160Gb hard drive in Win98se - wont see it?

stephenn · #1 06-25-2006, 01:58 PM

Hello
have a computer that happily runs our software in Win98se but we wished to add a few more Gb hard drive storage.

We have 2 hard drives:
The 1st hard drive is 40Gb and we have kept this
The 2nd hard drive was just 2Gb and we now replaced this with a 160Gb.
..... But it doesn't show in 'My Computer'

* Is there any truth that Win98se can't see anything over 40 Gb?
* How can it be made to work to store our files?

thanks

onespeedreed · #2 06-25-2006, 10:58 PM

http://www.md4pc.com/questions/58.htm

TopFarmer · #3 07-01-2006, 09:07 PM

Does the hdd show up correctly in the BIOS ?
If yes, have you ran FDISK and FORMAT from dos ,or use some other program to do same ? Till you do it will not show up in My Computer.

harry12 · #4 07-20-2006, 08:09 AM

Oldtimer has covered most of what I'd suggest, but Win98se will tackle 120G HDD - this one does. However I think there is a "limit" and 160 may be a tad over (or boarderline)....but the effect of this is that you get less capacity - it still should work. Therfore you need to address the other issues.
Note that I read some early versions of Win98 (SE probably not) had limits to fdisc which could severely affect your HDD choices....
Check your version and this may clear that small possibility.
Such issues are still regularly aired in PC mags...along with how much memory will Win98SE accept........sorry, I keep "under the limit" so it's not an issue...I have 256MB..
Cheers

lucky_chouhan · #5 07-21-2006, 06:10 AM

windows 98 limit is 120 GB if you have winXP then i say install XP SP2. if you can find Win98 SP2 then enable your all HD space.

harry12 · #6 07-21-2006, 07:37 AM

NO. NO. NO! The Original complaint was with Win98SE - you confuse the issue with another OS*...[[Win98 is an updated version of Wiin95 and in those days HDD were quite small..so there was no issue. When Win98 came out Microsoft raised the size of HDD...but there were limits so with the "Second Edition" these issues were addressed]]....but it depends "which" Win98se-version you have (I understand..) - so this is the first thing to establish.....
The Poster needs to look at his CD/paprerwork and + check Motherboard limits/Bios etc.
Having established the version then (As Oldtimer suggests) he needs to fdisc to 160G - I'm sure you are trying to help but suggesting he goes to another OS is really not the answer.

On the face of it I believe he CAN address 160G...but as I suggested it "might" be marginal....it would be useful to have a definative limit for Win98SE as I think it is well above the 120G you suggest. My own computer accepts 120G (on Win98SE) without a problem. Finally, If he is really stuck then fdisc to two partitions 80G + 80G should be a fix, so the D-drive can be used to store all his data/pics etc.

Cheers.H.

* WinXP is about to be replaced (by Vista), so if anyone wants to change they should wait a few months (more), as it will lower the price of those XP-discs. Incidently do "new" XP disc include SP2 by default (as it were), or do you have to upgrade as a separate exercise?
(I'm still on Win98SE)

ferny58 · #7 07-28-2006, 03:10 PM

I have had the same problem with hard drives larger than 137 GB.
This size is the threshold above which LBA addressing is required.
LBA addressing is only supported by the Microsoft Operating Systems
Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Usually the hard drive vendor (Seagate, Maxtor or WD) will supply
a bootable CD that will
allow you to format these large hard disks (greater
than 137 GB). There are some standalone bootable CDs like
UltimateBootCD, Hiram's CD that contain one or more of the hard drive
installation tools from the vendors listed above. You can usually dowload
an image (ISO) file from which to burn these bootable CDs.

In order to boot from the CD your motherboard BIOS must support it.
You need to go into the BIOS setup and select the CD as the first
bootable device. Look up the items I mentioned above on google to
get detailed info on same. Also your motherboard BIOS must support
LBA addressing for hard drives larger than 137 GB.

Hope this helps.

pip22 · #8 07-31-2006, 09:20 AM

Quote " Incidently do "new" XP disc include SP2 by default (as it were), or do you have to upgrade as a separate exercise?"

Harry12, if you by XP retail now, SP2 is installed from the same CD in one complete operation (and there's no option to skip SP2, it get's installed whether you want it or not).

harry12 · #9 08-02-2006, 12:58 PM

That's good to know when I buy XP at a computer Fair (ie el-cheapo)...I read that there are web-sites supplying Win98SE upgrades in a similar way...great for anyone wanting to address the latest security fixes (in the main), for an old PC.
[This follows the June2006 stopping of updates by Microsoft. ]

I haven't followed up the [Win98se]-link (in a mag.)....but it might make sense to have a decent copy (and check it works)...before all that info is lost forever.

