Breaking the 137GB Storage Barrier

The BIOS companies will also have to perform some work to recognize the increased capacity of the devices attached to the bus and allow the extended 48-bit commands to pass on to the devices. Boot partitions will also be an issue for the capacity of the drive if the BIOS does not recognize the 48-bit addressing scheme at or before the system boots the OS from the hard drive.

Independent software driver efforts for legacy operating systems (Windows NT 4, Windows 98, and so on) will need to be implemented to allow higher-capacity devices to work on installed systems and recognize the maximum available capacity of the drive over the 137-gigabyte limit.

#￿￿￿￿9JCVWhile￿KU￿VJGit is ￿true0GZVthat￿$theCTTKGT!ATA/ATAPI-6 standard defines a method to provide a total capacity for a device of 144 petabytes, the next limit will be imposed not by the ATA devices but by many of the popular operating systems in use today. This limit will be at 2.2 terabytes (2,200 gigabytes). This barrier exists because many of today’s operating systems are based on 32-bit addressing. These operating systems include many flavors of Linux, Mac OS .x, and Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4, 2000, and XP (Windows XP/64-bit also has the limit because of leveraged 32-bit code).

This barrier could be real as early as 2004 if current hard drive capacity rate increases continue along the same growth trends.

#RRGPFKZ• BIOS￿#￿: (an acronym for6GTOKPQNQI[Basic Input/Output System design): The BIOS processes and redirects all data as it is being accessed and stored.

•FAT: (an acronym for File Allocation Table): The FAT tells the computer where data has been stored on the hard drive.

•CHS: (an acronym for Cylinders, Heads, and Sectors): The basic layout

components of a hard drive. INT 13h & INT 13h extensions: protocols used for accessing data on hard drives.

#RRGPFKZ• 131￿$￿kilobytes =

$131,000KI￿0WODGTUbytes

a little more than 30 pages of text

• 33 megabytes =

33,000,000 bytes

more than 8,000 pages of text or 25 300-page books

•137 gigabytes = 137,000,000,000 bytes

more than 100,000 books, or the contents of a good library

•2.2 terabytes = 2,200,000,000,000 bytes

almost 2,000,000 books, or the about content of the Library of Congress

•144 petabytes = 144,000,000,000,000,000 bytes 120 billion books – (more than all that man has written)

•9.4 zettabytes = 9,400,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes

A-4 Maxtor D540X-4G

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Maxtor D540X-4G manual Little more than 30 pages of text
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D540X-4G specifications

The Maxtor D540X-4G, introduced in the early 2000s, is a notable hard disk drive that carved a niche in the consumer and business storage market. It is part of the D540X series, known for its reliability and substantial storage capacity for its time, boasting an impressive 4GB of storage.

One of the standout features of the D540X-4G is its advanced ATA/100 interface, allowing for a high data transfer rate of up to 100 MB/s. This was a significant leap forward in performance, enabling faster access to data and improved system responsiveness. Unlike older interfaces, the ATA/100 significantly reduced bottlenecks, making it an ideal choice for users who required efficient data management.

The D540X-4G was built on a 5400 RPM spindle speed. While this wasn't as fast as some higher-end drives available at the time, it provided a balance between speed and thermal efficiency. The combination of its rotational speed and data density allowed for a commendable average seek time, which translated into quicker file access for everyday applications, such as word processing and spreadsheet management.

Another commendable attribute of the D540X-4G is its acoustic management technology, which ensured that the drive operated quietly, minimizing distraction in office environments or home setups. This was particularly beneficial for users who needed to maintain a serene working atmosphere.

In terms of durability, the D540X-4G featured a robust design with built-in shock protection. This characteristic offered an additional layer of safety for data integrity, especially vital in portable systems where exposure to movement is frequent. Maxtor also placed a focus on providing error-correction capabilities, which further enhanced data reliability.

The D540X-4G utilized a halogen-free design in its manufacturing process, reflecting an early commitment to environmental considerations, which would become increasingly important in the years to follow.

Overall, the Maxtor D540X-4G hard drive highlighted the advancements in storage technology of the time, combining ample capacity, improved speed, and reliability in a user-friendly package. It appealed to a broad spectrum of users, from everyday home computing to small business applications, making it a valuable player in the computing landscape during its era.
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