Member Avatar for lillie822

I am trying to install a new 250 GB EIDE hard drive (Western Digital WD2500JB) on my 5+ year old Dell Dimension 800 Mhz computer. My old hard drive had been connected to the motherboard through a Promise Ultra66 controller card. I connected my new hard drive the same way (so that it is the only hard drive on the system) but the computer is only recognizing around 32 GB of the drive. I contacted Promise, who said that the Ultra66 does not support a hard drive as large as 250GB, but they never got back to me when I asked them whether there was an update for my card that would increase its limit.

(I have already tried running Western Digital's Data Lifeguard on my motherboard's bios, so I was able to get the motherboard to recognize the full size of the hard drive instead of the 131GB limit that it *had* been imposing, but now I am stuck at this 32 GB limit.)

So right now I'm wondering, is there a way to update my controller card so that it can handle a 250 GB hard drive?

If not, I don't know what to look for in a new controller card so that I get one that works with my motherboard and will also handle my new hard drive.

Any advice would be great... I'm feeling very stuck and I don't know what to do. thanks in advance. :)

--Liz

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reported a 250GB WD2500JB appearing as ~32GB when attached to a Promise Ultra66 PCI card; suggested upgrading to a Promise Ultra133 TX2. The important facts to keep in mind are that the Ultra66 has an onboard, flashable BIOS that in practice tops out well below the capacities of modern drives, and Promise produced a later Ultra133 model that explicitly added Big Drive (48‑bit) support for capacities beyond the old 137GB barrier. (manualzilla.com)

Practical next steps (in order):

  1. Record the Ultra66 BIOS version shown at POST. The Ultra66 manual documents a built‑in BIOS and a flash tool (PTIFLASH + ULBIOS.BIN) and shows how to back up the existing ROM before updating — follow that procedure exactly if you find a newer Ultra66 BIOS from Promise. Also verify you are using 80‑wire IDE cables and the WD drive is set as single master while troubleshooting. (manualzilla.com)

  2. If no Ultra66 update is available or flashing doesn’t cure the 32GB ceiling, replace the adapter with one that supports 48‑bit LBA (Big Drive). The Promise Ultra133 TX2 was released specifically to remove the 137GB barrier by adding 48‑bit addressing; a modern PCI SATA controller (with drivers for your OS) is another inexpensive, widely available option that will work with a 250GB PATA drive via an adapter or by using a SATA drive instead. (promise.com)

  3. Before any BIOS flash or controller swap, back up all data. Confirm the WD2500JB’s interface/type and capacity in a known working system (the drive spec shows it’s a 250GB PATA/Ultra model), then proceed with BIOS flashing or buying a replacement card. (testhdd.com)

Checklist: note Ultra66 BIOS version; make a bootable floppy/USB with PTIFLASH and ULBIOS.BIN if flashing; use 80‑wire cables; test the drive on the motherboard (to confirm the drive itself reports full capacity); replace with Ultra133 or a PCI SATA adapter if flashing is not possible.

Member Avatar for GrumpyOleMan

Hi,
You need a Promise Ultra133 TX2 PCI IDE Controller Card! Copy this into the google search engine. You should find lots of places selling the card from $40 to $50 dollars! The Card can easily handle your 250 GB hard drive and way, way, way bigger hard drives also (144 Petabytes - 144 PB's - 144 million GB's, according to the manual)!! Hope this helps anybody that reads this!

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