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LARGEST HARD DRIVE IN WINDOWS 2000
- Thread starter moveit
- Start date
I'm using a 500gb SATA hard drive on win2k. I think the problem has to do with support for 48-bit Logical Block Addressing. One solution is service pack 3 or greater.
Here is very good information from Seagate:
Here is very good information from Seagate:
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- #3
The motherboard has automatic LBA enabled. I formatted the drive with XP but when loading 2000 it starts to install the OS, re-boots and when I look at the disk 2000 has split it into none formatted sections. I have used another copy of 2000 but get the same result and have even tried another computer. I do use 2000 sp4.
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- #5
So if you boot from the 2k SP4 install CD, what does it show when it gets to the 'where to install windows' bit where it displays existing partitions? (and lets you delete/create them). If the bios correctly sees the full drive & you have a SP4 install Cd, then it too should see the full drive (I certainly wouldn't have pre-formatted it using XP - but that shouldn't really make a difference).
btw - is it IDE or SATA?
btw - is it IDE or SATA?
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- #7
Hi wolluf
After I had formatted the 320GB (was not 360 as I first wrote) I then started the computer with the boot 2000. It got as far as reading the disk as 305GB then said it was going to format it. When I came back to see how it was doing it had rebooted and was again starting to load the files but when it got to the size it showed it had split the drive into two segments and that they were not formatted. Sorry I cannot remember what actual sizes it said but I think together it came to 305GB.
I have asked my computer parts suppliers what they think and they said that 2000 is only supposed to do 137GB and that I should load it at that size, then use partition magic to widen the partition and add a registry entry EnableBigLba reg_dword that will allow 2000 to see a larger drive size.
This information has now made me wonder if there is a restriction on 2000 as Microsoft site does indicate that there is a 137GB restriction.
After I had formatted the 320GB (was not 360 as I first wrote) I then started the computer with the boot 2000. It got as far as reading the disk as 305GB then said it was going to format it. When I came back to see how it was doing it had rebooted and was again starting to load the files but when it got to the size it showed it had split the drive into two segments and that they were not formatted. Sorry I cannot remember what actual sizes it said but I think together it came to 305GB.
I have asked my computer parts suppliers what they think and they said that 2000 is only supposed to do 137GB and that I should load it at that size, then use partition magic to widen the partition and add a registry entry EnableBigLba reg_dword that will allow 2000 to see a larger drive size.
This information has now made me wonder if there is a restriction on 2000 as Microsoft site does indicate that there is a 137GB restriction.
Looks like there is a problem even with SP3+ during install phase:-
If you install a copy of Windows 2000 that includes SP3 (SP3 integrated) on a large hard disk that has already been preformatted by using a 48-bit LBA-enabled operating system, the ATAPI subsystem may report hard-disk space greater than that which is addressable without the 48-bit LBA support (larger than approximately 137 GB) during the text-mode portion of Setup. In this case, the hard disk's partition table information has already been created. To fix the incorrect disk information, delete the partition by using either a disk partitioning utility or by deleting and then re-creating the partition during the text-mode portion of Setup. After you create the new partition, quit Setup by pressing F3, and then restart the Windows installation process. The ATAPI subsystem now correctly shows approximately 137 GB of hard disk space.
That's from
So the partition magic approach may be way to go.
However, I now seem to recall I got round this by formatting large install partition using a 2k installation with SP4 - and then the 2k install just accepted the existing partition and allowed me to install (this was some years ago). Also seem to remember, if you format with XP, 2k install sees partition as damaged or corrupted.
Have just started a test install off (with 2k SP4 disk on 200Gb unpartitioned hard drive) - it is allowing creation and starting to format of partition > 128GB, but it says the whole disk is only 128GB! Don't know if it will work or not yet. I'll let you know (no quick option on 2k format so will take some time).
If you install a copy of Windows 2000 that includes SP3 (SP3 integrated) on a large hard disk that has already been preformatted by using a 48-bit LBA-enabled operating system, the ATAPI subsystem may report hard-disk space greater than that which is addressable without the 48-bit LBA support (larger than approximately 137 GB) during the text-mode portion of Setup. In this case, the hard disk's partition table information has already been created. To fix the incorrect disk information, delete the partition by using either a disk partitioning utility or by deleting and then re-creating the partition during the text-mode portion of Setup. After you create the new partition, quit Setup by pressing F3, and then restart the Windows installation process. The ATAPI subsystem now correctly shows approximately 137 GB of hard disk space.
That's from
So the partition magic approach may be way to go.
However, I now seem to recall I got round this by formatting large install partition using a 2k installation with SP4 - and then the 2k install just accepted the existing partition and allowed me to install (this was some years ago). Also seem to remember, if you format with XP, 2k install sees partition as damaged or corrupted.
