Seagate 275XE, 545XE manual Configuring the computer, Mbyte system-capacity limit

Medalist XE Family Installation Guide, Rev. A 7

Configuring the computer

Your computer maintains records representing the hardware in the system. This representation includes the translation geometry that is used by the BIOS to map the drive surface and that is stored in CMOS memory. During the boot cycle, a test is run comparing the record to the hardware. When you install a new drive, you must update this record to include a representation of the new drive. This is done in your computer’s System Setup. This section tells you how to configure your computer. It also discusses drive capacity limitations imposed by some computers and available solutions. If you are installing a ST3295A, go to the “Standard installation” section on page 8.

528-Mbyte system-capacity limit

Computers using DOS and some BIOS impose a 528-Mbyte capacity limit on ATA hard discs. This occurs because the BIOS is designed to use up to 1,024 cylinders in the translation geome- try for mapping the data surface of the drive. The ST3660A has 1,057 cylinders. If your computer’s BIOS limits the drive capacity to 528 Mbytes, you have several options for installing the drive.

∙Install the drive using the standard installation procedure on page 8. This assures you the maximum capacity allowed by your computer.

∙Use a host adapter that supports more than 528 Mbytes.

∙Upgrade the BIOS to one that uses logical block addressing (LBA) or an extended cylinder-head-sector (ECHS) address- ing scheme that allows for more than 528 Mbytes.

∙Use the hard disc installation software, EZ-Drive,included on your ST3660A drive. Instructions for extracting the software are on page 11. Instructions for using EZ-Drive start on page 12. (Only ST3660A drives with part number 958002-4xxare shipped with EZ-Drive.)