RE: [tlinux-users:00964] maximum hard drive limitations?
Hi Drew:
I am currently running with a Satellite Pro 470CDT. This is a much slower
processor than the 490, but the other parameters are pretty much the same.
The limitation about the drive is the Toshiba BIOS and not the actual
hardwarre. I am running SuSE7.1 on my laptop and have upgraded to a 13GB
drive. The drive I purchased from PC Connections came with EZ-BIOS. I am
having a lot of success with EZ-BIOS. But be aware that some distributions
like TurboLinux did not recognize the EZ-BIOS software and formatted the
drive to give me 8GB of disk instead of 13GB. I am sure a 20GB drive will
work, although I've not tried it as yet.
Thanks & Regards
Raja Srinivasan
Director, Emerging Servers
Oracle Corporation
500 Oracle Parkway, MS 401ip4
Redwood Shores, CA 94065
Phone: 1(650)633-6417
Fax: 1(209)729-5249
Email: raja.srinivasan@oracle.com <mailto:raja.srinivasan@oracle.com>
-----Original Message-----
From: Drew Parsons [mailto:dparsons@emerall.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2001 7:19 AM
To: tlinux-users@tce.toshiba-dme.co.jp; debian-laptop@lists.debian.org
Subject: [tlinux-users:00964] maximum hard drive limitations?
This question isn't strictly Linux, but I hope you'll be kind :)
I have a Toshiba 490CDT model, which comes with a 3.8GB harddrive, and the
Toshiba docs seem to be saying that the maximum drive that can put in the
computer is 6GB.
Now I would like to upgrade my drive, and jumping to a 10GB or 20GB drive
would seem much more sensible to me at the moment than 6GB.
I am thus extremely frustrated about this alleged 6GB limit. It doesn't
make sense, seems unnecessary. I know there was some 2GB limit under DOS on
older BIOSes, and I seem to recall an 8GB in Win95 or Win98, OS driven
rather than BIOS driven. But a 6GB limit? What's that supposed to mean?
Is it really a BIOS limitation? Is there really any good reason why Toshiba
can't update the BIOS to handle larger drives ? (I've recently updated to
the latest 8.0 BIOS, but Toshiba, in their wonderfully helpful
proprietryness, neglected to provide a README explaining exactly what it was
the new BIOS fixed). I would have thought, if the drive fits inside
physically, and if the cables fit in properly, then why wouldn't it handle
10 or 20GB?
In a cynical moment I'm inclined to think they refuse to update the drive
handling as a marketing ploy to make you buy the latest model (which of
course would only force me to look at another brand altogether).
Anyway, I'm writing to ask if any of you can confirm the reality of this
kind of drive-size limitation? If it is real, can you explain why? Do I
just have to put up with it, or do I have a "right" to be cranky with
Toshiba about it?
And can anyone say what the 8.0 BIOS improved over the older 7.2 or 7.5
BIOSes?
Thanks,
Drew
--
PGP public key available at http://dparsons.webjump.com/drewskey.txt
Fingerprint: A110 EAE1 D7D2 8076 5FE0 EC0A B6CE 7041 6412 4E4A
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:2.1
N:Srinivasan;Raja
FN:Raja Srinivasan
ORG:Oracle Corporation
TITLE:Director, Emerging Servers
TEL;WORK;VOICE:+1 (650) 633-6417
TEL;CELL;VOICE:+1 (408) 930-1115
TEL;VOICE:rasriniv@zdnetonebox.com
TEL;WORK;FAX:+1 (209) 729-5249
ADR;HOME;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:;;500 Oracle Parkway=0D=0AMS 401ip4032;Redwood Shores;CA;94065;United States=
of America
LABEL;HOME;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:500 Oracle Parkway=0D=0AMS 401ip4032=0D=0ARedwood Shores, CA 94065=0D=0AUnit=
ed States of America
EMAIL;PREF;INTERNET:rasriniv@us.oracle.com
REV:20010205T163726Z
END:VCARD
Reply to: