From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Jul 31 13:13:35 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E03C41065680 for ; Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:13:35 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from me@janh.de) Received: from moutng.kundenserver.de (moutng.kundenserver.de [212.227.126.171]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 78DF98FC14 for ; Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:13:35 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from me@janh.de) Received: from pustefix161.kundenserver.de (pustefix161.kundenserver.de [172.23.4.28]) by mrelayeu.kundenserver.de (node=mrelayeu4) with ESMTP (Nemesis) id 0ML21M-1KOXyG2Tuw-0000bc; Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:13:32 +0200 Message-Id: <19220665.288381217510012583.JavaMail.servlet@kundenserver> From: me@janh.de To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-Binford: 6100 (more power) X-Mailer: Webmail X-Originating-From: 34464795 X-Routing: DE X-Message-Id: <34464795$1217510012535172.23.4.289036218@pustefix161.kundenserver.de--433651826> X-Received: from pustefix161.kundenserver.de by 78.54.99.104 with HTTP id 34464795 for [freebsd-questions@freebsd.org]; Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:13:32 CEST Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:13:32 +0200 X-Provags-ID: V01U2FsdGVkX18p1E0k2b/jU8MYQE9JS0fFDesEb59k0cIOdZu LQWzFjAzqkn/aPerlA4F3o+Ubi59h4ayvRq5ddWLofmTigmrN5 E+h7A4edD5hwCwBIP1Hsg== Subject: 250GB hd: Can FreeBSD use >137GB (bios) as Linux or Windows do? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:13:36 -0000 Yesterday, I wrote about "CANNOT READ BLK" from my new hd that I filled via firewire: http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/2008-July/179646.html The response suggested to check for faulty hardware, which I am still trying to do. I found FreeBSD reporting the drive to have 128GB instead of 232GB as FreeBSD did when the drive was connected via firewire. Searching the web, I found one reference of someone else having problems with >128/137GB using the same (latest) bios on this five year old (Centrino) laptop (Acer TM800). >From Western Digital, I got "Lifeguard", which installed ddo (dynamic drive overlay). With ddo, FreeBSD can access the full drive. Unfortunately, I need to dual boot Windows XP, which seems to be impossible with the ddo MBR. Anyhow, both Linux (Knoppix, 2.6.24) and Windows XP (SP3) can access the whole drive without ddo. With Linux, I checked that I can indeed write and read high sectors. Thus, it is only the bios, not the controller that is limiting lba48 access. (At least with the geometry the disk reports.) Is there any way to have FreeBSD access the whole drive without ddo, too? If that is not possible, can you think of any way to load ddo only for FreeBSD, but have Windows XP started with a "regular" MBR? I am not sure, why the ddo MBR does not boot Windows XP, but since Windows XP does not need it and ddo is not supported in dual boot environments, I guess I cannot complain. Thanks a lot for any hint, Jan Henrik