Win2k SP2 and BigDriveEnabler

[trodas]

This is just about how to use above 137G drives on SP2 machine.

For various reasons I would like to downgrade to SP2 from SP3. I made complete new fresh install, however the BigDrive Enabler from Maxtor ( http://maxtor.com/portal/site/Maxtor/menui...s&downloadID=11 ) did not support SP2.

If the link did not work, then go to the software downloads, ATA drivers and drive utility - and the last one is the BigDrive Enabler.

Therefore I can't access (write) to area above 137G on my big NTFS partion that eat the rest after 2G FAT32 system partion.

Now I know, that the BigDrive Enabler is just a registry chnge thing: " This utility takes the guess work out of editing the Windows registry. The Big Drive Enabler fixes an operating system limitation. This utility is needed anytime a Hard Disk Drive larger than 137 GB is connected to the motherboard's ATA bus, regardless of any system BIOS that supports 48-bit LBA."

If this is just about registry editing, then it might work (depends of the ATA M$ driver, tough) on SP2, right?

And if it did not work, then a update from the SP3 install - the driver - should be possible to add to Win2k SP2, right? :confused:

Please advice and solution for the **** problem... thanks!

PS. okay, I should mention that I have use the nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset and the Microsoft drivers (no way to use the nVidia ones!) for IDE devices...

Edited August 20, 2005 by trodas

[Gurgelmeyer]

48 bit LBA was introduced in Windows 2000 SP3.

Here's the KB article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...kb;EN-US;305098

Gurgelmeyer B)

[trodas]

I know, yet thx for refreshing my memory

The question was, however, if it is possible to push the 48bit addressing support together with the IDE driver to SP2...

I think tha the answer is no, but Im no expert, so I asking experts :-)

PS. the registry code is so easy Included as clickable reg file, hehe.

Now the question is - if I take the atapi.sys file and put it into SP2 + do the

registry change - will it work or not? Anyone tried, or I will be first - or it is

not worth try after all, because it will not work and there are more changes

elsewhere that in the atapi.sys ??????????????????

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

Looks like even old win can do it, so I think I will try W2k SP2 + the atapi.sys from W2k SP3 + the registry trick and test it...

Edited August 24, 2005 by trodas

[Gurgelmeyer]

I though about suggesting the SP3 atapi.sys, but I then noticed the 214,938 bytes update.inf in the KB, which made me wonder if more registry settings are required for the SP3/SP4 atapi.sys to operate in SP2.

Best regards

Gurgelmeyer

Edited August 25, 2005 by Gurgelmeyer

[Gurgelmeyer]

Hmm -- seems that the SP4 version of atapi.sys actually works in SP2

[trodas]

You tried it out already?

Works? Beyond 137G barrier? Writing?

[Gurgelmeyer]

Haven't got a HD that big - but it seems to run fine in SP2 with and without the EnableBigLBA=1 If there were any problems it probably wouldn't run at all - but it runs. And the 137GB limit is not in the OS, it's only in atapi.sys, so it is really unlikely that you wont be able to cross the 137GB barrier in SP2 with the updated atapi.sys and the reg setting B)

[trodas]

Well, I got a 250G drive with 2G FAT32 C "SYS" for system and rest NTFS D "DATA" as for data. After fresh install (nLite failed to produce instalable W2kSP2 ) the winblows did not even want to open the poor big partion

I can't do a thing (typing from bro machine) so I replaced the atapi.sys file (it took ERD commander to boot, **** winblows, watching their files so much, **** system32/dllstorage, nothing helps, just ERD commander...) and let's see...

Aaaargh, help! Scandisk fu.king up my HDD! ****, bad experiments. Im in fear of losing my data

...

Ugh, after machine boot up, I can see (and probably access too) the files on D, hooray to that! I just was affraid to loosing my 3h+ work on the subtitles for the Nixon movie, ****... :-P

I immediatelly added the reg patch and so far, so good!

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi\Parameters]"EnableBigLba"=dword:00000001

I go installing and testing Win2k SP2 with 250G drive and the atapi.sys file from SP3 :-D I quess it was never probably done before, but hey, it looks working and fast! :-)

[trodas]

Hoooray!

I SOLVED IT! Using and defragmenting 250G drive IS possible with Win2k SP2 with installed the atapi.sys file (ERD commanded need, win did not allow to replace this file on the fly, always come up with the old copy...) and the mentioned register thing.

Fully 100% working solution. Hoooray for that!

No problemo since August 27