                       HIGH CAPACITY DISK PATCH

                            Version 2.0

                             08/16/2004

                       Copyright (C) 2003-2004
                          By Rudolph R. Loew



The High Capacity Disk Patch Program patches Windows 98/98SE/ME to provide
direct support for hard drives larger than 137GB without requiring a
controller card or the Intel Application Accelerator which can only be
used with an Intel chipset motherboard. The patch installs support for the
48-Bit addressing mode required for hard drives larger than 137GB.

This patch updates the standard IDE controller (ESDI_506.PDR in the Windows
SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS Directory). If you are using a controller card such as the
Promise Card included with some Maxtor or Western Digital drives, this patch
will not affect drives connected to the Card(s). If you have installed the
Intel Application Accelerator, this driver may no longer be used and the
patch is not needed and may not have any effect.



REQUIREMENTS

Windows 98, 98SE or ME.
BIOS support for hard drives >137GB.



IMPORTANT: If you have installed the DEMO Version of this Program you MUST
           Uninstall it before attempting to Install the Full Version of
           this Program. You can Uninstall the DEMO Version and Install the
           Full Version without risk of data loss as long as you do not
           Reboot Windows.



PATCH INSTALLATION

1. Download and UnZip the Program to a known location.
   Do not UnZip the Program to the C:\ Directory if you do not want the
   AUTOEXEC.BAT File to be replaced.
2. Open a MS-DOS Box or Boot into DOS.
3. Go to the Directory where the program is located.
4. Run PATCHATA to install the patch.



AUTOMATIC PATCH INSTALLATION/VERIFICATION (Windows 98 and 98SE Only)

This method can be used when installing Windows 98 or 98SE or after
installation to Install or Verify the Patch on each Reboot.

1. Download and UnZip the Program to a known location.
2. Copy the PATCHATA.EXE to C:\PATCHATA.EXE
3. If there is no C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file or it is empty, copy the supplied
   UnZipped AUTOEXEC.BAT to C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT.
4. If you already have a C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, add the following line to it:

   C:\PATCHATA.EXE -V

   Do not use LOADHIGH or LH with this program, it is not needed.

See the AUTOMATIC VERIFICATION AND UPDATE Section below if you wish to put
the PATCHATA.EXE Program in a different Folder.

WARNING: If the Patch Program ever interrupts the Boot Sequence and reports
an error. It is STRONGLY recommended that you do NOT press ENTER to Continue
if you have already defined Partitions extending above the 137GB limit on
any Drive. You should Press RESET to Reboot the Computer and either use a
Boot Floppy or the "Command Prompt Only" from the Windows Startup Menu until
the problem is resolved.



UNINSTALL PATCH (See Warning Below)

1. Download and UnZip the Program to a known location (if necessary).
2. Open a MS-DOS Box or Boot into DOS.
3. Go to the Directory where the program is located.
4. Run PATCHATA.
5. Type Yes to the Uninstall request to uninstall the patch.
6. Remove the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file or line in it that invokes the PATCHATA
   Program if you are using the Automatic Installation/Verification Mode of
   the Program.



WARNING:

THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR DATA LOSS TO OCCUR DUE TO ERRORS IN THE PATCH OR
IF THE PATCHED DRIVER IS BYPASSED OR OVERWRITTEN. DO NOT USE IN CRITICAL
SYSTEMS OR WHERE HUMAN SAFETY IS INVOLVED.

Please E-Mail any Bug Reports to RLoew@hotmail.com.

If you install a Windows update that replaces the ESDI_506.PDR file or
uninstall the Patch and have Partitions defined that extend above the 137GB
limit there is a possibilty of data loss anywhere on that drive. This is due
to a flaw in the original version of the ESDI_506.PDR file that misinterprets
sectors above the 137GB limit as being sectors below it. Since Microsoft
has decided not to add large disk support to any Windows before XP, any
updates are likely to have the same flaw. If in doubt, rerun the PATCHATA
Program BEFORE allowing Windows to Reboot and Answer NO to the Uninstall
Request if it appears. If the Computer Reboots before you can run the
Program, make it boot in Safe Mode, apply the Patch and Reboot again. See the
AUTOMATIC PATCH INSTALLATION/VERIFICATION Section above for instructions to
setup Windows to have the Patch Verified and Reinstalled (if necessary) on
each boot.

Installing this Patch on a Computer without BIOS Support for large drives is
not recommended. The Patch is bypassed if Windows disables the Driver or if
Windows is in Safe Mode. In either case, the BIOS may cause data loss if it
mishandles sectors above the 137GB limit as does the Microsoft Driver.

Usage with a Disk Manager is not recommended. Proper operation in Windows
Mode is uncertain and may corrupt your system.

Installing this Patch on Windows NT, 2000, or XP has not been tested and may
corrupt your Hard Drive.

