IDE Size Limit

[doanster]

I'm reviving an old PIII computer turning it into a file server. A 1TB SATA drive will be going in it, but the motherboard only supports PATA (IDE). So, I'll be using a SATA to IDE adapter.

This one I found on ebay

Will this pose any problems. I don't recall there being any 1TB IDE drives available. Are there any size restrictions for IDE drives? Worried that the IDE interface won't recognize the full 1TB.

 

[mpilchfamily]

Shouldn't be a problem for the motherboard but may be a problem for the SATA to IDE adapter you get. many have a limit of 750GB. Some will only handle as much as 250GB. But why would you need 1TB on an old PIII? Just go and buy a cheap IDE drive. You can still find them.

 

[Soundmanred]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
Shouldn't be a problem for the motherboard but may be a problem for the SATA to IDE adapter you get. many have a limit of 750GB. Some will only handle as much as 250GB. But why would you need 1TB on an old PIII? Just go and buy a cheap IDE drive. You can still find them.

turning it into a file server

 

[QueBert]

I don't know if they vary from maker to maker, but the SATA to IDE converter I bought off Newegg seems very touchy. I have tried it on 4 IDE HD's and it flat out will not work with 1, another it doesn't always detect it (weird) with the other 2 it works flawlessly. I don't have a 1TB drive, but I have used it on 2 500's, a 340 and I think the last a 200.

 

[doanster]

Originally posted by: QueBert
I don't know if they vary from maker to maker, but the SATA to IDE converter I bought off Newegg seems very touchy. I have tried it on 4 IDE HD's and it flat out will not work with 1, another it doesn't always detect it (weird) with the other 2 it works flawlessly. I don't have a 1TB drive, but I have used it on 2 500's, a 340 and I think the last a 200.

I'm actually going to use it on an SATA hard drive to connect it to an IDE interface on the old PIII mobo. For the price though ($4) I guess I can't expect too much from it :S

 

[tcsenter]

It depends. How old and what PIII motherboard, chipset? IDE is not IDE is not IDE.

 

[Elixer]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
Shouldn't be a problem for the motherboard but may be a problem for the SATA to IDE adapter you get. many have a limit of 750GB. Some will only handle as much as 250GB. But why would you need 1TB on an old PIII? Just go and buy a cheap IDE drive. You can still find them.

I wouldn't be so sure of that. Some motherboards don't support large HDs. It depends what the BIOS limitation is.

I would do some real good research on the brand of mobo, and what it supports. If it is too old, then, your most likely SOL for the big sata drives out now, not to mention that the converters for IDE to sata aren't that good. I sure wouldn't use one for a file server.

 

[tcsenter]

Even where the chipset may support 48-bit LBA, a really early BIOS implementing 48-bit LBA support is very likely to choke on drive geometries that would not exist for another three or more years.

 

[doanster]

New plan: if I just get a basic PCI-SATA controller card, that would remove these size and bus limitations? That seems like the best option to me now. Comments?

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: doanster
New plan: if I just get a basic PCI-SATA controller card, that would remove these size and bus limitations? That seems like the best option to me now. Comments?

Provided that the BIOS can handle it, you should be fine.

 

[doanster]

Originally posted by: tcsenter
It depends. How old and what PIII motherboard, chipset? IDE is not IDE is not IDE.

It's an Intel 815EP chipset Asus CUSL2-C motherboard. It appears that with the proper software updates, it will be able to support 48-bit LBA *cross fingers*

 

[taltamir]

i simply don't beleive there is even a remote chance of your bios recognizing that drive properly...

instead of wasting your money on an adapter, get a simple SATA card...
Also a gigabit ethernet with a SWITCH (NOT A ROUTER!) would be a really good thing too. jumbo frames should help a LOT. i have seen massive speed increase (and CPU use decrease) by using those.

 

[RebateMonger]

A PCI SATA controller card is a much better way to go.

I'm not even sure that the motherboard BIOS limitations will affect a PCI SATA controller card. The cards add their own BIOS extensions, and all SATA controllers support 48-bit LBA. I've never actually DONE this, though, with a P3 motherboard.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: doanster
It's an Intel 815EP chipset Asus CUSL2-C motherboard. It appears that with the proper software updates, it will be able to support 48-bit LBA *cross fingers*

The latest CUSL2-C BIOS does not support 48-bit LBA. If you plan to run XP/2000, you'll need to use the Intel Application Accelerator to enable 48-bit LBA support:

Intel IAA v2.3 (final)

Linux may have direct IDE support for 'big' drives, but this is not an ideal solution. Weird things can happen if you're relying on direct IDE support, such as partitioning weirdness and data loss, reporting incorrect drive capacity in BIOS, DOS utilities not knowing what to do with the disk. Dynamic Drive Overlay (DDO) software would be a better solution.