Big Disks & 32-bit Windows

Mark · 19-08-2007, 18:00

Anyone know of any issues/fixes that allow Windows to be able to correctly access disks with more than 2^31 sectors (2,147,483,648 sectors, 1,099,511,627,776 bytes, 1 TiB) on 32-bit Windows?

I'm not sure if it's specifically a Windows issue, or a BIOS issue, but I've had two different PCs fail for the same reason on a new big disk.

Daz · 19-08-2007, 19:06

There was something a while back (pre 2000 SP3 and XP RTM), but I dont think it was anything around that size. Besides, 32-bit Windows server can access volumes of many TBs - so I'd doubt it's a kernel problem per-se.

Are you getting problems seeing the whole disk or just past a certain point?

Mark · 19-08-2007, 19:20

Only past 1TB, and only with operations that perform direct sector-level access (chkdsk and format).

It's connected via USB (or Firewire) which is what makes me reluctant to believe it's BIOS-related.

Daz · 19-08-2007, 19:26

How very strange. Must be some sort of external RAID device? Any third party drivers in play? If so I'd be looking at them - for the simple reason I've formatted and chkdsk'd volumes much larger than 1TB and never had any problems. If not then I dont know what to suggest - device firmware maybe

Does it BSOD when the task eventually fails?

Mark · 19-08-2007, 19:30

Yes - external RAID device. Nope - no drivers. I have had one BSOD, but the rest of the time it's just got incredibly slow as it's trying and failing to access each sector and reporting it as bad.

Plugged the device into Linux and attacked the raw device with dd, which wrote and read back the entire disk, so it's unlikely to be the disk hardware.

FYI - Quickformat and chkdsk without /r both work, so it's not fatal, just annoying, and worrying as to what else might not work.

Daz · 19-08-2007, 19:44

So Windows only gets presented with a block device, and not an additional disk controller (even a generic one)?

Mark · 19-08-2007, 19:52

Aha gotcha - it's just a generic Windows USB (or Firewire) disk device, so whatever SP2 ships with.

Daz · 19-08-2007, 20:00

Dont know then. I've never dealt with anything even close to 1TB over that kind of interface, so it could be an inherent problem with the drivers, but if that was the case I'd say it should be easy to pick up with Google-fu, but I cant see much.

Random suggestion - pass it to your Vista VM and try it there. If it works it arguably points at the NT5.x drivers.

Mark · 19-08-2007, 20:45

Sounds like a plan to me. I'll have to do some network juggling as the VM is at work and the disk at home, but it's doable.

My Google-fu also came up empty over the last week.

Mark · 20-08-2007, 23:28

OK - had to route the disk through a USB 1.1 hub that I had lurking around to get Vista to accept the disk (VMWare Server's lack of USB 2.0 support), but after that, I got the same thing - disk access fine, but chkdsk /r fills the disk with bad sectors.

19-08-2007, 18:00	#1
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Big Disks & 32-bit Windows Anyone know of any issues/fixes that allow Windows to be able to correctly access disks with more than 2^31 sectors (2,147,483,648 sectors, 1,099,511,627,776 bytes, 1 TiB) on 32-bit Windows? I'm not sure if it's specifically a Windows issue, or a BIOS issue, but I've had two different PCs fail for the same reason on a new big disk.

19-08-2007, 19:06	#2
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	There was something a while back (pre 2000 SP3 and XP RTM), but I dont think it was anything around that size. Besides, 32-bit Windows server can access volumes of many TBs - so I'd doubt it's a kernel problem per-se. Are you getting problems seeing the whole disk or just past a certain point? __________________ apt-get moo

19-08-2007, 19:26	#4
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	How very strange. Must be some sort of external RAID device? Any third party drivers in play? If so I'd be looking at them - for the simple reason I've formatted and chkdsk'd volumes much larger than 1TB and never had any problems. If not then I dont know what to suggest - device firmware maybe Does it BSOD when the task eventually fails? __________________ apt-get moo

19-08-2007, 19:44	#6
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	So Windows only gets presented with a block device, and not an additional disk controller (even a generic one)? __________________ apt-get moo

19-08-2007, 20:00	#8
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	Dont know then. I've never dealt with anything even close to 1TB over that kind of interface, so it could be an inherent problem with the drivers, but if that was the case I'd say it should be easy to pick up with Google-fu, but I cant see much. Random suggestion - pass it to your Vista VM and try it there. If it works it arguably points at the NT5.x drivers. __________________ apt-get moo

19-08-2007, 19:20	#3
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Only past 1TB, and only with operations that perform direct sector-level access (chkdsk and format). It's connected via USB (or Firewire) which is what makes me reluctant to believe it's BIOS-related.

19-08-2007, 19:30	#5
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Yes - external RAID device. Nope - no drivers. I have had one BSOD, but the rest of the time it's just got incredibly slow as it's trying and failing to access each sector and reporting it as bad. Plugged the device into Linux and attacked the raw device with dd, which wrote and read back the entire disk, so it's unlikely to be the disk hardware. FYI - Quickformat and chkdsk without /r both work, so it's not fatal, just annoying, and worrying as to what else might not work.

19-08-2007, 19:52	#7
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Aha gotcha - it's just a generic Windows USB (or Firewire) disk device, so whatever SP2 ships with.

19-08-2007, 20:45	#9
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Sounds like a plan to me. I'll have to do some network juggling as the VM is at work and the disk at home, but it's doable. My Google-fu also came up empty over the last week.

20-08-2007, 23:28	#10
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	OK - had to route the disk through a USB 1.1 hub that I had lurking around to get Vista to accept the disk (VMWare Server's lack of USB 2.0 support), but after that, I got the same thing - disk access fine, but chkdsk /r fills the disk with bad sectors.