wcurtiss@x102c.harris-atd.com (Curtiss WC 67625) (01/17/90)
I am rolling my own system, and have been shopping drive contollers. Since I've decided that I need at least three floppy drives (Mixed, 5 1/4 and 3 1/2), I have two choices: I can get a controller which supports up to 4 drives and then a seperate HD controller, or I can get a normal FD/HD controller and then a floppy co-controller for the other two. I'm leaning towards the first solution because it allows me to later move the HD upto ESDI, or whatever the latest technology is, whenever I fell like it, without having to bother the floppies, and always buying FD/HD cards (which cost more). My questions: 1) How are the extra two drives addressed? (Both by device number and drive letter.) 2) Will a tape backup unit designed to connect to a floppy card work fine with these? 3) Are all floppy contollers the same technology? That is, is the floppy controller part of a RLL or ESDI FD/HD controller, the same as a floppy only controller (i.e., not RLL or ESDI)? Thanks for your help. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- William Curtiss 407/984-6383 | "The only good martyr Harris GISD, Melbourne, FL 32902 | is a dead martyr." Internet: wcurtiss%x102c@trantor.harris-atd.com | - Standard disclamers apply -
werner@aecom.yu.edu (Craig Werner) (01/19/90)
In article <3058@trantor.harris-atd.com>, wcurtiss@x102c.harris-atd.com (Curtiss WC 67625) writes: > I am rolling my own system, and have been shopping drive contollers. Since > I've decided that I need at least three floppy drives (Mixed, 5 1/4 and > 3 1/2), I have two choices: I can get a controller which supports up to I have a system with 4 floppies: 5.25 360K, 5.25 1.2M, and 2 1.44M 3.5s. The BIOS has to support 4 floppies. Some don't. As is, DOS automatically allocates A: and B:. C: (and D:) are my hard disk. For the other floppies, they have to be installed as external devices in the CONFIG.SYS file. And in my case, they end up being E: and F:. (I really once freaked out someone who being used to a Model 25, and only seeing A:, couldn't figure out what a 'COPY E:*.* F:' was.) -- Craig Werner (future MD/PhD, 4.5 years down, 2.5 to go) werner@aecom.YU.EDU -- Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1935-14E Eastchester Rd., Bronx NY 10461, 212-931-2517) "Beware of Yuppies bearing Uzis."