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General discussion

can't boot from new 160gb hard drive

Mar 26, 2005 7:45PM PST

done everything, copied files, added ATA card, windows will not boot from new hard drive

Discussion is locked

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Let's see.
Mar 26, 2005 10:34PM PST

If I partition a 160GB drive to 160GB, no Windows when installed there will boot. OK, that's annoying isn't it.

Here's the deal. Window 95/98/ME are DOS based and can't break the 127GB barrier as supplied from Microsoft. Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003 also from the CD have a boot and support issue as supplied from Microsoft.

Given what you've written, you have just reverified the problem.

Too bad you didn't note which OS since I could give the short version of the install onto such a drive.

Bob

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OS
Mar 27, 2005 4:28AM PST

i'm using windows xp sp2. thanks for your help

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The XP SP2 CD has worked super on 160GB (and a 300!)
Mar 27, 2005 6:10AM PST

Here's the drill. NEVER partition or prepare the drive with any utility except to clean off the drive. If you use anything to partition or format prior to install, it should fail. Not for all, but too often.

Now you can simply boot the XP SP2 CD and use its partitioning offer to partition the drive and let it install. Later we get to do the usual followups with motherboard and whatever other drivers we need. The BIOS must support the drive too. Microsoft doesn't do BIOS so we get to do that.

Best of luck,

Bob