Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
What does fdisk -l tell you about your disk? (As opposed to df -h?)
For "large disk support" you need two things: (1) a BIOS that supports it, and (2) an OS that supports it. Since Debian sees 150Gb (which would be perfectly normal for a 160Gb drive) your BIOS is good. Usually BIOS'es created in the last 5 years or so are good for 48-bin LBA support. I don't know about VectorLinux though. I would sure expect it would be there, but I have no other explanation why you're only seeing 115Gb.
The limit on disk size for BIOS/OS combinations that don't have 48-bit LBA support is 137Gb. Typically you'll see max disk size listed in the mid-to-upper-120Gb-ish range for non-48bit LBA systems. You're only seeing 115Gb, but that may be due to filesystem overhead knocking off a bit from that mid-120Gb-ish mark. I really can't imagine VectorLinux NOT supporting large disks, but that sure seems to be the issue you're running into.
If you were running Windows, I'd say edit your registry, go to HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Atapi\Parameters, and add a DWORD key named EnableBigLba and set it's value to 1. Thankfully you aren't running Windows. But unfortunately I don't know what to tell you about VectorLinux.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.