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1989-01-03
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Bigdisk
written by Bill Davidsen
What will it do for me?
Bigdisk is a utility intended to allow users of MS-DOS and
PC-DOS, v3.3 and later, to use large and/or non-standard
hard disks on their systems without using costly commercial
disk partitioning software. This utility works in
conjunction with the ability of recent versions of DOS to
partition disks larger than 32MB. It will allow you to use
at least 32MB of a non-standard hard disk with any version
of DOS v2.00 and later.
What won't it do?
Bigdisk won't let you have any one partition larger than
32MB. To do that you will need one of the commercial
products. If you don't have files larger than 32MB, you may
still want to use partitions, since the smaller partitions
are faster, use the disk space more efficiently, and allow
you to have more files on the disk. DOS has a hard limit of
64k files and directories in any one disk partition,
regardless of size.
Using Bigdisk
Before using Bigdisk or any other disk partitioning
program, you must low level format your disk. You can use
the PC-DOS advanced diagnostics, the built-in formatter in
your hard disk controller (assuming you have a controller
intended for MS-DOS operation), or a low level format
program, either commercial or public domain. My low level
format program, bdformat, is available on many BBS's.
Bigdisk consists of two parts, the setup program (bdsetup)
and the patch (bigdisk) program. These must be placed on a
floppy disk, and must not be copy protected. The DOS format
program must also be on the floppy.
When you run the setup program, it will ask you about the
parameters for your disk. You may change the first or second
hard disk, or both. The disk parameters are supplied by the
manufacturer of the disk. If at any time you make a mistake,
you must start over if you hit return before you notice the
error. Since there are only a few parameters no editing was
included.
After running bdsetup, enter the bigdisk command. This will
install the parameters needed by your hard disk. Now issue
the DOS fdisk command. You will have to check your DOS
Bigdisk program Page 1
manual for the exact interactions with fdisk, since some
versions are slightly different from others. You will want
to format a PRIMARY partition and if you want to use more
than 32MB for DOS you will create several SECONDARY
partitions. If you have more than one hard disk you will
have to run fdisk on all of the disks you are
repartitioning.
Warning - before you start
If you are adding a 2nd hard disk, be sure you are using
fdisk on the correct drive before messing up your existing
disk!
After doing the fdisk, run the DOS format program on each of
the partitions you have created. You may have to use the
lastdrive parameter in your CONFIG.SYS program if there are
a lot of them. If you edit CONFIG.SYS and reboot, be sure to
run the Bigdisk command again before running format. It is a
good idea to use the /V option to give each disk a unique
name, and don't forget the /S option if you want the C:
drive to be bootable. If you are using a non-standard
version of DOS, consult your owner's manual for instructions
on partitioning and formatting a hard disk.
Testing the result
After doing the format, use the chkdsk program to verify
that the hard disk(s) are the correct size. Then reboot, and
use chkdsk again without running bigdisk. If chkdsk shows
the correct sizes for your disks you are ready to install
your files on the new storage.
License and warranty information
ALL documentation and programs are copyright 1988 by Bill
Davidsen, all rights reserved. This package may be
distributed and used by anyone for any purpose, providing it
is complete and unmodified. It may be distributed on any
media, sold, bartered, or given away as a door prize.
Because many manufacturers modify MS-DOS for use on their
machines, you may have to look for the program which does
the fdisk function on your machine. It could be called
things like DISKINIT or MAKEDISK. Bigdisk has been tested on
a few such systems, but I do not claim that it will work on
all versions.
This program is provided as is. Since it is intended to
assist you in completely destroying the contents of your
hard disk, you should use it with care. All responsibility
Bigdisk program Page 2
for verifying that it has worked correctly is delegated to
the user.
Source for this program is available on a 5-1/4" 360k floppy
for $10 from:
P.E.S.S.
Box 85
Rexford NY 12148-0085
Bigdisk program Page 3
Bigdisk installation summary:
1. Low level format your disk
2. Run bdsetup and supply the disk parameters
3. Run bigdisk
4. Run fdisk
5. Run format
6. Check using chkdsk
7. Reboot and run chkdsk again (without running
bigdisk)
Bigdisk program Page 4