Partitions Missing

[Hydroxid3]

I had a 60gb Maxtor HD as C: and a 160Maxtor HD Partitioned into equal amounts for E: F: G: H: Now I just had my 60gb go bad, upon installing a new 80GB Maxtor as my main C: it is not recognizing my 160gb. It is showing it as D: and as 32gb only.
The original partitions where setup with the maxblast software that came with the 160gb drive.

So my question is, is there anyway to make it recognize the partitions, or two: simply wipe the partitions so i can have full access to the 160gb. I would rather be able to save the data that is on it, but at this point Im willing to take the hit :sad:

Thanks in advance

[Platypus]

The original partitions where setup with the maxblast software that came with the 160gb drive.


Welcome to WinDrivers, Hydroxid3.

At first glance it might seem that your system has a 32GB BIOS limitation that was overcome by a Dynamic Drive Overlay placed on the original failed drive by maxblast, and is now not present. But if that was the case, your new 80GB drive would also appear to be 32GB. I assume that is not the case?

If not, the problem is possibly lack of 48-bit LBA support (also lost with the failed drive), and the system is one that takes the drive size as the difference (160G nominal minus the 127GB 32-bit LBA limit).

Have you re-run the maxblast software? (Not to do anything with the 160GB drive, but if 48-bit LBA is lacking it should notice and re-install it.) Also, assuming you are using Windows XP, is it at least at Service Pack 1 (required for drives over 127GB)?

If you've already done all these, please advise us of your system details (including whether the 160G drive shows as 32G in both BIOS and Windows or Windows alone) and we'll investigate further.

[Hydroxid3]

Thanks for the response,
Yes I have rerun the maxblast software no problems, and yes I have Windows XP Pro and I have sp1 installed as well. It also shows in bios that it is only 32gb. Also to answer your questions, yes the 80gb shows up fine no problem at all. At this point I have come to terms with loosing the information, I simply want to get the drive back to its full space =)

[Platypus]

It also shows in bios that it is only 32gb. the 80gb shows up fine no problem at all.

Then I think the problem is your motherboard BIOS not supporting 48-bit LBA, hence it is mis-reading the large drive. This would originally have been corrected by a patch loaded onto the failed drive. For example, if it is an Intel based board, the Intel Application Accelerator enables 48-bit LBA for several chipsets where the system BIOS does not incorporate the feature. The same thing applies to drivers for other chipsets like VIA.

Have you installed the motherboard chipset drivers appropriate for your board? If not, and you need to find current versions, let us know what model of motherboard or computer system it is, we should be able to point you in the right direction, and you should be able to get access to the drive in its original condition, as long as you haven't done anything to alter it while the system thought it was a 32GB drive.

[confus-ed]

Then I think the problem is your motherboard BIOS not supporting 48-bit LBA, hence it is mis-reading the large drive. This would originally have been corrected by a patch loaded onto the failed drive. For example, if it is an Intel based board, the Intel Application Accelerator enables 48-bit LBA for several chipsets where the system BIOS does not incorporate the feature. The same thing applies to drivers for other chipsets like VIA..

What makes you think this Platypus ? I can't say I've ever seen anything, though I guess its possible that any drver could do this translation if it was aware the controller couldn't, but I'd have thought it would be a big fat performance whack ? .. at this point I'm usually reaching for an additional ide controller card :) ..*

Here I'd be taking the 'errant' drive to a machine with bios support & running some undelete type s/w to recover the info - is this possible ? does Hydroxid3 have access to a spare beastie ? - whatever you do, do, you want to ensure you aren't writing to this disk until its fixed as that'll decrease your chances of effective recovery :)

* with the added advantage that any bios which can't see beyond 32gig usually has ide controllers only only capable of mode 2 or 4 ata transfers max (so ide 33 or 66), & most controller cards can handle ata 100 or 133, so new disks can transfer at better speeds.

[Platypus]

What makes you think this

Which "this" are you referring to?

[confus-ed]

Which "this" are you referring to?

I just wondered if you could point me at something on this bit, or say a bit more about 'how' :-
the Intel Application Accelerator enables 48-bit LBA for several chipsets where the system BIOS does not incorporate the feature

I can see that it might be able to 'somehows' (hence why I'm asking :)), but I've not seen them say it,( & same with via) - I thought bios had to handle it ?

[Platypus]

Ah, OK, I was speaking specifically to Hydroxid3's situation with WinXP installed and his BIOS correctly identifying an 80GB drive but not a 160G. Presumably then the BIOS has no issue with a 32G limit, but doesn't implement 48-bit LBA, and the LBA algorithm is wrapping around and finishing up with a spurious 32GB size. With the limited information given, that was the most likely scenario I could identify that would seem to allow that combination of symptoms (but may of course be a missed diagnosis...).

(I agree with your extra emphasis of ensuring no actions are taken with the drive until the issue is resolved. I had already mentioned my hope the original drive structure would be recovered "as long as you haven't done anything to alter it while the system thought it was a 32GB drive.")

With XP SP1/2 or Win2k SP4, the BIOS 48-bit LBA is necessary to give full functionality in BIOS setup, POST report and DOS eg you cannot create a partition the full size of a 160G drive:

"While 48-bit LBA BIOS support is not needed for Windows XP or Windows 2000, it may add certain 48-bit BIOS functionality." (Intel link below)

With Win98/ME, the issue is murkier and an IDE controller card with its own 48-bit enabled BIOS and Win98 drivers is likely the best solution. Intel seems to have backed off from declaring the IAA as a cure for Win98;

http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/iaa/sb/cs-009281.htm

although it is still put forward by 48bitLBA.com:

http://www.48bitlba.com/win98.htm

"If your motherboard is based upon certain specific chipsets in the Intel 8xx chipset family, you can install the Intel Application Accelerator driver which will enable 48-bit LBA hard drives to be used in Windows 98 without a 48-bit LBA BIOS."

They also have links here:

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

to VIA for 48-bit LBA IDE drivers and Rudolph Loew's 48-bit Patch for Windows 98/98SE/ME

In any case, partition size should still be limited to 127GB in Win98/ME as drive utilities like Scandisk cannot utilise larger partitions, and if for example Scandisk starts automatically after a crash, the drive can be corrupted.

And incidentally FDISK can't correctly partition drives over 512GB:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;280737

[confus-ed]

Thanks for all that platypus, I feel fully techno babbled now :thumbs2:

So the short version of what you've told me is that though you may need 48 bit lba to partition a 'large' drive, you don't 'need it' necessarilly to address it (read & write from it) ...Hopefully that's right ?

Like I say, I generally chicken out of all of these considerations & use an additional pci IDE controller (for the speed reasons I mention above) which are about £10 here.

[Platypus]

You do need the 48-bit LBA capability to exist somewhere. The principle is the same as overcoming the 8.4BG CHS limit. If the BIOS doesn't do it, the equivalent code to achieve it has to be patched in at a higher level, eg an overlay loaded at boot or as a function of a driver. If the patching is done in Windows for example, Windows has to be running for 48-bit LBA to function, hence partitioning a large drive from a DOS boot disk can't work.

The controller card is usually the best solution.