so I''ve got this 300gb western digital harddrive that isn't fully aknowledged by the bios in my sony vaio pdv-rx260ds tower, a few years old. and sony has since ceised online support for the bios of this model, can anyone drop a link to a site that I might find a bios updater on? I can't seem to pull anything useful up. Thank you.
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Old Vaio Bios Update
- Thread starter malor
- Start date
MD_Willington
2[H]4U
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2004
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Try Wimbios webpagemalor said:so I''ve got this 300gb western digital harddrive that isn't fully aknowledged by the bios in my sony vaio pdv-rx260ds tower, a few years old. and sony has since ceised online support for the bios of this model, can anyone drop a link to a site that I might find a bios updater on? I can't seem to pull anything useful up. Thank you.
Not sure how old your system is there, but it most likely will not be recognized as a full 300 GB hard drive. It will be recognized as a 137 GB hard disk. Unless, of course, you have already purchased an add-in PCI controller that goes beyond the 137 GB ceiling.
You have a few options:
A) Use the included Disk Manager software (or whatever that came with your HDD) to software map the drive out big enough. Advantage: free. Disadvantage: software mapping is probably slightly slower than BIOS mapping the drive, and occasionally has quirks. If you bought a bare drive, go to the drive manufacturer's website to download the software.
B) Get a custom Unicore BIOS to match your system (http://www.unicore.com). Advantage: Unicore creates a custom BIOS that adds the support you need for the hard disk, so support is native. Disadvantage: Check the money-back guarantee. I had this done for a client once in the past, and while it worked, there were some quirks.
C) See who made the system board for Sony; perhaps there is an OEM model with a different BIOS that will do what you want. This has sometimes been the case for Dell/Gateway/Micron systems using boards made by Intel, or Tyan, or a few others. But seeing as it's a Sony VAIO, I doubt this option will work for you.
D) Buy a Promise Ultra100 controller or similar PCI controller with onboard BIOS that will recognize the full size of the drive. Advantage: Onboard BIOS that supports the drives and will boot from them. Disadvantage: In some (but not all) cases, this may be slightly slower than running a hard disk from a controller embedded on the mainboard. I'd guess this would be the best option if you have a free PCI slot.
A) Use the included Disk Manager software (or whatever that came with your HDD) to software map the drive out big enough. Advantage: free. Disadvantage: software mapping is probably slightly slower than BIOS mapping the drive, and occasionally has quirks. If you bought a bare drive, go to the drive manufacturer's website to download the software.
B) Get a custom Unicore BIOS to match your system (http://www.unicore.com). Advantage: Unicore creates a custom BIOS that adds the support you need for the hard disk, so support is native. Disadvantage: Check the money-back guarantee. I had this done for a client once in the past, and while it worked, there were some quirks.
C) See who made the system board for Sony; perhaps there is an OEM model with a different BIOS that will do what you want. This has sometimes been the case for Dell/Gateway/Micron systems using boards made by Intel, or Tyan, or a few others. But seeing as it's a Sony VAIO, I doubt this option will work for you.
D) Buy a Promise Ultra100 controller or similar PCI controller with onboard BIOS that will recognize the full size of the drive. Advantage: Onboard BIOS that supports the drives and will boot from them. Disadvantage: In some (but not all) cases, this may be slightly slower than running a hard disk from a controller embedded on the mainboard. I'd guess this would be the best option if you have a free PCI slot.