Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 19:25:54 -0000
From: "Nick Schiller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: RE: [LIB] Disc Size - Maximum?

Matt/John

I have read this exchange with interest - but some bewilderment

I am a reasonably capable PC user but by no means an IT Engineer.  I simply
want to run a big disc in my little libretto.  From what I can understand
there is no issue with putting a nice big disc in under either W2K or XP.
However, the hibernation does seem to be an issue.

I can understand the logic of what is being described but have no real
understanding of how to implement it on a disc - could either of you provide
an idiots guide to setting up a new disc in a Libretto CT110, 64Mb, 266Mhz -
it would be very much appreciated!!!!

Nick Schiller

-----Original Message-----
From: Philip Nienhuis [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: 23 January 2005 19:00
To: Libretto
Subject: Re: [LIB] Disc Size - Maximum?

Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 19:59:18 +0100
From: Philip Nienhuis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [LIB] Disc Size - Maximum?

John Musielewicz wrote:
>
> Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 00:09:16 -0800 (PST)
> From: John Musielewicz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: [LIB] Disc Size - Maximum?
>
> hi matt
>
> umm matt the bios sees a drive over 8Gig as a 8 gig
> drive so it'll write on the end of the drive. it sees
> the whole drive like this
>
> |-----------------bios=8GB---------------------------|
>  |-------------Operating system=greater
> 8GB-----------|
>
> so figure looking at the drawing above the end or the
> drive is to the right the bios will write it at the
> end and the os will write it at the end if you set it
> up that way of course. now many people will say
> differant but I let you in on a little secret. I am

Once I was thinking exactly these same thoughts, after I was informed by
Wilm Bockey that the BIOS hibernation stuff indeed uses the int13
extensions - IOW the BIOS hibernation routines would have no problem at
all writing the memory image to the real end of the disk.

But then ....

(1) a number of people who ignored the location of the hibernation area
around the 8 GB barrier have reported serious data loss;

(2) a number of people simply tested where the BIOS dumps the memory
image using files with special patterns and found it to be around 8 GB;

(until further info comes along I perceive these as simple facts)

and some further thinking yielded:

(3) There is no specially designated hibernation area mentioned in the
MBR or EMBR. Without it, how would BIOS hibernation be able to deduce
where the end of the disk is...? The only available alternative outside
the OS is to use the crippled disk size reporting function of the BIOS
itself. And that can only see max. 8 GB...
You can check that yourself using a simple DOS assembly prog to involve
int13 subfunc 48h; it reports disk size by CHS parameters (implying 1024
cyl limit) rather than number of sectors (cf. to LBA).

> kind of a computer god if I can stay awake long enough

Yes your USB info a while ago was indeed divine :-)

> to let the others finish telling me why it WON't work
> and then me doing it the way I said just to go home
> and get away from the m***ns. Now you can use a drive
> overlay if you want and it'll change things kinda but
> not really for a couple reasons..1 the drive overlay
> will force you to write he hibernation partition at
> the 8GB barrier (which is no barrier for the OS or
> bios by the way that is just hype) because the bios
> will use the overlay. but why would you want to use an

??
I always thought an overlay replaces the hard disk
routines of the BIOS (it catches int14/15 IRQs)

> overlay to begin with? you have to sit there and count
> silly things like sectors and cylinders and other odd
> things that are only fun if your explaining them to a
> cute girl:) and want to impress her with what a brain
> you have. The easy thing is really to do what you
:
...<lot of interesting stuff snipped...>

P.



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