Yes—drives larger than 10GB are not inherently beyond the ABIT BH6’s capability. The BH6 manual describes BIOS support for INT 13h extensions and LBA operation beyond 8.4GB, while ABIT later documented BIOS releases supporting 40GB-and-above disks. Compatibility still depends on the board revision, BIOS version, drive-detection settings and operating system.
What the BH6 documentation actually says
The ABIT BH6 User Manual, issued January 9, 1998, separates several disk-addressing limits:
- NORMAL mode: supports drives of 528MB or less.
- Earlier LBA description: covers capacities up to 8.4GB.
- BH6 BIOS extension: the manual says, “Currently, the BIOS can support INT 13h extension function, then the LBA mode supports hard disk drives capacity exceeding 8.4GB.”
That 8.4GB figure is therefore not a blanket BH6 maximum. It describes the earlier LBA boundary before the manual explains the BIOS extension support.
ABIT BIOS releases that mention larger disks
| Board configuration | BIOS | Date | ABIT’s stated support | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard BH6 archive | NV | 1999-11-26 | 40GB hard disks and above | ABIT said it was not sure of the precise maximum because 40GB was then the largest disk on the market. |
| BH6 revision 1.1 archive | NX | 1999-11-08 | 40GB and above | These BH632 BIOS files are for revision 1.1 only, not revisions 1.01 or 1.02. |
These notes establish support for particular BIOS releases; they do not establish one universal upper capacity for every BH6 board, BIOS and operating-system combination.
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Why a 10GB drive may still appear to fail
Wrong board-revision BIOS
Revision 1.1 and earlier 1.01/1.02 boards do not share the same BIOS files. Installing a BH632 file on the wrong revision can create a serious compatibility or boot problem. Read the revision marking on the motherboard before selecting an update.
Old BIOS or incorrect disk mode
A BIOS that lacks the relevant extension support, or one configured in NORMAL mode instead of LBA, may misreport a large disk. The manual recommends HDD auto-detection and LBA for high-capacity hard disks.
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Operating-system limits
The BIOS may detect the disk correctly while the operating system exposes only part of it. The cited BH6 documentation gives BIOS guidance, not a complete operating-system-by-operating-system capacity matrix, so the usable size must be checked inside the installed OS.
How to check a BH6 with a large IDE drive
- Identify the board revision. Use the printed motherboard label; do not assume every BH6 uses the same BIOS archive.
- Record the current BIOS ID. Note the identifier shown during POST or in BIOS setup before changing anything.
- Enter BIOS setup and run HDD auto-detection. Inspect the detected cylinder, head and sector parameters and the reported capacity.
- Set the appropriate translation mode. For a high-capacity disk, use LBA as described in the BH6 manual rather than NORMAL mode.
- Boot the operating system and compare capacities. A mismatch between BIOS and OS readings points to an OS, partitioning or filesystem issue rather than necessarily a motherboard limit.
- If updating BIOS, use only the archive for the exact revision. The NV and NX release notes document 40GB-and-above support but do not specify an exact maximum.
What not to treat as a definitive limit
Historical forum discussions sometimes mention 32GB or 137GB barriers, including questions about the BX chipset’s maximum storage. Those reports may describe particular combinations of firmware, drives or operating systems, but they are not authoritative BH6 support specifications. ABIT’s own notes are the stronger evidence and remain qualified about the precise ceiling.
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So, is a drive over 10GB safe to use?
A 10GB drive is within the capability described by the BH6 manual when the BIOS uses INT 13h extensions and LBA. ABIT’s later NV and NX notes go further by naming 40GB-and-above support for specific releases. For any larger disk, verify the board revision, BIOS ID, detected LBA capacity and operating-system result on the actual machine; the available ABIT documentation does not justify a single maximum number for all BH6 configurations.
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