09-01 06:05:00 Is the hdd formatted in NTFS? Speedy Gonzales (78)
385124 2005-09-01 06:45:00 Is there a BIOS upgrade for that motherboard which is stated to fix the disk size limitation? If so, I think that you probably will need to use it. Microsoft do rely on the BIOS, so if the BIOS has a limitation just changing the Registry can't help. It might be interesting to boot a live CD Linux and see what it says about the disk. ;)

At this stage, the file system is not very relevant.

Updating the BIOS should be just a matter of reading the instructions and all the screen dialogue. The people who do have "fatal" experiences usually have been doing it for frivolous reasons, and obviously can't (or won't) read instructions. The "best" I have seen was someone who was explicitly told by the programme that he was using the wrong BIOS code for his board. He knew better and went ahead. His board became useless.
Graham L (2)
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