If a retail boxed HD, it will come with an installation floppy.
If OEM, or "not new", go the manufacturers WEB site and get
the file that is "the same" as the installation floppy.
(All this tap dancing could be eliminated with the name and model
of the HD as part of the question.)

The better installation floppies will test the system BIOS and see
if it has support for INT13 extensions. You think it does not.
If the software determines this also, it will inform you that
you need to install a DiskOverlay or DiskManagement software
program to fool the BIOS into using the HardDrive to full size.
These are known to be trouble sometimes and are not always supported
by every OS. Some are hard to fix and/or recover from errors/damage
if any should occur. (Or, Should I say when...)

A better solution is a new BIOS chip - (expensive), a flash BIOS upgrade -
(not always available for discontinued hardware), OR a decent ATA or UltraATA
(depending on your bus) harddrive controller card that would have its own
built-in BIOS for HD support in larger sizes. These can be sensitive
to the card model, revision, and your OS, and may not always work.

A direct and simple answer to your question is - No, it will not damage the
drive to try it in this computer. It may lock up booting, (sometimes cured by special
cylinder limitation jumper settings), and other times it will only install as 8.4 M.

Questions and answers are VERY hardware specific (see above exclusions
and disclaimers, etc, and here are others...). It really needs to "be done" in person
by an experienced person IF you run into any of the problems I have used as
examples.  You can always try it and give up...
That is how you get experience<grin>

Good luck,    Rick Glazier
BCC: offlist


From: "Paul Ryan" <[log in to unmask]>
>Hi, I have a question regarding the BIOS hd limit of 32GB.  If my BIOS only suports 8,4GB and I install a 30GB hard drive will the
computer hang or will it damge the new hard drive?  My BIOS version isn't listed on the Gigabyte web site. GA656TX3 v.1.09 the new
BIOS is 2.01.  I would like to try without updating but wheras the new hard drive is worth more than the board I don't want to take
a chance on damaging it.
Thanks
Paul Ryan

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