nt 4.0 does not recognize hd size, bios does

[michaa]

Hi,


40 GB: BIOS ID: 07/20/98-i430TX-8661-2A59IG0DC-00



I first used the bios patch from wims page, the one for the GA-586tx3 mainbord (ajz). After flashing, I entered the bios, but half of the first set up page was filled with pink colour without any letters (you only can see the two lines with the entries for the first IDE controler, the rest is pink. Is this part of the deal?).
So I changed to another bios patch from jan hill. It worked (but it is called a ugly patch, because it reports wrong hd size). But with thisone, the bios screen worked perfectly an the hd size was recognized correctly. So does xfdisk, too.

But when I go to the nt 4.0 hd-manager, it shows me only 8056 mb of 40 GB. Explorer cannot access the hard drive due to "unknown file format", wheras drive image (dos version) does recognize 40 GB.

Do you have any suggestions or hints, how to make available the whole hd?


tia

greetz

michaa

my old and new bios:

Program: eSupport.com BIOS Detect v1.2 July 21, 2003
BIOS Date: 07/20/98
BIOS Type: Award Modular BIOS v4.51PGM
BIOS ID: 07/20/98-i430TX-8661-2A59IG0DC-00
OEM Sign-On: AUTO CPU VOLTAGE & CPU OVER TEMPERATURE PROTECT START V2.1
Chipset: Intel Triton 430TX rev 1
Superio: ITE 8661/SiS 6801 rev 2 found at port 279h
CPU Type: Pentium
CPU Speed: 200 Mhz
CPU Max: 233 Mhz
BIOS ROM In Socket: Yes
BIOS ROM Size: 128K
Memory Installed: 64 MB
Memory Maximum: 192 MB

[Rainbow]

You need at least Sevice Pack 3 for drives over 8.4GB.

[michaa]

You need at least Sevice Pack 3 for drives over 8.4GB.

...thanks for your replay...but this is NOT the problem, I have nt 4.0 sp6a, and it works very well on my other comp with several hds of 80GB.

And on the comp in regard, there was working a hd of 10,5 GB...so I think we can exclude problems regarding the 8GB limit...


I do not have the slightest clue why the comp does not show at least 32 GB...

Still help needed


Regards

michaa

[michaa]

Hi

==========
in German:

das problem bestand wohl darin, dass ich auf der platte >32 GB ein image aufspielte, das von einer platte < 8GB stammte. Da ich in meinen installationen immer bootpartition (=c:) von systempartition (=d:) trenne, geschah nun folgendes: Der rechner bootete bis zum bluescreen und stürtze an der stelle ab, wo normalerweise die registry eingelesen wird. Statt der fortlaufenden pünktchen kam nun bsod mit der meldung "zugriff nicht möglich" oder so ähnlich.

Dann habe ich von C: aus eine wiederherstellung des systems vorgenommen. Ergebnis: Erbootet....bleibt dean aber bei der aufforderung "ctrl-alt-del" einzugeben hängen.

Dann habe ich wieder von C: aus nt neu installiert: Nun klappt es, er booted, und der festplattenmanager zeigt mir die komplette platte an. Leider muß ich nun natürlich das gesammte systen neu installieren und konfigurieren ...immerhin kann ich nun eine platte >32GB (und vermutlich wenn ich wollte auch nen platte >64GB) verwenden.

========
in English


It seems do be, that the problem has been the fact, that the image I used to copy to the hd >32GB derived from an installation on an hd < 8GB. As I always install the boot partition on c: (obvious) and the system on d:, the following happened: The system was booting up to the blue screen, were normaly those little points show the boot progress. But instead there was the bcod with the message "no access possible" or similar.

Then I made a installation in recovery mode (without newinstall of C:). Result: The system boots...but hangs when inviting to press ctrl-alt-del

Then I made a new install (without newinstall of c:). Now the system boots and the hd-manager shows the right size of the hd. Unfortunately now I have to reinstall and to configure the whole system...on the other hand, I can use a hd >32GB (and I presume evan bigger than 64GB, if I would like to do)


michaa

[michaa]

hi

========

in german


nachdem ich es geschafft hatte wie oben beschrieben meinen rechenr mit dem bios patch zum laufen zu bringen, nun der rückschlag. Es ist wohl ein MS-update-patch, das den absturzt beim booten verursacht (fehlermeldung: inaccessible_boot_device). Nachdem ich heute nachmittag mein system aufgebaut habe, war ich eben auf der windowsupdate.microsoft.com...danach bootet mein system nicht mehr (crash im bluesreen wie oben beschrieben. Es scheint also an einem MS patch zu liegen...Sch*****


Weiß jemand rat?

Gruß

michaa


==========

in englisch

I brought to work my system the way I mentioned above, but now the big step back: Thwere seems to be a MS-update-patch responsoble to crash the system with the patched bios (error message: inaccessible_boot_device). I was setting up my system this afternoon and then went to windowsupdate.microsoft.com...now I cannot boot anymore, system, crashes the way mentioned above. So one of the MS-update-patches is responsible for the crash. Sh**


Greetz

michaa

[janpopan]

Windows NT has some bugs in the bootcode. Your bootpartition must be smaller than 8 GB. If the Partition is bigger and some files are behind this border you get a bluesreen or an errer before a bluescreen is posible.

If you update your system (SP or other Things) some files (ntoskrnl) are also updated during the update the file will be written at any place at your harddisk ... so the boot fails

Kind regards Jan

[Ritchie]

I'm not one to say if NT4 can handle larger than 8GB on just any drive or only on non boot partitions.

However, if you want larger than 8GB at Setup time, NT4 must recognise the appropriate sections of the relevent Service Pack at Setup time. If you are installing with the original NT4, you will be limited to 8GB. If you have the relevent Service Release or an older NT4 version recognises the required Service Pack at Setup time, you may then have access to larger partition sizes.

My point is that even if NT4 with the relevent Serviced Pack will allow >8GB Boot Partition, you cannot achieve this if you do not have the relevent Service Pack at Setup time.

[janpopan]

Sorry, but do not install the WindowsNT bootpartition in a partition behind the 8GB border, the Problem is not the IDE (from SP4) or a other driver the critical Bug is the bootcode in the mbr and the ntoskrnl.exe.

If the boot files stored behind the 8GB border you get a bluescreen.

Example you create a primary partition(SP4 driver) with 30GB to install WinNT all is normal. You can install no Problem for a while. The your programms need more then 8GB no Problem.

BUT
Now You have to install new Hardware (Networkcard etc.) and you have to install a SP again at this Point You get big trouble. The files(ntoskrnl etc.) from the SP will stored behind the border.
Next boot bluesreen. NT has some bugs (or missing features) there.

regards Jan

[Ritchie]

So basically what you are really saying is the bug in NT4 is not so much by itself the fact that the bootfiles could be stored behind the 8GB point.

This implies that the real problem must be that NT4 does not have full support behind the 8GB or has a bug that limits some parts or >8GB partition usage still to 8GB, where it should be supporting a true, eg: 30GB with everything.

If NT4 was designed correctly then you would have be able to setup a 30GB partition and not have any O/S problems relating to this partition size.

Pity that MS is typical for those kind of problems, although I think 2000/XP is better. Can you imagine what it would be like if you could detect and install a 120GB HDD in your BIOS but have certain problems when you filled over 64GB?