ARRITT@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (What a waste it is to lose one's mind.) (12/28/89)
I've got an old Leading Edge XT-clone with a dead hard disk, and am trying
to decide whether to bother replacing the disk. Eventually, I will also
upgrade to a more modern system.
My question is, if I replace the disk, will it be useable with a 286,
386SX, or "true" 386 system? I know a new (16-bit) controller will be
needed, but what about the disk itself?
My hoped-for, least-cost course of action is:
--- buy a new hard disk for the Leading Edge;
--- eventually scrape together the $$$ to buy a new system but
without a hard disk;
--- cannibilize the (replacement) hard disk from the Leading Edge,
install it and a 16-bit controller in the new system, then reformat
the disk and live happily ever after.
Will this work? Any other suggestions for someone trying to compute on
a VERY tight budget?
Thanks for whatever help you can give.
___________________________________________________________________
Ray Arritt |
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy | THIS SPACE FOR RENT
Univ. of Kansas |
Lawrence, KS 66045 |
arritt@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu |
arritt@ukanvax.bitnet |
starry@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (12/29/89)
>My question is, if I replace the disk, will it be useable with a 286, >386SX, or "true" 386 system? I know a new (16-bit) controller will be >needed, but what about the disk itself? Yes to all of the above questions except that you do not have to buy a 16-bit controller for the '286 or above machine. I am currently running two hard drives in my system on an 8-bit card. Granted, that it is slow but it does work. I bought a 20MHz '286 motherboard and took all of my cards and drives and put them in my new machine until I can afford to pay for other drives and peripherals. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Joseph J. Starry | starry@silver.bacs.indiana.edu Indiana University | Bloomington, IN 47405 | \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
emmo@moncam.co.uk (Dave Emmerson) (12/29/89)
In article <20449@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>, ARRITT@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes: > [deleted] > > My hoped-for, least-cost course of action is: > > --- buy a new hard disk for the Leading Edge; > --- eventually scrape together the $$$ to buy a new system but > without a hard disk; > --- cannibilize the (replacement) hard disk from the Leading Edge, > install it and a 16-bit controller in the new system, then reformat > the disk and live happily ever after. > > Will this work? Any other suggestions for someone trying to compute on > a VERY tight budget? > With some very minor reservations, Yes it will work. You didn't mention which controller board you are using, nor the DOS version, but generally, if your new disk is 32Mb or less, you're not likely to have any problems. It's worth mentioning that you don't HAVE to use a 16 bit controller card when you move up to a '286/386 system, an 8 bit card will work fine, it's just slower than a 16 bit card. You won't HAVE to re-format it when you upgrade either, though it would be a good time to do it to de-fragment the filing system. DON'T re-format it until you have seen it working on the new system, it can save a lot of guesswork if anything goes wrong! For me, this hardware portability is one of the few attractions of the PC. Good luck, Dave E.
akcs.amparsonjr@vpnet.UUCP (Anthony M. Parson, Jr.) (01/13/90)
I used my XT 8 bit controller with Seagate 251-1 and 225 in a 386SX for a
few weeks. Because the 386SX motherboard bios was "smart" (AMI, with on-
board config) I had to _remove_ the drive controller, run the AMI setup and
tell the BIOS that I had _no_ hard drives, then, reinstall the controller
after the setup was complete. The reason is there is a bios chip on the 8
bit
controller board that was confusing to AMI's motherboard bios. It doesn't
expect to find a controller bios on the controller card.
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-kaleb@mars.jpl.nasa.gov (Kaleb Keithley) (01/19/90)
In article <25ae2ada:3781.3comp.sys.ibm.pc;1@vpnet.UUCP> akcs.amparsonjr@vpnet.UUCP (Anthony M. Parson, Jr.) writes: >I used my XT 8 bit controller with Seagate 251-1 and 225 in a 386SX for a >few weeks. Because the 386SX motherboard bios was "smart" (AMI, with on- >board config) I had to _remove_ the drive controller, run the AMI setup and >tell the BIOS that I had _no_ hard drives, then, reinstall the controller >after the setup was complete. The reason is there is a bios chip on the 8 >bit >controller board that was confusing to AMI's motherboard bios. It doesn't >expect to find a controller bios on the controller card. Many of the eight bit controllers, Western Digital at least, have a jumper that allows you to disable the onboard BIOS to preclude this problem. Chewey, get us outta here! kaleb@mars.jpl.nasa.gov (818)354-8771 Kaleb Keithley