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Windows XP 137GB barrier

B

blackrain

Golden Member
Lets say that I want to use a 500GB drive on a new windows xp install. I don't have a slipstreamed version of windows XP. I would prefer not to partition the drive. Lets say that I use a second windows XP SP3 machine to format the 500GB drive (since the original windows XP disc can't format past 137GB). When I try to install windows xp on that 500GB drive, the setup screen is showing only 137GB available. If I go through with the setup, will windows XP automatically partition the drive or leave it alone? I plan on upgrading to SP3 and am hoping that while windows XP cannot see the rest of the drive right now, once I upgrade to SP3, windows will see the rest of the drive without partitioning the drive. The setup screen showing only 137GB is confusing. Should I just ignore that?

Edit: Next screen tries to format, which effectively screws up the partition table. Not sure what to do to get around the 137GB barrier without partitioning the drive
 
Last edited:
Why in the wide wide world are you installing Windows XP still?

At any rate, to answer your question, no it will not automatically format/partition your hard disk drive. If you partition the drive and format it in advance, just install the OS and don't worry about the partition tables.

Just don't click format or partition. Just click something to the effect of "Install Windows on this partition".

-Kevin
 
blackrain said:
Edit: Next screen tries to format, which effectively screws up the partition table. Not sure what to do to get around the 137GB barrier without partitioning the drive
Click to expand...

I know what to do. Install something that recognizes large hard drives. There's absolutely no excuse for still using an XP original disk. Not many excuses to be installing XP period, but whatever.
 
Gamingphreek said:
Just don't click format or partition. Just click something to the effect of "Install Windows on this partition".
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that's safe:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/303013

Warning Data corruption may occur if either of the following conditions is true:

2) You install an earlier version of Windows on a disk partition that was previously created by a 48-bit aware operating system, such as Windows XP SP1. And that disk partition is equal to or larger than the current addressable limit of 137 GB.

The easiest, fastest, and safest way is to slipstream the Install CD to SP1 or higher using nLite.
 
Are you using a WinXP disc with no service packs?

What I would do is use nLite and inject SP3 and updates into the disc before installation. It's a bit faster than installing everything afterwards. You can use Windows Update Downloader to get the updates.
 
Last edited:
blackrain said:
Lets say that I want to use a 500GB drive on a new windows xp install. I don't have a slipstreamed version of windows XP. I would prefer not to partition the drive. Lets say that I use a second windows XP SP3 machine to format the 500GB drive (since the original windows XP disc can't format past 137GB). When I try to install windows xp on that 500GB drive, the setup screen is showing only 137GB available. If I go through with the setup, will windows XP automatically partition the drive or leave it alone? I plan on upgrading to SP3 and am hoping that while windows XP cannot see the rest of the drive right now, once I upgrade to SP3, windows will see the rest of the drive without partitioning the drive. The setup screen showing only 137GB is confusing. Should I just ignore that?

Edit: Next screen tries to format, which effectively screws up the partition table. Not sure what to do to get around the 137GB barrier without partitioning the drive
Click to expand...


Personally I would get a cheap version of Win7(ie OEM version)its a far better OS , especially on security side.
 
Why are you guys so caught up that he's installing Windows XP? Maybe he doesn't want to spend money on a Windows 7 install disk right now? They aren't free.. if you do it legally. Not everyone can just spend $140 on something that they don't necessarily need, especially when he has a Windows XP disk that he can use for $0.

How's that for an excuse?
 
MrEgo said:
Why are you guys so caught up that he's installing Windows XP? Maybe he doesn't want to spend money on a Windows 7 install disk right now? They aren't free.. if you do it legally. Not everyone can just spend $140 on something that they don't necessarily need, especially when he has a Windows XP disk that he can use for $0.

How's that for an excuse?
Click to expand...

If you can afford a computer with a 500GB HDD, you shouldn't have a problem affording some version of Windows Vista or Windows 7 (*hint: they are not all $140...).

Additionally, unless he wants to slipstream his install disc, he does NEED a newer version of Windows, despite what you seem to think.

Case in point: [Link=Link]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-752-_-Product[/Link]

-Kevin
 
There's only three "safe" XP options here:

1) Stick with the RTM XP Install CD and live with a 137 GB boot partition. After installation, update Windows to SP3. You can create a second partition with the extra disk space.

2) Stick with the RTM XP Install CD on a 137 GB boot partition. After installation, update Windows to SP3. Then use a third-party partition manager to expand the boot partition.