Reminds me that there is some concern over photo-files using "RAW" format - seems some manufacturers' interpretation of the standard is non-standard - so when they drop support (or change?), there may be archives which cannot be read once the "install" CD is destroyed.
A bit worrying that so much knowledge could be lost if action isn't taken against "private formats" ....Copyright isn't always A Good Thing.
Many thanks again...

mrceo255 · #10 08-23-2006, 12:35 AM

I have found that Windows 98 had no problem seeing my 300gb hard drive but it does have a limit to how far it can address on such a large hard drive. I have the hard drive partitioned into 3 smaller drives, it can see the first 2 partitions without any problem but the 3rd partition which I was using for archives was working fine until it was somewhere near 30 percent filled then Windows started having problems with it and started giving me read and write errors. It also currupted some data on the first partition, so I think it's pointer for the physical sector address had "looped" around, simular to how an odometer rolls over back to 0. I had used the DOS version of Norton Partition Magic to create the partitions and it had no problem formatting them but after I got errors from Windows when it tried to access the space, now Partition Magic says the partition is Unformatted. Even though I know this is not the case because I was able to use Norton Ghost 2003 in DOS mode to archive the partition to a .GHO image file on one of the other partitions.

Speaking of Ghost, does anyone know how it can read and write partitions in about a third of the time it would take Windows/DOS to copy the same amount of data and files? Even using it for "Partition to Partition" copy is 2 to 3 times faster than Partition Magic's copying a partition.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferny58

I have had the same problem with hard drives larger than 137 GB.
This size is the threshold above which LBA addressing is required.
LBA addressing is only supported by the Microsoft Operating Systems
Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Usually the hard drive vendor (Seagate, Maxtor or WD) will supply
a bootable CD that will
allow you to format these large hard disks (greater
than 137 GB). There are some standalone bootable CDs like
UltimateBootCD, Hiram's CD that contain one or more of the hard drive
installation tools from the vendors listed above. You can usually dowload
an image (ISO) file from which to burn these bootable CDs.

In order to boot from the CD your motherboard BIOS must support it.
You need to go into the BIOS setup and select the CD as the first
bootable device. Look up the items I mentioned above on google to
get detailed info on same. Also your motherboard BIOS must support
LBA addressing for hard drives larger than 137 GB.

Hope this helps.

harry12 · #11 08-23-2006, 11:17 AM

Good idea (separate partitions) this should overcome the Win98 "Limit" which I've read is the figure (mentioned here, earlier) of 137G.
But as (oldtimer? and ferny58) -there could be Motherboard limits -the BIOS and the new HDD needs to be formatted (and partitioned etc) with the jumpers set correctly.
Aren't these problems a real pain?
Why isn't the OS able to provide "help" on this? the help-words are perfectly useless. Furthermore it wouldn't be too strenuous for HDD makers to have a cd-rom Guide to installing their product.
Why do we still have to defrag HDD's - shoudn't this be done automatically in the background, etc?
Linux doesn't appear to need defrag (great) but my foray into Ubuntu 5.10 has caused much grief and a return to Win98se.
Perhaps that's why I stay with 120G.

qfisheye · #12 10-08-2006, 11:49 AM

You have too large of a hard drive for win 98 . You must partition it. I think this will work in dos with FDISK and pick the %(percentage) I really don't know definitely haw large is too largs for win 98. If you go to the manufacturer's site and go to downloads. You can get a program to set up the new drive for win 98se and also copy the old c drive to your partition on your new drive and make it bootable. Then pwr down put your new drive as master or end of cable in master position (jumpered as CS). You will be able to set up old drive as CS in slave position and if your system runs fine, you can format it later and ust it as storage. Good Luck Lenny

Kevin_gibson · #13 12-09-2006, 04:30 AM

Windows 98, will only recognise a drive total of around 60- 80 GB only.

Even if you format / fdisk the drive, it will NOT work.

You may either need to upgrade to another OS / XP preferably, also a BIOS update may be needed to make sure everything is recognised properly.

Read the following:

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6618_102-0.html?forumID=6&threadID=102695&messageID=1177591

harry12 · #14 01-06-2007, 11:06 AM

Two questions for Win98SE + 256MB and HDDs. I've been given a blanked 10G drive formatted NTFS (I understand this is XT-territory)- now can I go ahead and reformat this to suit Win98SE....or will the PC refuse to see it?
I am reluctant to "have a go" without at least some back-up from you guys!
Ideally I will install the OS then I'll have a spare computer when the old disk (2.5+2.5G) croaks, although I might be prepared to use a Partiotion Magic (or equiv.."Randish" has been mentioned somewhere), then I can transfer copy ZoneAlarm (which I use currently, although it's not the easiest to use), as ZL has dropped Win98se-support along with Microsoft.

Now my earlier PC also had a 120G HDD, correctly loaded with Win98se and operating my photo files and graphics programs which would take up too much space on the (almost-full 2.5+2.5G HDD).
All was going fine for several years - - - then the OS failed - it croaked and refused to fire-up, after a session of ScanDisk and Defrag ( Oh dear, must do that again!). The picture files and all the files I look at, letters etc. are OK and can be read/viewed etc. SO I conclude that this was a glitch from ScanDisk (not the best-tempered software, I read here) and "nothing" to do with the dreaded 120G being close to 137G-limit. I continue to use that HDD for picture files and this has been the case for some months. My pictures are then transferred to CD once I have tidied up the imges, added colour corrections, etc.

Anyone like to comment?