                       HIGH CAPACITY DISK PATCH

                          Version 3.1 (DEMO)

                             03/22/2005

                       Copyright (C) 2003-2005
                          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 some Intel Chipset Motherboards. The Patch installs support for the
48-Bit addressing mode required for Hard Drives larger than 137GB.

IMPORTANT: SEE WARNING ABOUT 145GB LIMIT FOR DEMO VERSION BELOW.

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. SATA drives may or may not
be supported depending on configuration.

NOTE: Some documentation and utilities use a different definition of
Gigabytes (GB) based on powers of 2. The 28-Bit addressing limit using this
definition is 128GB.



REQUIREMENTS

Windows 98, 98SE or ME (Read WINDOWS ME Section Below if using Windows ME)

BIOS support for hard drives >137GB or
A Windows Compatable Boot Manager that supports hard drives >137GB
A Mini Boot Manager is now available from Rudolph R. Loew



BIOS AND WINDOWS SUPPORT VERIFICATION

The 48BITLBA program tests your Computer's support for Large Hard Drives.
You will need at least one Hard Drive larger than 137GB connected to either
of the IDE connectors on your Motherboard.

Run the Program from DOS, not a DOS Box, to verify BIOS, or Boot Manager,
support for Large Hard Drives. A "48 BIT Support Verified" message should be
displayed next to the Large Hard Drive's Number and Size Report. Otherwise
your BIOS may not support Large Hard Drives.

The 48BITLBA Program can be run from Windows, in a DOS Box, to verify proper
operation of the Patch after you have installed it.

If you have existing data on your Hard Drive above the 137GB limit there is
a very small chance that Windows might access sector 268435456 which is
temporarily modified during the test. To eliminate this possibility, run the
command as follows:

48BITLBA -LOCK

Note: This will force the DOS Box to Full Screen Mode and you will have to
reset it from the DOS Box's Properties to return to Window Mode.

Verifying that the Current Version of the Patch is Active can be done by
running the following command from a DOS Box:

48BITLBA PATCH

This may take a few minutes to complete if Non-DMA Hard Drives are present.

NOTE: 48BITLBA will not verify proper operation of earlier versions of the
Patch or other Programs in Windows ME.



PATCH INSTALLATION

Windows ME users should read the WINDOWS ME Section Below before Installing.

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 (Windows 98 or 98SE Only) or Boot into DOS.
   WARNING Do not Install the Patch from Windows ME. Boot from DOS or Windows
   ME SAFE MODE.
3. Go to the Directory where the program is located.
4. Run PATCH137 to install the patch.
5. The Patch will take effect the next time Windows is Booted.



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 PATCH137.EXE to C:\PATCH137.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:\PATCH137.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 PATCH137.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 Section 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 PATCH137.
5. Type Yes to the Uninstall request to uninstall the patch.
6. Remove the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file or the line in it that invokes the
   PATCH137 Program if you are using the Automatic Installation/Verification
   Mode of the Program.



WINDOWS ME

Windows ME contains a number of changes that affect the Installation and
Verification of the High Capacity Disk Patch.

Windows ME does not use the AUTOEXEC.BAT file during boot so Automatic
Installation and Verification cannot be performed. Commands placed in the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file will be ignored.

Microsoft added a function called "System File Protection" (SFP) that
prevents changes to System files including the ESDI_506.PDR file Patched by
the High Capacity Disk Patch. This function cannot be disabled.

If any file protected by SFP is changed, SFP will replace it with the old
version a few seconds later without any warning or indication.

The Patch can only be Installed from DOS, not a DOS Box, or from SAFE MODE
where SFP is not active.

The Patch can be Uninstalled in Windows but a Reinstallation will be lost.

To stop SFP from protecting the ESDI_506.PDR file, perform the following
steps:

1. Boot from DOS
2. Edit the FILELIST.XML file in the Windows SYSTEM\RESTORE folder.
3. Remove the lines referring to the FILELIST.XML and ESDI_506.PDR files.
4. Save the updated file.

Windows ME has a new feature called "System Restore" which allows changes to
be rolled back. If you use System Restore to rollback before the Patch was
installed, you will lose the Patch and risk corruption.



WARNING

THIS DEMO VERSION MUST NOT BE USED TO READ OR WRITE DATA ABOVE 145GB, OR IN
A COMPUTER CONTAINING PARTITIONS THAT EXTEND BEYOND 145GB, AS CORRUPTION
WILL OCCUR.

SOME UTILITIES, SUCH AS FDISK, REPORT DISK SIZES USING A DIFFERENT DEFINITION
OF "GIGABYTE". THE 137GB LIMIT MAY BE REPORTED AS 128GB. THE DEMO LIMIT, WHEN
USING SUCH A PROGRAM IS 136GB.

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
uninstalls the Patch, and have Partitions defined that extend above the 137GB
limit there is a possibility 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 2000, any
updates are likely to have the same flaw. If in doubt, rerun the PATCH137
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. A bad
shutdown will trigger SCANDISK which is very likely to corrupt your Hard Disk.

Usage with a Disk Manager other than BOOTMAN (See Below) may or may not work.
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:

PATCH137 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. PATCH137 -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 the Computer (Strongly recommened).



HARD DRIVE SIZE LIMITS

The High Capacity Disk Patch provides support for Hard Drives up to the
32 Bit Addressing Limit of 2048GB. Possible DOS, BIOS or Windows flaws may
limit support to 1024GB or less. The Patch has been tested with Drives up to
400GB. Raw Disk access tools may have their own limits. Microsoft claims that
FDISK is limited to 512GB.



PARTITION SIZE LIMITS

The size of individual Partitions are subject to additional limitations due
to FileSystem design and Partition management tools. Microsoft specifies a
maximum Partition size of 128GB. Third Party Partition Management tools may
have other limits.

DEFRAG and SCANDISK (in Windows Mode) are limited to less than 136.9GB
Some people have reported limits as low as 127GB.

DOS, WINDOWS and SCANDISK (in DOS Mode) can handle at least 400GB.

It is recommended that you Partition your Large Hard Drive with 2 or more
Partitions so that no single Primary or Logical Partition is larger than
127GB.

FDISK can be used to Partition Large Hard Drives but will incorrectly report
sizes above 64GB. You will need to enter sizes as Percentages in order to
use the full capacity of the Hard Drive.



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\PATCH137.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.



BOOTMAN

BOOTMAN is a Mini Boot Manager designed to provide Large Hard Drive support
for BIOSes that only support 137GB. It is compatable with DOS, Windows and
the High Capacity Disk Patch. Please contact Rudolph R. Loew (See Below) for
more information on this Product.



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

Website:  http://members.aol.com/rloew1

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