Experimenting with GPT and Hard Disks >2TB under WinXP

[Multibooter]

The focus of this topic is on experiences, experiments, issues and solutions under Windows XP; related postings about other old operating systems are also welcome. Postings here may also be about specific hardware, with the objective to identify hardware "compatible with GPT HDDs >2TB under WinXP". Please share your experiences!

Edited Monday at 12:04 PM by Multibooter

[Multibooter]

Experiment 1: Exsys EX-3595 ExpressCard under WinXP

I was looking for a SATA ExpressCard (i.e. for a laptop) which would be "compatible with GPT HDDs >2TB under WinXP"
Cixert in his posting of 23Jan2025 https://msfn.org/board/topic/181911-read-gpt-hard-disk-on-windows-xp-solved/page/28/#findComment-1277131 had asked chatGPT about SATA cards with WinXP drivers and supporting MBR >2TB.
chatGPT indicated that Marvell 88SE9230 and ASMedia ASM1061 have drivers for Windows XP and suggested 4 sources for buying the PCIe cards (i.e. for a desktop).

I had bought the Exsys EX-3595 ExpressCard because I have been very satisfied with the Exsys EX-1093 (PCI) and the Exsys EX-11494-2 (PCIe) USB 3.0 cards, both Renesas chips with WinXP drivers, in my desktops.

The Exsys EX-3595 ExpressCard contains a slightly earlier Marvell chip 88SE91xx, most likely 88SE9123. The Marvell Storage Utility under WinXP indicates Device ID 9123. The Device Instance ID displayed by WinXP Device Manager is PCI\VEN_1B4B&DEV_9123&SUBSYS_91231B4B&REV_11\5&63CF550&0&0048F0

The EX-3595 ExpressCard comes with a driver CD which contains a working WinXP driver, WinXP Device Manager indicates:
Marvell 91xx SATA 3G Controller, Driver Provider: Marvell Inc., Driver Date: 11/6/2009, Driver version 1.0.0.1030, Digital Signer: Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher

I have connected the EX-3595 ExpressCard (i.e. for a laptop) in an old desktop with an Asus P5PE-VM motherboard, which has only PCI slots, no PCIe slots, as follows:
- in PCI slot: StarTech PCI to PCI Express adapter card
- in PCI Express adapter card: the PCIe connector of an SCM ICS-D1 PCIe-to-ExpressCard adapter (has a front panel like a floppy drive) - NOTE: this PCIe-to-ExpressCard adapter supports BOTH USB-based ExpressCards and PCI Express-based ExpressCards (most ExpressCards, like the EX-3595 SATA card, are PCI-Express based)
- in the front panel of the PCIe-to-ExpressCard adapter: the Exsys EX-3595 SATA ExpressCard
- in the Exsys EX-3595 SATA ExpressCard: an eSATA cable to the eSATA connector of a Sharkoon Combo eSATA/USB 2.0 HDD docking station
- in the eSATA Sharkoon docking station: a 4TB Toshiba HDWD240 HDD, GPT with 4 partitions, filled with data beyond the 2.2TB boundary

In short: PCI slot => PCI-to-PCIe adapter => PCIe-to-ExpressCard adapter => eSATA docking station => 4TB GPT HDD

The BIOS utility of the Asus P5PE-VM motherboard (has an Intel ICH5) does not have a selection to set onboard SATA to AHCI Mode or IDE Mode; instead in Main tab -> IDE Configuration -> Onboard IDE Operate Mode: -> set to Compatible Mode and IDE Port Setting: -> set to Primary P-ATA+S-ATA. The ICH5 was the first Intel chipset with onboard SATA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_chipsets

During POST, after pressing Ctrl-M, the Marvell BIOS Setup menu comes up displaying Configure SATA As: AHCI Mode
[The PCIe Speed Rate is displayed as 2.5Gbps, not 5Gbps, probably because of the ExpressCard is ultimately connected to a PCI slot on the motherboard, not to a PCIe slot.]

Unfortunately, the Marvell BIOS Setup menu of the EX-3595 [Marvell 88SE9123 chip] canNOT Configure SATA As: IDE Mode.

Device Manager of Windows XP displays the 4TB GPT HDD as Unreadable, Capacity: 0MB and the 4TB HDD is not displayed by MS Disk Management.

The Marvell BIOS Setup menu indicates that a 4TB HDD (3,815,447MB) is connected. So this older Marvell 88SE9123 chip works with HDDs > 2TB [chatGPT had only found the more recent Marvell 88SE9215 and Marvell 88SE9230 chips], but not under WinXP.

When I insert a 320GB HDD with 9 primary GPT partitions into the docking station, with the same hardware arrangement as above, WinXP displays and accesses the HDD OK with the Paragon GPT driver. So the issue with the 4TB HDD under WinXP is caused by the AHCI Mode setting of the EX-3595. The Paragon GPT driver seems to work OK in AHCI Mode with HDDs up to 2TB and seems to require IDE Mode (or no boot) for larger HDDs.

"... 9120 and 9123 do have those details while being just AHCI" ...
"... The RAID mode can be selected from the same screen, from "Configure SATA as:" field, by playing with Tab/Enter or by reading the bottom suggestions.
from: https://winraid.level1techs.com/t/discussion-firmware-update-of-the-marvell-91xx-sata-controller/30492?page=13
[OT: the web page displays OK under WinXP in Mypal68, but not OK in New Moon or Serpent]

If I interpret the comments at winraid correctly, maybe SATA cards with the more recent Marvell 88SE9235 chip can be set to IDE Mode in the Marvell BIOS Setup menu, while the older Marvell 88SE9123 chip is only AHCI??? I have not found an ExpressCard (i.e. for a laptop) with the more recent Marvell 88SE9235 chip.

Flashing SATA cards to IDE Mode, if possible, is perhaps a way to make SATA cards, which do not have a physical switch for AHCI Boot/No Boot/IDE Boot, compatible with GPT HDDs >2TB under WinXP. Maybe somebody else can experiment with flashing SATA cards to IDE mode.

It looks like laptops cannot access, under WinXP, files on a 4TB HDD. In other words: files which you wish to access on a laptop under WinXP have to be an a 2TB or less HDD, NOT on e.g. a 4TB HDD. This limitation reduces substantially, at least for me, the usefulness of HDDs >2TB.

I will return the EX-3595 ExpressCard in the next 2 days. QUESTION: Any ideas about how to set the EX-3595 ExpressCard to IDE Mode?

Edited Monday at 03:24 PM by Multibooter