Andalu

Thanks for the suggestion, but splitting a disk into multiple partitions is not my goal. I would like to use a single partition. I really can't see my 16TB disk divided into 8 partitions. Also, since the Paragon GPT Loader driver is supposed to work only by enabling IDE mode, which is no longer provided in modern systems, I don't think it's worth spending any more time on it.

Yes, I used those two drivers from Win2003

I have done a test to check the behavior of the Paragon GPT Loader driver with the 2TB limit in an XP system configured in IDE mode. After formatting my 4TB Seagate ST4000LM024 GPT disk in Win10, I started to fill it always in Win10 by copying in a progressive way the files numbered from 01 to 432 until to reach 2,194,897,825,792 bytes (at the end of the copy I made sure that all the files were uncorrupted): After connecting the disk to the XP system with Paragon GPT Loader installed, I first verified again that all files were not corrupted and then copied a single file to the disk reaching a total of 2,199,889,600,512 bytes: Checking once again the integrity of all files, I noticed that the first file copied a few days earlier (the one marked with the number 01) was now corrupt while all the others were intact. But on the next system reboot, here is what happened: The problem encountered is almost the same as the one I detected using the asmedia asahci32.sys driver in a system configured in SATA/AHCI mode. The difference, which is no insignificant, is that at least with the asmedia driver, by following the identical procedure above, the drive was still accessible in XP and other files were still correctly available although the 2,199,023,255,552 bytes limit was exceeded. At this point, I also have serious doubts whether the GPT Loader can effectively work on 3TB GPT disks. It certainly does not work on 4TB GPT disks.

@roytam1 None of the storahci.sys drivers known to work in XP allow recognition of GPT disks. Tried after installing the GPT_Loader with both storport.sys from Win7 (disk not even listed in Device Manager) and storport from Win8 (disk listed in Device Manager but no volume detected). Same behavior even without installing the Paragon driver.

There are versions ported from Win8 (storahci.sys v6.2.9200.16384 and storahci.sys v6.2.9200.20652) but I actually don't remember testing them with the GPT Loader. I will give them a try.

Thanks for the confirmation. Unfortunately, even with drivers that do not depend on scsiport.sys you cannot get recognition of GPT disks even if you have the GPT Loader installed in a system configured in AHCI mode. The only sata/ahci driver that allows recognition of GPT disks on intel systems even without GPT Loader is the asmedia asahci32.sys. But it, too, is based on scsiport.sys which is thus the reason for the problem of corrupted files I encountered on disks with sector size of 512 bytes when the limit of 2,199,023,255,552 bytes was exceeded.

When you write that any driver that uses SCSIPORT.SYS does not work well are you referring to some limitation that the latter has? Maybe the one of 2,199,023,255,552 bytes with disks that have a sector size of 512 bytes?

@Dave-H I don't remember exactly where I got it from, @roytam1 is probably right or maybe it is a simple renaming? Edit: I just downloaded the version you uploaded some days ago and it is identical (same SHA-1) to the gptmount.sys I used in my test. [off-topic]: @roytam1 I take this opportunity to thank you for the wonderful work with Basilisk

According to the thread title, here we are talking about GPT disks to be recognized in XP in order to have more data space available than the 2.2TB MBR limit and to have the possibility to use the same disks in operating systems later than XP. I have not yet thoroughly tested the Paragon driver but from the minimum I have been able to observe it does not seem to emulate any other disk. I have tried all the sata/ahci drivers known so far to be compatible with XP and with none of them does the Paragon driver allow recognition of GPT disks.

@user57 More than firmware, I think it is a driver question, as for the Paragon GPT Loader mentioned above. In this case, it would be a matter of modifying the driver so that it recognizes GPT disks even in motherboards that have only the SATA/AHCI option in the BIOS, as in the case of older ones that also provide IDE mode, for which such a driver seems to work without problems even when the data written exceeds the 2.2 TB limit as reported above by @aoresteen (I have not yet tested). Could you do that?

I did not understand what you are referring to. Could you please explain further?

I have never tried and I think I am unlikely to do so, both because I do not have a compatible drive and because I think it is preferable to avoid the risk of ending up with a damaged hard drive.

@Dave-H I tried the Paragon driver on my MSI Q87M board, which has the option of selecting either IDE or AHCI mode in the BIOS. As I feared, I got confirmation that the GPT Loader allows recognition of GPT disks in XP only in IDE mode: while that driver fails when AHCI mode is selected. Here is the image for the GPT Loader installed on the same MSI Q87M board: Unfortunately, more modern components do not always allow better possibilities (and in some aspects not even better performance).

@Dave-H Thank you for all the information. I have the same version of the Paragon driver. From what I see in the image the driver installed on your system should be the one that supplied with the CD that is bundled with the motherboard or at least the one available on the manufacturer's site as compatible with your board. For several of my motherboards, however, there are no XP-compatible drivers, and those that can be installed do not appear to be compatible with the GPT Loader. If I remember correctly, only one that I still have somewhere has the option of setting IDE mode in the bios. Maybe I will give it a thought and restore it to try the Paragon driver. Just out of curiosity and you will excuse me for being so insistent: in the Device Manager, under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, could you please right click on Intel(R) 631xESB/6321ESB/3100 Chipset Serial ATA Storage Controller-2680, choose Properties -> Driver -> Driver Details and post the driver name and version? Thankssss

@Dave-H Thank you. What is missing is the info about the SATA or IDE driver that is installed in your system. It may be that the failure of the Paragon driver to recognize the GPT disks in my systems may depend on that. P.S.: I already have the Paragon driver.