Without 48-bit Logical Block Addressing Support for ATA, Serial ATA or ATAPI disc drives, Windows has a 137GB Capacity Barrier. This limitation does not affect SCSI interface disc drives.
Additional information about the Windows 137GB operating system limitation for ATA drives is available at Seagate's website (www.seagate.com).
In order to properly access the full capacity of a hard drive larger than 137GB, your system must meet the system requirements described below. Formatting a drive past the 137GB barrier on a system that does not meet these requirements will result in data loss.
Note: If you have an add-in Ultra ATA/133 PCI host adapter card, you can safely install and use your drive with the PCI card on Windows XP, 2000, Me, 98SE and NT 4.0 SP4. You must follow the host adapter manufacturer's installation instructions. Questions about host adapter device drivers should be directed to the manufacturer of the card.
1) Operating System Solutions
The only current Windows operating systems that natively support the full capacity of drives larger than 137GB are:
Windows XP Home Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Windows XP Professional SP1
Windows 2000 Professional SP3
Windows 2000 Server SP3
NOTE: If you are using a motherboard or ATA/133 PCI adapter card which includes new ATA or ATAPI disk device drivers, the Windows XP or Windows 2000 operating system installation will pause briefly and ask for you to insert an OEM floppy diskette. This pause for new "SCSI adapter" drivers happens soon after the boot near the beginning of the installation. See your adapter documentation for specifics.
Even with new device drivers, the latest Service Pack from Microsoft must be installed to ensure support for large drives. If this is the only drive in your system and your version of Windows predates the Service Packs listed above, initially, you may still need to limit the maximum partition size to 137GB. Then to download the latest Service Pack for Windows XP or 2000, visit http://support.microsoft.com.
See also the Microsoft Knowledgebase articles that explain how to enable large drive support after the Service Packs are installed. For Windows XP SP1 see article Q303013. For Windows 2000 SP3 see article Q305098.
Once you have installed the latest Service Pack, you must install the Windows version of DiscWizard to properly format and partition the full capacity of the drive.
If you do not have one of the operating systems listed above, Seagate recommends that you limit the partition size to 137GB or upgrade your operating system or try one of the solutions listed below.
If you are adding this drive as additional storage to an existing Windows system, Seagate recommends that you install the drive with the Windows version of DiscWizard. First verify that the correct versions of Windows and Service Packs are installed before partitioning to insure support for the full capacity of the drive. This includes any host adapter drivers if utilized.
2) Chipset Solutions for Windows XP, 2000, Me, 98SE and NT 4.x
Intel 8xx Series Chipsets
Intel offers drivers to support the full capacity of drives larger than 137 GB on motherboards equipped with the Intel 810, 810E, 810E2, 815, 815, 815E, 815EP, 815P, 820, 820E, 830M, 830MP, 830MG, 840, 845, 850, or 860 chipset. The Intel Application Accelerator v2.3 or above is compatible with Windows 98SE, Me, NT, 2000, and XP operating systems. Detailed information and the latest version of the driver can be downloaded from www.intel.com/support/chipsets/iaa/. If you are not sure what kind of chipset your motherboard has, contact your system or motherboard manufacturer.
If you are building a new system, you can use a bootable DiscWizard CD or diskette to partition and format large drives to their full capacity. Choose the "Setup Your Hard Disc" button from the Main Menu, then select the "Advanced Installation" option during the install. After the drive has been partitioned and formatted, you can install Windows onto your system. Once Windows has been successfully installed, you should immediately download and install the Intel Application Accelerator before putting your system into regular use. Seagate is not responsible for Intel Application Accelerator support issues.
Other Chipsets
Some motherboards and PCI ATA cards equipped with VIA, SiS, ALi, NVIDIA, HighPoint, and Promise chipsets may have drivers or updates that will allow you to access the full capacity of a drive larger than 137GB. You should contact or visit your chipset, system, or motherboard manufacturer's website to see if they have information about the 137GB Windows operating system limitation and drivers available for your operating system. If not, Seagate recommends that you consider the purchase of an Ultra ATA/133 PCI Adapter Card, available from most retail and online computer stores.
3) Ultra ATA/133 PCI Adapter Card
If you have an Ultra ATA/133 PCI adapter card with an open channel, your high-capacity Seagate drive will be fully supported in Windows while the drive is attached to such controller. Seagate recommends using an Ultra ATA/133 PCI Adapter Card, which is fully compatible with all capacities of Seagate ATA hard drives. Some system BIOS do not support booting to drives attached to alternate adapters, so you may only be able to use the drive as additional storage and not as the boot drive. You should contact or visit your host adapter manufacturer's website to see if they have information about the 137GB Windows operating system limitation and drivers available for your operating system.
