gt0159a@prism.gatech.EDU (LEVINSON,MARC LOUIS) (02/27/90)
I bave an old (don't laugh) Compaq Portable 286. This is NOT the Portable II,
it is the original Portable case, housing a 286-8 motherboard, made 1985.
As far as I can find out, it is architecturally equal to the original 8Mhz
Deskpro 286, if not the same motherboard.
The system as configured:
80286-8MHz, 1 wait
16 bit bus
* Compaq BIOS, Rev P
Compaq EGA adaptor (running the internal VDT)
Compaq 1.2 MB FDD
Chinnon 1.44 MB FDD
* Compaq (Miniscribe) 20MB, 3.5" HDD
* WD-1001-H MFM hard disk controller (Compaq original equipment)
Intel Above Board Plus I/O (1.5MB ram)
I have obviously made several non-standard upgrades to the machine which work
just great. Now I desperately need more hard disk space.
There are several formidable restrictions for a new drive.
1. I have no more drive bays, so wish to replace the current
disk with a larger one, preferably 40MB or more.
2. The disk MUST be 3.5" to fit in existing shock absorbing drive rails
and AutoParking to maintain Portability and shock resistance.
3. I would prefer NOT to replace my disk controller, making MFM (ST506)
a requirement. I'm not certain how the Compaq bios will react to
a different controller board, but if someone can convince me, I'll
consider it.
4. Drive access time faster than 65ms is desired.
5. COMPLETE compatibility with the Compaq bios drive tables and
Compaq DOS 3.3 FDISK (I don't like Disk Manager).
I tried a Seagate ST-151 which seemed to fit the bill and failed. According
to Seagate's Tech Support manager, "...our drives are not compatible with
Compaq BIOS..." I tried 4 different drives and could not format a boot track,
not even with Disk Manager.
The controller board has no special additions or deletions compared to a
standard, off-the-shelf WD-1001-H, 16 bit MFM controller. The jumper
settings were properly set, according to the WD specs.
If anybody out there in TV land has a good solution, I really want to buy
a new drive [note, I did not say new computer]. This is especially directed
toward Compaq specialists and other related parties who like to say. "we don't
support it." I don't buy that line, this machine is old enough to have a non-
proprietary bus, cards and architecture, there is no reason for this not to work
Thanks in advance, Marc.
--
LEVINSON,MARC LOUIS
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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