ned@pebbles.cad.mcc.com (CME Ned Nowotny) (07/16/89)
is it possible to format a hard disk by invoking 'iv' from a floppy disk boot file system? If so, does 'iv' have the same 1024 cylinder and 8 head limitation that the stock s4diag suffers from? If not, why can 'iv' format floppy disks and not hard disks? Related comments would be appreciated. Ned Nowotny, MCC CAD Program, Box 200195, Austin, TX 78720 Ph: (512) 338-3715 ARPA: ned@mcc.com UUCP: ...!cs.utexas.edu!milano!cadillac!ned ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "We have ways to make you scream." - Intel advertisement in the June 1989 DDJ.
lenny@icus.islp.ny.us (Lenny Tropiano) (07/16/89)
In article <1752@cadillac.CAD.MCC.COM> ned%cad@MCC.COM (CME Ned Nowotny) writes: |>is it possible to format a hard disk by invoking 'iv' from a floppy |>disk boot file system? If so, does 'iv' have the same 1024 cylinder |>and 8 head limitation that the stock s4diag suffers from? If not, |>why can 'iv' format floppy disks and not hard disks? |> |>Related comments would be appreciated. |> Yes, and no ... iv(1M) can format hard drives, but in it's present condition, it will not let you format the *first* hard drive, (ie. type=HD, from the iv-description files). Basically iv checks to see if type=HD, and will print the message: iv: cannot reformat Winchester disk. This is to protect someone from accidentally formatting the hard drive. Probably iv(1M) should check to see if you are trying to format the same drive with the root partition on it, this way you would be able to format the hard drive from the Floppy UNIX boot disk. The iv(1M) command will allow you to format the Second Winchester (provided you have the necessary hardware modifications to have another hard drive). You would have to set the iv-description file, type=HD2 (or SY). Then the iv(1M) command will happily format the hard drive. Don't forget 1024 cylinders and 8 heads is also a hardware barrier. You need to replace the WD1010 with the WD2010 to get >1024 cylinders, and iv will format >1024 cylinders on the second hard drive without any problems. Greater than 8 heads is also a hardware modification, a little more complicated than swapping a disk controller chip. You need to do motherboard wiring for the P5.1 upgrade, or more preferably go straight to the 2nd hard drive modification that gives you the P5.1 >8 head select enhancement plus the additional hard drive modification... Again for those who have been sleeping out there ... or just tuned into this channel, you can get the 2nd hard drive modification plans from ICUS (e-mail me for more details), or you can wait and John Milton should have his premade board out shortly ... That's the scoop... -Lenny -- Lenny Tropiano ICUS Software Systems [w] +1 (516) 589-7930 lenny@icus.islp.ny.us Telex; 154232428 ICUS [h] +1 (516) 968-8576 {ames,talcott,decuac,hombre,pacbell,sbcs}!icus!lenny attmail!icus!lenny ICUS Software Systems -- PO Box 1; Islip Terrace, NY 11752