If you are installing Windows in a system which has partitions on any drive
extending above the 137GB limit you must apply the Patch after Windows
installs it's unpatched driver but before it tries to use it. If you are
installing Windows 98 or 98SE, see the AUTOMATIC PATCH
INSTALLATION/VERIFICATION Section Steps 1-3 above. If you are installing
Windows ME, use the alternate method described in the NEW WINDOWS
INSTALLATION section below for instructions.



OPTIONS:

The Programs automatically examines the Computer to located the Driver File.

The Program can be redirected to Patch a specific File by specifying a
FileName as follows:

PATCHATA MYDRIVER.PDR

A Backup file is created for the Default File or if you specify a FileName
with a 3 letter suffix. The Backup has the same name but the suffix is
changed to .bak provided the FileName itself doesn't have that suffix.

The Backup File is erased if the Patch is Uninstalled.
                          
The INSTALL/VERIFY mode is specified by adding "-V" (ex. PATCHATA -V).
The Program will verify if the patch is present or not.
If present, the Program will print a report and exit.
If not, the Program will attempt to Install the Patch.
If successful, the Program will print a report and exit.
If not, the Program will print a failure report and wait until you press
ENTER or you RESET int Computer (Strongly recommened).



NEW WINDOWS INSTALLATIONS:

If you are doing a clean install of Windows into a Computer where any of the
drives has a partition extending above the 137GB limit you must install the
Patch before Windows has a chance to use it's unpatched driver. Corruption
may occur before you can complete the installation otherwise. If the Windows
partition itself is above the 137Gb limit it will DEFINTELY CRASH.

The simplest way of installing the Patch on a new Installation of Windows 98
or 98SE is to place the instructions to patch the driver in the
C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT startup Batch File. See the AUTOMATIC PATCH
INSTALLATION/VERIFICATION Section Steps 1-3 above for instructions.

If you do not wish to install the Patch using the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or
you are installing Windows ME, you can install the Patch using the following
steps:

 1. Place the Patch Program on a Bootable DOS Floppy Disk.
 2. Perform the Windows installation until the FIRST reboot.
    Do not leave the Computer unattended in case Windows reboots without
    prompting.
 3. Insert the Floppy Disk before Windows Reboots. If Windows Reboots without
    warning, insert the Floppy Disk as soon as the Screen goes Blank.
    Ignore any instructions to remove any Floppy Disks.
 4. Let Windows Reboot if it doesn't Reboot automatically.
 5. When DOS finishes Booting, run the Patch Program.
    If the Program cannot find the driver skip to Step 9.
 6. Remove the Floppy Disk.
 7. Press the Reset Button or CTRL-ALT-DEL.
 8. Continue the Windows Installation.
 9. If the driver was not found in Step 5, perform Steps 6 and 7, then repeat
    steps 2 thru 5 at the Second Windows Reboot. If the Program still cannot
    find the driver, you will have to look for the ESDI_506.PDR and use the
    Specific File option described above. DO NOT allow Windows to startup
    after the Second Reboot until the Patch has been Installed successfully.

If you have a CD Burner or you install Windows from files placed on the hard
drive, you can purchase a pre-patched Installation Cabinet File for your
version of Windows. By replacing the original Cabinet File in the Installation
CD or Folder you can installs Windows without further patching. This will not
protect you if an update replaces the Patched driver or it is corrupted.



AUTOMATIC VERIFICATION AND UPDATE: (Windows 98 and 98SE Only)

IMPORTANT: Do not use this method with Windows ME.

The Program can be setup to automatically verify and repatch, if necessary,
each time the computer is booted. This will prevent corruption if the Patch
is overwritten by other software.

Add the following line to your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

X:\PATH\PATCHATA.EXE -V

Where X:\PATH is the Drive and Folder where the Program is located.

If an unrecognized or corrupt driver is found, the Program will prevent
Bootup from progressing to prevent possible corruption.

WARNING: If the Patch Program ever interrupts the Boot Sequence and reports
an error. It is STRONGLY recommended that you do NOT press ENTER to Continue
if you have already defined Partitions extending above the 137GB limit on
any Drive. You should Press RESET to Reboot the Computer and either use a
Boot Floppy or the "Command Prompt Only" from the Windows Startup Menu until
the problem is resolved.



RELATED PRODUCTS:

RFDISK  Nondestructive partitioning Program with Large Disk support and
        support for multiple boot and selectable partition configurations.

QFORMAT Quick formatter for FAT Partitions.

PARTS   Partition Mapper.

WINXX.CAB  Windows Cabinet File with Patch already applied.

BIOS    Large Disk Support Patches for Tyan S1590 Motherboard and others.

DOS     Patches to DOS 6.2 to access drives larger than 8GB.



CONTACT INFORMATION:

Rudolph R. Loew
506 Bieling Rd.
Elmont, NY 11003

1-516-352-9078

RLoew@hotmail.com

IP = conference.no-ip.org  PORT = 8192  (Conference Console)