Have just started a test install off (with 2k SP4 disk on 200Gb unpartitioned hard drive) - it is allowing creation and starting to format of partition > 128GB, but it says the whole disk is only 128GB! Don't know if it will work or not yet. I'll let you know (no quick option on 2k format so will take some time).
It worked ok - the whole 200GB drive has been partitioned and formatted as a single partition and 2k successfully installed on it. So should work for you - if you create & format the partition using 2k install disk's partitioning tools & SP4 disk.
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- #10
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- #11
Hi wolluf
Spent all yesterday formating and re-formatting hard drive but never managed to load Windows 2000sp4. The shop I got the disk from has changed it to a 360gb. When I start the installation it recognizes 343398mb as Unformatted or Damaged which I know you said it would using XP to format disk. I was able to get the message Unpartitioned space the same size. It formatted the disk and said New Unformatted 343398mb then loaded the files
It then re-booted and started to load 2000 again and when it got to the disk sizes it showed the following:
Unpartitioned space 82351mb
Unpartitioned space 24158mb
C: Unknown 831050mb
-- Unknown 265613mb
At this point I have stopped trying to load 2000. I have tried formatting the disk with XP and Partition Magic but no use.
Spent all yesterday formating and re-formatting hard drive but never managed to load Windows 2000sp4. The shop I got the disk from has changed it to a 360gb. When I start the installation it recognizes 343398mb as Unformatted or Damaged which I know you said it would using XP to format disk. I was able to get the message Unpartitioned space the same size. It formatted the disk and said New Unformatted 343398mb then loaded the files
It then re-booted and started to load 2000 again and when it got to the disk sizes it showed the following:
Unpartitioned space 82351mb
Unpartitioned space 24158mb
C: Unknown 831050mb
-- Unknown 265613mb
At this point I have stopped trying to load 2000. I have tried formatting the disk with XP and Partition Magic but no use.
Does your BIOS really allow for the larger disksizes? you might want to get a BIOS update.
Why are you trying to load W2K on that system and not W2K3? W2K is no longer supported by Microsoft, and real security fixes and updates are only available to holders of an extended support contract, not to the general public.
HTH
TonHu
Why are you trying to load W2K on that system and not W2K3? W2K is no longer supported by Microsoft, and real security fixes and updates are only available to holders of an extended support contract, not to the general public.
HTH
TonHu
- Thread starter
- #13
TonHu
My bios takes large size disks as one is over 360gb and windows 2000 originally read my external drive of 1tb. You have lost me with your W2K3. Are you talking service packs? I have windows 2000 SP4 and I still get security updates from Microsoft site and do not have extended support contract.
My bios takes large size disks as one is over 360gb and windows 2000 originally read my external drive of 1tb. You have lost me with your W2K3. Are you talking service packs? I have windows 2000 SP4 and I still get security updates from Microsoft site and do not have extended support contract.
Moveit - are you sure the drive is ok? Or the 2k install disk? Eg, have you an XP install disk you could try starting install from - or could you create new 2k install disk?
For 2k to try to install from scratch after already completing the first part of installation implies-
- first part didn't work properly
- ? does it just automatically boot from the CD - as that usually only happens when no o/s present - which would be the case if the first part failed (otherwise get prompt to press any key to boot from Cd....)
You haven't got bios anti-virus enabled? (if you have, disable it - it prevents writing to the mbr, which would prevent the install from updating the partition table)
For 2k to try to install from scratch after already completing the first part of installation implies-
- first part didn't work properly
- ? does it just automatically boot from the CD - as that usually only happens when no o/s present - which would be the case if the first part failed (otherwise get prompt to press any key to boot from Cd....)
You haven't got bios anti-virus enabled? (if you have, disable it - it prevents writing to the mbr, which would prevent the install from updating the partition table)
- Thread starter
- #16
wolluf - With the help of the shop who supplied the disk I have used 2 new disks, have tried 2 different 2k os in my computer and their computer. In all cases the os automatically booted from CD. At no time did it ask me to press to boot from CD. I do not have bios anti-virus enabled as I load a separate one after the os has completely installed.
I did load XP on one of the disks with no problems, in fact as I can have 4 drives in the one computer I do have XP already loaded on a separate drive and at the moment using that to do my work. I know many would now say dump 2k but I have people asking me to install 2k for them. I just feel I do not want to be beaten by this problem.
I did load XP on one of the disks with no problems, in fact as I can have 4 drives in the one computer I do have XP already loaded on a separate drive and at the moment using that to do my work. I know many would now say dump 2k but I have people asking me to install 2k for them. I just feel I do not want to be beaten by this problem.
I put a 500gig drive in my 2K PC and three things were required to use it. The BIOS had to support it, 2K had to be SP3 or better, and the registry key needed to be set. It seems that SP3 had the ability to use the bigger drives but it was not enabled until the registry key was manually set. It is the 2nd drive so I didn't have to worry about how to install the OS to it, good luck.
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