To use big HDs, you need to patch scsi.device (the IDE driver) and use a new filesystem. Here's what you need:
1. AmigaOS 3.x disks
2. IDEFix97
3. SFS
Boot from the OS3 'Install' disk, run HDToolbox. Create just one partition (your boot partition) which absolutely needs to be smaller than 4GB - about 100 MB should be sufficient (some would say "way to much") anyway.
Do not create any other partitions yet.
Now install OS3 to that partition.
Install IDEFix97 to that partition.
Reboot.
Now you need to install the new filesystem to your HD's 'Rigid Disk Block' (imagine this as the HD's 'boot block'), this is somewhat complicated.
Read the SFS manual.
Read the SFS manual once more.
Start HDToolbox and activate "Advanced options".
Some new buttons appear, click on "Add/Change".
(this is where my memory gets shady, unfortunately - let's hope others are able to contribute)
The window that comes up now lets you add a new filesystem to the disk's RDB. Read the SFS manual again - it will explain what has to be entered in the "MaxTranfer" etc. fields.
The rest of the information is 'reliable' again.
Once you have added the new filesystem to the RDB and you're back in HDToolbox's main window, create the other partitions. HDToolbox will display completely wrong partition sizes (IIRC it will start at '0' again if a partition gets bigger than 4GB), but that's just a cosmetical problem.
As you have 'advanced options' enabled, there's a button that lets you select the filesystem for all of the partitions - make sure that all the partitions you are creating use "SFS" as their filesystem.
Make sure that you did not change any of the settings for your original partition (the boot partition).
Now you leave HDToolbox again (click 'Save', 'Yes I'm Sure' blah blah several times).
Reboot.
Format your new partitions with quick format (never ever use anything else than 'quick format to format your partitions -the format command does not support big HDs properly).
You're done. (Actually, you could now switch the boot partition's FS from FFS to SFS too, but let's deal with that in another posting )