Re: What do you think, will connecting a ST-225 work (part 2)


"bcoombes" <bcoombes@orangedotnet> wrote in message
news:PoSdnckZq_y0BmXXnZ2dnUVZ8sqdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Rich wrote:

I said:

In an effort to speed things up when messing around formatting, I've at
the moment set the HD to:

ccc h rrr ppp ee o
50 4 25 25 11 5

I just arbitrarily chose the 25's. Perhaps there are better figures for
50
cylinders. Interleave 6.

It is normally recommended that I use:

612 4 612 612 11 5

I've no idea about translation mode, LBA, PIO and all that good stuff
you
can set in BIOS. But, so far, I know, try the XT mode. By that I think
you
mean let the BIOS be the card BIOS. keep away for now from this AT mode
enable stuff.

Woa! I'm getting ahead of myself here. I've not quite been getting it.

http://artofhacking.com/th99/c/U-Z/20217.htm

I ought to first try XT mode. Understood.

I have "SUPER BIOS".

Now, although the formatter enables me to format whatever cylinders I
want
to, in dynamic format, in XT mode, there are only four HD options. And
only
two of those options would match my 21Mb HD:

Cap Hds Cyls WP RWC
0 21mb 4 612 450 450

3 21mb 4 615 450 450

This means I don't have carte-blanche to pick & choose cylinders etc. I
must
stick with what the table says.

Now, I suspect when it comes to AT mode-enabled this makes possible the
use
of many more HD BIOS settings, but for that to happen BIOS must reside
elsewhere. I always have the necessary freedom in formatting, but not in
the
BIOS options. That is probably what's going on with the AT mode thingy.

First thing, get the formatting right for XT mode!

I hope I'm getting it a bit more. :c)

Since that Tomlinson guy is obviously trying to keep it a secret let me
say it again. You've got a F*****G XT card in a F*****G XT (8 bit) slot so
you *have* to use F*****G XT mode, forget AT...erase it totally from your
memory banks.. :)


Hi. I don't think what is you say is actually true.

The 8 bit card has worked in AT machines:

http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?t=17974


User: MODEM 7

The following should convince you of the ability of the WD1002A-WX1 to
use the ST-225:

I have a WD1002A-WX1 (dated 1987) with Super BIOS chip.

I placed the WD1002A-WX1 and an ST-225 in an XT clone (running at 4.77
MHz). Ensured that WD1002A-WX1 jumpered for XT mode. As expected, I had to
low-level format the ST-225 (because it had the format of a different
controller on it), which I did using the standard 'G=C800:5' method (and
then choosing Y at the dynamic configure question). Followed that with
FDISK/FORMAT to find that the ST-225 booted nicely.

I then grabbed one of my AT clones, a 486DX-66 machine (dated 1993). I
removed the existing HDD controller. I entered the CMOS SETUP of the machine
and configured 'no drives installed'. I then jumpered the WD1002A-WX1 for AT
mode then inserted it and the ST-225 into the machine. Machine successfully
booted from the ST-225.

I could try the same operation with one of my early Pentium machines.
The only difference would be that because the HDD controller is built into
the motherboard, I'd have to enter CMOS SETUP and disable the 'onboard IDE'
functionality there. I have no doubt that that would work."

User: DRUID6900

"It does. I took up where you left off with a WX1 card and 225 in a P1 233MX
MoBo. With the on-board HD channels disabled and no entries in the CMOS
drive table, the drive fdisked, partitioned, formatted, took DOS 5 and
booted."



.

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