Abstract: A computer system includes a non-removable disk drive that has a capacity that may exceed 7.875 GB. The computer system generally includes a processor, a disk drive controller, a display, an input device, and a non-volatile memory device that includes firmware that is executed during system initialization. The storage capacity of the drive is reported by the drive in terms of numbers of cylinders, sectors, and heads during system initialization. In response, the firmware informs the operating system of the capacity of the drive. The firmware translates the reported cylinder and head numbers. If the reported capacity of the drive is equal to or greater than 4,032 gigabytes, the firmware limits the number of heads reported by the drive to a predetermined value. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the capacity reported by the drive is compared to a threshold value.