3) Slipstream the RTM XP Install CD to SP1 or higher and install from that, creating any size boot partition you want.
 
MrChad said:
😕

I've used "SP0" keys on slipstreamed discs all the time. As long as you're not trying to use a retail key with an OEM disc or vice versa, it should work.
Click to expand...

Slipstreaming and using an OEM/Retail disc that already has SP2 or SP3 pre-installed is different.

-Kevin
 
Gamingphreek said:
You can't. A non SP3 CD-Key will not work on a an XP + SP3 install disc.
Click to expand...
As far as I can tell, Microsoft never added "special" Keys for SP3 Windows Home, MCE, or Tablet Editions. It was only done for XP Professional SP2c and SP3. And I think it only applied to OEM versions, but I'm not sure.

http://oem.microsoft.com/script/ContentPage.aspx?pageid=564232

"Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 supports the same product key range available in the SP2c release. System builders who updated their images with SP2c will not have to re-image in order for the product keys on SP3 Certificates of Authenticity (COAs) to install the software successfully.

No extended product key range is available for Microsoft Windows XP Home and Starter editions. These two products will not have the product key range extended with this release. You can continue to use existing images without any issues.

No integrated SP3 release is available for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition or Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. The SP3 releases for these products will be available only through Windows Update."
 
I never had this limitation before. I've installed XP on a 200GB drive with no issues.

Isin't it win98 that has that limitation?
 
RebateMonger said:
As far as I can tell, Microsoft never added "special" Keys for SP3 Windows Home, MCE, or Tablet Editions. It was only done for XP Professional SP2c and SP3. And I think it only applied to OEM versions, but I'm not sure.

http://oem.microsoft.com/script/ContentPage.aspx?pageid=564232

"Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 supports the same product key range available in the SP2c release. System builders who updated their images with SP2c will not have to re-image in order for the product keys on SP3 Certificates of Authenticity (COAs) to install the software successfully.

No extended product key range is available for Microsoft Windows XP Home and Starter editions. These two products will not have the product key range extended with this release. You can continue to use existing images without any issues.

No integrated SP3 release is available for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition or Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. The SP3 releases for these products will be available only through Windows Update."
Click to expand...

Hmm - well perhaps this first happened with Windows Vista then. I know that I had a CD-Key for Vista and tried to install Vista + SP1 and it said that my key was invalid.

-Kevin
 
Windows XP is still a fine OS for many reasons. In any case, we should be arguing he just make a slipstreamed cd. The time it took to read all these posts, he could have already started the burn on a new CD with the updates. Besides, it is generally much faster to do it this way anyhow than install os and then update, not just these issues with partition sizes.

And as a side note, I one time did an update on a workstation to get over the partition issue, then got dell's free "extpart" and then made the drive larger. It was a dell machines, but I do not beleive it is limited to dell hardware. I usually use it for VMware partitions. I don't suggest this, but if it is already done, then perhaps this is what the OP can do to try to get over the origional smaller partition.
http://support.dell.com/support/dow...dhs&releaseid=R64398&formatcnt=2&fileid=83929
This is the link for the drive utility.
 
Gamingphreek said:
Not to hijack the thread, but I disagreed when XP was released and I disagree to this day. This is just one minor example of why.

-Kevin
Click to expand...

I'd tend to agree. XP is great by today's standards. When it first came out it did suck. The hardware was not advanced enough for it and it was bloated by those standards. Now that hardware has had a chance to catch up it's a great desktop OS. If only MS would stop making their OSes use 10x more resources every time they release a new one. There's no reason to do that. Newer cars have new features and support new technologies, but don't need more gas.
 
Gamingphreek said:
Hmm - well perhaps this first happened with Windows Vista then. I know that I had a CD-Key for Vista and tried to install Vista + SP1 and it said that my key was invalid.

-Kevin
Click to expand...

Shouldnt have been a problem there either. Never caused me any problems to use an original vista key to work with a vlite disk.
 
Why don't you use a utility like maxblast, satools, wd datalifeguard to format the hard drive? they work will all disc sizes 🙂
 
MrEgo said:
Why are you guys so caught up that he's installing Windows XP? Maybe he doesn't want to spend money on a Windows 7 install disk right now? They aren't free.. if you do it legally. Not everyone can just spend $140 on something that they don't necessarily need, especially when he has a Windows XP disk that he can use for $0.

How's that for an excuse?
Click to expand...

Yeah I thought the same thing. People were coming down hard on him for using a great OS. They must be l33t. D: 😀
 
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