The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook

Dealing with Large Hard Disks

Large hard disks—those with more than 1024 cylinders—pose unique challenges to partition setups. This is because a variety of solutions sprang up to cope with the so-called 1024-cylinder limit. Therefore, not all OSs cope with large disks in the same way.

▸ To learn more about the 1024-cylinder limit, see Getting Around the 1024-Cylinder Limit.

Here are some notes on how different OSs deal with the 1024-cylinder limit with respect to partition types:

• DOS— Most DOS versions don't cope well with disks containing more than 1024 cylinders. It's best to keep all FAT-16 partitions below the 1024-cylinder mark. Because DOS ignores non-DOS partitions, you can safely place such partitions above the 1024-cylinder mark.

• Windows ...