Specifications

Windows 137GB Capacity Barrier Version 1.0
2 7-Mar-2003
completed on all existing disc drives before proceeding. Windows Startup or
emergency recovery diskettes should be created and on hand in case a recovery
requires their use. Seagate is not responsible for lost data.
Windows XP and Millennium users should also consider using the System Restore
capability and create a new Restore Point prior to making any significant change to
your system. (See support.microsoft.com, Q267951:"Description of the System
Restore Utility in Windows Millennium Edition")
If you have an add-in Ultra ATA/133 PCI controller 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
controller card manufacturer's installation instructions. Questions about controller card device
drivers should be directed to the manufacturer of the card.
1) Operating System Solutions for Windows XP and 2000
The only current Windows operating systems that natively support the full capacity of ATA drives
larger than 137GB are:
Windows XP Home Service Pack 1 (SP1) or higher
Windows XP Professional SP1 or higher
Windows 2000 Professional SP3 or higher
Windows 2000 Server SP3 or higher
The original Windows XP (RTM or Release to Manufacturing) and previous Windows 2000
Service Packs do not support ATA interface disc drives larger than 137GB.
Note: When building a new system, some motherboards may provide new ATA or ATAPI disk
device drivers that are optimized for the OEM system. 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 "adapter" drivers happens soon after the boot near the
beginning of the installation. See your system documentation for specifics. These drivers
may have 137GB limitations. Be sure to check for driver updates.
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 support.microsoft.com Knowledgebase articles that explain how to enable large
drive support after the Service Packs are installed. For Windows XP SP1 see article
Q303013:"How to Enable 48-bit Logical Block Addressing Support for ATAPI Disk Drives in
Windows XP". For Windows 2000 SP3 see article Q305098:"48-bit LBA Support for ATAPI Disk
Drives in Windows 2000".
Once you have installed the latest Service Pack, you can install the Windows version of
DiscWizard to properly partition and format the remaining full capacity of the drive.
If you are adding this drive as additional storage to an existing Windows system, you can 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 controller card drivers if utilized.