Win XP needs some TLC to use next-gen hard drives
By Sean Hollister 
posted March 12th 2010 5:21PM
posted March 12th 2010 5:21PM
Solid state drives may be the fast-moving wave of the future in PC storage, but the technology for bigger and better magnetic media keeps on trucking. Only recently, that truck hit something of a pothole: the 4096-byte sector size that will allow advanced format drives to have more usable space (and surpass the current 2TB capacity limit) doesn't play nice with the world's most popular OS -- Windows XP. While manufacturers like Western Digital have already introduced software that successfully combats the problem, the new drives perform poorly in Win XP without it, and rival manufacturer Seagate told the BBC that even with software tricks, XP users should expect the occasional 5ms delay, or 10% speed reduction, during write times. Is this the end of Windows XP? Hardly. Should you make sure to install the software that comes with your next hard drive? Absolutely.
I've got 4 of these drives on an XP file server and they wok just fine. The partition alignment utility is ONLY needed if you're going to clone your OS drive. Otherwise, just set a jumper on the drive and you're set.
Why anyone would want to use these as a main drive is beyond me though.
I have installed a new WD Advanced format drive into a TVIX Dvico PVR. The recorder is designed for a 3.5" SATA drive. The machine automatically formats a new drive upon installation. I am having considerable problems with playback of recorded Digital TV. The picture freezes up and I get a message indicating that playback has stopped. I cannot proceed past this point. The file is there as I can edit it beyond the freeze up point.
The manufacturer of the PVR does not have any support in this country and communication with them is difficult.
WD could not help me.
The problem is the drive as I have another recorder the same which is not giving any trouble at all.
Any suggestions please? I would be most grateful.
Pat