Old Win98SE computer and 137G limit...

OK, first of all, this machine is old. Really, really old. Has to be, to run the BBS software. I'm hardheaded, I was going to shut the BBS down anyhow, but on my terms, not a dead 80Gig HD.

We are talking a K6 (not K6/2) 200Mhz computer, with a whopping 32Meg of RAM (I may upgrade that while I have it open, 64Meg!). Windows 98SE is slightly too advanced for the BBS software, but it works.

The thing is, the software drives the computer in this case. I put a Promise PCI interface since the BIOS on this machine is way to old for anything like 80 Gigs, and the closest drive I could find was 160 Gig. Which brings me to my question.

I have read hints that there are patches that will take Win98SE to something larger than 137 Gig. If I can I want to use it, but if I loose my OS utilities like Scan Disk and Defrag I'm not interested. Anyone know of such a beast?

When this BBS was orginally set up I used a 386SX on a network with a NT server my brother kludged. My brother has passed away, the NT machine died many years ago (after 7 years service) and I came up with my own kludges, which worked. A BBS, for those under 35, is a Bullitien Board Service, a local computer with a phone line that predates public internet.

 

I was under the impression that a drive overlay can get around this limitation.

 

Why not simply partition and format the drive on another pc first and use the spare partition(s) for backup?

It's also possible that the BIOS in the pc will not recognise a 160GB disk.

Post the make of the drive for info on suitable manufacturers (overlay) software.

 

From what I have read and fought, disk manglers don't overcome the 137Gig limit, it is too fundimental to the OS. Something about a 48 Bit LBA, which Win98SE can not have on it's own. It's so core to how the OS relates to the HD partitioning doesn't help.

What disk manglers did (ah, I remember it well!) is allow older machines to use a 80 Gig drive (old hardware, 4 Gig was huge at one time) even if the BIOS wasn't willing or interface wasn't up to it. Anyone remember external HD disk controllers as the standard? When I first started messing with manglers 100Meg was considered premo. Since the OSes and hardware has outgrown them I haven't really missed them much.

I tried them again a couple of years ago, thought I had good results, then crashed the machine about a year later as the data exceeded the "size" of 137Gig. You exceed the end of the 137G (actually, the LBA size) and the OS starts the LBA back to 0, putting data on existing data in front of the disk, and corrupting the data. It drove me crazy, as I had done it to several of my machines and my Dads. Still haven't fixed all those drives yet.

This motherboard is one of the first generation where they merged the FD/HD controllers on the motherboard. I estimate it is somewhere around 10+ years old, I put the K6 around a 486 or pentium equivelent.

I don't mind paying for the software, I've located something for $10, but I thought I'd check here first.

Here is the thread that got me thinking about it.

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=121210

You follow the trail and come to a guy in NY who says he's done it. I need it ASAP. This old case hadn't been opened in around 2 years, on 24/7, full of cat hair and dust. I replaced 2 noisey fans while I have it open, one in the power supply (dang blades almost come off the hub).

 

According to this, they can.

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

 

Guess I'll be gunshy for the rest of my life, if I could test for it it might be different, but to have a computer just go gaga after a while, just long enough to really move in...

I decided to throw away 22 Gig off the hard drive, and partition it for 137. I was aiming for 137, got 136.5, that real size issue makes me nuts sometimes. The Maxtor showed 147G, 159G real.

You ever use a PCI drive interface with Win98? I installed the Win98SE cab files on another computer, because until you have the drivers for this interface, the CD is invisable. I know there are other ways around the problem, this was mine. Anyhow, I've got the computer woke up the way I like it after 2 tries, so now for data recovery off the old drive.

Thanks guys. I'll bookmark the sites you found, whilst I'm moving into XP I'll be using Win98 a while longer.