Win98 SE 48bit LBA support for esdi_506.pdr driver

Richard,
I have quite a few friends still running win98SE. I do it on one machine
since I'm supporting these news groups.
Why do some of them like a bigger drive ??
Quite a few people are using their machines for video these days. Those
absorb a tremendous amount of space When you can buy a 250GB drive for
about the same price as a 120 GB is it unlikely that they want the 250GB
drive (Fry's just had a one day special on 250GB for $99.99).

My recommendation is also to upgrade to winXP and use NTFS file system. It
is in my opinion the best operating system Microsoft has developed for home
users. (Win98SE is number two) . However, they like win98SE. It has been
working good for years. They don't want to step up to something new. They
don't want to pay the price to upgrade something that is working and they
like. They have heard stories and are worried about compatibility with older
applications they have. (My assessment - mostly unfounded rumors).

When I discussed some of the issues associated with win98SE support last
spring with Microsoft, I seem to recall that they reluctantly agreed that a
significant portion of the home user base was still using pre WinXP
operating systems. (about 40% I seem to recall). Probably a bit less by
now.
Thus, the user base may be there.

However, you and I both know that it is quite unlikely there will be any
upgrade from Microsoft to support 48 bit LBA addressing for any pre win2000
and winXP operating systems.

--
Jon Hildrum
DTS MVP

www.hildrum.com
"Richard G. Harper" wrote in message
...
Let me see ... you want to buy the newest, hottest hardware; then you want
to run a seven-year-old operating system on it; and finally you want to
know
why you have problems?

Did I get that right?

PS - you should not make assumptions about the folks in this forum. How
do
YOU know how many PCs Jeff or I build each year, or how old we are? We
just
might put you to shame on both accounts. ;-)

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"user" wrote in message
...
U¿ytkownik Jeff Richards napisa³:
Why do you have to have a hard drive larger than 120Gb just to test
that
your software can run under Windows 98? In fact, a machine that can
use
those size drives is hardly a typical W98 machine, so testing in that
configuration is suspect anyway.

If you want to convince anyone of the importance of this update (which
I
thought was your point) you will need a better argument than that. For
instance, an example of software that is in widespread use and that
needs
that much disk space in a single volume and which won't work on
anything
other than Windows 98. I don't know of any such software, but perhaps
it
is out there.
If You will build any PC next Year, there will be a problem to get any
HDD
below 137GB. I suspect that You don't build several PC's / Year for
friends and don't have such problems, but try to read any motherboard
support forums in the net and You will see how popular the problem
really
is. The next reason of populrity is also that older people/customers
know
well and don't know to change their OSs which fulfill their needs.
You will be also old some day and You will not accept some changes (the
counter is ticking ). Maybe there You will understand more from the
problem.

You are arguing with the wrong person, in the wrong place. I have already
indicated that MS doesn't look at these groups, and you need to promote your
campaign elsewhere. I have also suggested that your arguments aren't likely
to carry much weight where it's important, and I have indicated the type of
arguments that I think will be much more effective where it counts -
assuming you can gather decent supporting evidence.

I don't build new machines for friends - I build them for commercial
organisations that cannot afford to have anything other than a currently
supported OS. Anything I build for friends uses old equipment and runs just
fine with W98. Therefore I don't come across the problems you are seeing.
But that's irrelevant, since I'm not the one you need to convince.
--
Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)
"user" wrote in message
...
U¿ytkownik Jeff Richards napisa³:
Why do you have to have a hard drive larger than 120Gb just to test that
your software can run under Windows 98? In fact, a machine that can use
those size drives is hardly a typical W98 machine, so testing in that
configuration is suspect anyway.

If you want to convince anyone of the importance of this update (which I
thought was your point) you will need a better argument than that. For
instance, an example of software that is in widespread use and that needs
that much disk space in a single volume and which won't work on anything
other than Windows 98. I don't know of any such software, but perhaps it
is out there.
If You will build any PC next Year, there will be a problem to get any HDD
below 137GB. I suspect that You don't build several PC's / Year for
friends and don't have such problems, but try to read any motherboard
support forums in the net and You will see how popular the problem really
is. The next reason of populrity is also that older people/customers know
well and don't know to change their OSs which fulfill their needs.
You will be also old some day and You will not accept some changes (the
counter is ticking ). Maybe there You will understand more from the
problem.