Large drive in old sys: Partitioning for 1024 cylinder limit and Win98 Hibernation

[CZroe]

Got a positively ancient Toshiba Libretto 110CT to set up for using with some legacy hardware (Dr. V64jr 512, bung GB Xchanger, GameShark Pro, classic Dr. V64, etc). It came with a 20GB IBM TravelStar HDD. IIRC, these things were dropping like flies right alongside the IBM 60GXP and 75GXP DeskStar ("DeathStar") drives. Even so, I want to get what use out of it that I can. 20GB can fit a lot of GB and N64 ROMs.

The seller put a very minimal and clean install of Win98SE on there which boots amazingly fast but the partitions are limited to 8GB due to the BIOS' 1024 cylinder limitation. As I recall, this was very easy to get around by having the Windows partition entirely within the first 8GB and partitioning/formatting the rest with special utilities usually provided by the drive manufacturer. I can't remember any of how that is done or what can do it. I seem to remember using IBM Hitachi DFT or WD DLGDiag for that kind of thing but I'm just not sure. No USB or Ethernet is going to make it a pain to download and run these things so I'd like to know if I am barking up the right tree first.

Also, I see "Enable Hibernation" under a Hibernation tab in the Power Control Panel but enabling it doesn't get Hibernation to suddenly work. IIRC, Win98 Hibernation was not native, required a special partition and bootloader, and was ultimately slower than WinME, but I want it anyway. I don't see a "NOHIBER" file so I assume all drivers are WDM and that it supports Hibernation. Any tips on how to set up Hibernation in Win98?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Didn't know Win98 even supported Hibernation. News to me.

 

[Iron Woode]

If you really want to mess around with old skool tech like that system, then you should just have purchased some Super Socket 7 stuff or some Intel LX or BX stuff and make something.

 

[CZroe]

Didn't know Win98 even supported Hibernation. News to me.

It was primarily an OEM thing in laptops that started showing up just before WinME. I got a Win98 Compaq 1800T back in 2000 which had Win98 configured with Hibernation from the factory. When we got the free WinME upgrade a couple months later Hibernation worked MUCH better (and faster). Even so, it was cool to see Win98 with Hibernation support. I am pretty sure that it was the main reason Microsoft made a "Second Edition" of Windows 98 with WDM driver support (so that WDM and Hibernation-compliant drivers were ready for most hardware by the WinME launch).

 

[CZroe]

If you really want to mess around with old skool tech like that system, then you should just have purchased some Super Socket 7 stuff or some Intel LX or BX stuff and make something.

I have no shortage of those things. I simply have no desire to keep big honkin' legacy systems with monitors and keyboards hooked up to game stuff in my home theater (a desk beside the component rack?!). Even if I did, I'd want to do similar things (Hibernation and big disk support).

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Didn't know Win98 even supported Hibernation. News to me.

It was primarily an OEM thing in laptops that started showing up just before WinME. I got a Win98 Compaq 1800T back in 2000 which had Win98 configured with Hibernation from the factory. When we got the free WinME upgrade a couple months later Hibernation worked MUCH better (and faster). Even so, it was cool to see Win98 with Hibernation support. I am pretty sure that it was the main reason Microsoft made a "Second Edition" of Windows 98 with WDM driver support (so that WDM and Hibernation-compliant drivers were ready for most hardware by the WinME launch).

If I remember correctly, hibernation in Win98 required all drivers to be WDM, fully ACHI compliant and plug-and-play compliant. All of which most drivers weren't back then.

Even if it worked it wasn't entirely stable... :sneaky:

I have no shortage of those things. I simply have no desire to keep big honkin' legacy systems with monitors and keyboards hooked up to game stuff in my home theater (a desk beside the component rack?!). Even if I did, I'd want to do similar things (Hibernation and big disk support).

I'm going out on a limb here but have you considered running this in a VM? Most newer VM software can handle 3D acceleration.

 

[CZroe]

If I remember correctly, hibernation in Win98 required all drivers to be WDM, fully ACHI compliant and plug-and-play compliant. All of which most drivers weren't back then.

Even if it worked it wasn't entirely stable... :sneaky:



I'm going out on a limb here but have you considered running this in a VM? Most newer VM software can handle 3D acceleration.

The devices need a parallel port. USB parallel ports will not work. Even then, these devices are very picky. For example, one very particularly requires an "EPP 1.9" port for high speed transfer and even those who have it often have no luck. I tried EPP emulation in one transfer program that supported it under WinXP with GIVEIO.SYS and it transferred at one fourth the speed of true EPP in the same system.

