Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'GPT Windows XP'.
-
Update 2025-07-24: The solution is in the links in this first post for data hard disks. Follow these instructions strictly and open the links!!!! For bootable hard disks see this other post: https://msfn.org/board/topic/181911-read-gpt-hard-disk-on-windows-xp-solved/page/31/#findComment-1279892 Working with the GPT driver 8.0.1.0 included in Paragon Partition Manager 15 from Windows XP, I have completely filled a 6 TB hard disk connected to SATA port in IDE mode and successfully verified that the data written to it is correct both from Windows XP and Windows Seven with the program "H2testw". +2 TiB via USB it is also possible but only works with Windows 2003 drivers and only if the adapter translates the logical sector from 512 to 4096 bytes. With these drivers you cannot exceed the 2^32 sector limit, so they are not suitable for SATA +2TiB without data corruption unless the ACHI/RAID driver allows it. I think that the issue of working correctly with GPT disks in Windows XP can be considered "solved", without prejudice to fixing problems that may arise regarding hardware compatibility and software tools. Subsequently, several users have corroborated these tests, and despite the fact that there are several drawbacks to take into account, if you follow the instructions GPT +2TiB works on XP, always at your own risk. This post is only intended to help those who want to do it. If you think it is a disaster to lose your data, you don't do it. The Paragon GPT driver generally only works in IDE mode. If you cannot enable IDE mode you can install a PCI Express card with SATA ports that has a switch to enable "IDE mode" or "no boot mode". Caution, you don't use other versions of Paragon GPT Loader, I have found that all of them are limited to the 32-bit sector limit (that is 2 TiB). You don't use the Paragon driver if you have Windows XP with PAE to go over the 4 GiB RAM limit, this causes data corruption on the GPT hard disks +2TiB working by SATA!!! Make a partition table copy!! Because in certain circumstances partitions disappear just by opening Windows XP Disk Manager without performing any additional operations. This happens if you delete the MSR partition that is automatically created when you initialize a disk as GPT, and then create additional partitions without this MSR partition existing. In this case, when you start Disk Management in Windows XP, all the partitions disappear because the partition table is corrupted. The Paragon driver does not work with external hard disks connected via USB, in USB ports with hard disks until 16 TiB we can use Windows 2003 drivers with USB adapters that transfer the logical sector from 512 bytes to 4096 bytes. Although this is also possible with MBR disks +2TiB without the need to install any driver. The Windows 2003 driver version also limits the hard disks size in Windows XP to 2 TiB on SATA ports and by USB if the translation of the logical sectors to 4096 does not occur. You don't use the Windows 2003 drivers alone to work with hard drives connected to the SATA port, these can be installed together with the Paragon GPT Loader 8.0.1.0 Apparently, the 2 TiB limit affects both MBR and GPT (it's actually a limit of 2^32 sectors). Meanwhile, the 2 TiB limitation remains built into Windows XP with GPT hard disks. This limitation prevents the hard disks from working properly unless is installed the Paragon GPT Loader driver 8.0.1.0 contents at Paragon Partition Manager 15 Professional. This is the latest version available for Windows XP, it is a downgrade from the 10.0.5.95 driver as the latter is limited to 2 TiB hard disks on Windows XP and also contains BSOD errors when starting the boot from FAT32 partitions. At the moment it is not possible to properly install the driver 8.0.1.0 without running the program installer. However, in the installer you can choose to install only the driver. I have not yet tested how Paragon Partition Manager works when editing GPT partitions. Chkdsk does not work until Windows XP is booted. Also most software tools for editing hard disk partitions do not work on Windows XP with GPT hard disks. ¡¡¡Please use this with caution, protect your data or don't use it!!! Updated posts for info: GPT install solution is in this comment and the following: https://msfn.org/board/topic/181911-read-gpt-hard-disk-on-windows-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1249360 Troubleshooting see here: https://msfn.org/board/topic/181911-read-gpt-hard-disk-on-windows-xp/page/24/#findComment-1276431 Test results for all GPT driver versions here: https://msfn.org/board/topic/181911-read-gpt-hard-disk-on-windows-xp/page/25/#findComment-1276781 Test edit partitions tools at: https://msfn.org/board/topic/181911-read-gpt-hard-disk-on-windows-xp/page/3/#findComment-1249366 Original post 2020-09-24: I have seen for a long time that it is possible install WindowsServer2003-KB919117 update on Windows xp to read GPT disks. I have noted that disk.sys must be extracted to work in XP and I don't remember what this means. Do you know information to read GPT disks in XP? I want to read a USB disk.