Virtualization would certainly eliminate the need for Hibernation, but I have always been curious to know how it can be set up with Win98 SE anyway.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

The devices need a parallel port. USB parallel ports will not work. Even then, these devices are very picky. For example, one very particularly requires an "EPP 1.9" port for high speed transfer and even those who have it often have no luck. I tried EPP emulation in one transfer program that supported it under WinXP with GIVEIO.SYS and it transferred at one fourth the speed of true EPP in the same system.

Its been a very long time since I've fiddled with parallel ports, but it kind of sounds like the device needs direct hardware access to function correctly. If so, you can't run it in a VM unfortunately.

Virtualization would certainly eliminate the need for Hibernation, but I have always been curious to know how it can be set up with Win98 SE anyway.

Its actually pretty simple. Just download and install either VMware player or Virtualbox. When creating a new VM, just select "Windows 98", and the VM will be configured for it. You'll need a bootable floppy(image)/CD(image) of 98 and a valid licence to install of course.

 

[CZroe]

Its been a very long time since I've fiddled with parallel ports, but it kind of sounds like the device needs direct hardware access to function correctly. If so, you can't run it in a VM unfortunately.



Its actually pretty simple. Just download and install either VMware player or Virtualbox. When creating a new VM, just select "Windows 98", and the VM will be configured for it. You'll need a bootable floppy(image)/CD(image) of 98 and a valid licence to install of course.

Actually, I'm saying that I've always been curious to know how Hibernation can be set up in Windows 98. I've been using virtualization since the '90s. Thanks though.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Actually, I'm saying that I've always been curious to know how Hibernation can be set up in Windows 98. I've been using virtualization since the '90s. Thanks though.

Reading comprehension fail on my part...

But even if you can get it to work, I don't think hibernation is worth the hassle. Win9x tends to require a restart a few times a day, so I don't think you'll save that much time in the end. Also I seem to recall a few issues waking the system up (read: insta-crash, bluescreen etc. all requiring a restart anyway)...

 

[CZroe]

http://support2.microsoft.com/kb/126855
This describes some real-mode CHS geometry translation software. I recall using SpeedStor for this purpose a long time ago and another Libretto user has described using EZ-Drive from Micro House to get his running (with a nice little tidbit on Hibernation support!):
http://forums.toshiba.com/t5/libretto/110CT-100CT-120-GB-hard-drive/td-p/192188

I may now have what I need.

 

[Dahak]

Man, I can't remember the amount of stuff I have forgotten for old Win95/98/Me systems.

But for the large drives support, usually the HDD makers had something called a DDO or dynamic drive overlay that, would allow full access to the complete size of the drive.

Now trying to find it, that will be tricky

 

[C1]

Ya, I used to use that stuff (eg, On Track's "Disk Manager").

Probably still have it laying around somewhere too.

http://support2.microsoft.com/kb/126855

 

[rtoledo2002]

Got a positively ancient Toshiba Libretto 110CT to set up for using with some legacy hardware (Dr. V64jr 512, bung GB Xchanger, GameShark Pro, classic Dr. V64, etc). It came with a 20GB IBM TravelStar HDD. IIRC, these things were dropping like flies right alongside the IBM 60GXP and 75GXP DeskStar ("DeathStar") drives. Even so, I want to get what use out of it that I can. 20GB can fit a lot of GB and N64 ROMs.

The seller put a very minimal and clean install of Win98SE on there which boots amazingly fast but the partitions are limited to 8GB due to the BIOS' 1024 cylinder limitation. As I recall, this was very easy to get around by having the Windows partition entirely within the first 8GB and partitioning/formatting the rest with special utilities usually provided by the drive manufacturer. I can't remember any of how that is done or what can do it. I seem to remember using IBM Hitachi DFT or WD DLGDiag for that kind of thing but I'm just not sure. No USB or Ethernet is going to make it a pain to download and run these things so I'd like to know if I am barking up the right tree first.

Also, I see "Enable Hibernation" under a Hibernation tab in the Power Control Panel but enabling it doesn't get Hibernation to suddenly work. IIRC, Win98 Hibernation was not native, required a special partition and bootloader, and was ultimately slower than WinME, but I want it anyway. I don't see a "NOHIBER" file so I assume all drivers are WDM and that it supports Hibernation. Any tips on how to set up Hibernation in Win98?

search for OLD partitioning software that Western Digital , Maxtor and Seagate put out in those days. that will get you closer to what you are trying to do, but keep in mind there were sucsesions of BIOS upgrades during those years that made each new support a bit more. sure wish I had better memory, as I'm one of those old dudes that used all that stuff in the early 80's. fun times. now, computers are just boring. I se Windows 8 pain to feel anything anymore :'( but seriously liking 10 so far for a Alpha.