wwang@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Weylan Wang) (12/11/89)
I just got a new RLL 1:1 caching controller. It looks hot. It will
cache 64K in look ups. The problem I am having though is that I need to
do a lowlevel format and my BIOS are old and don't have my drive
specifications in the format tables. I have an AT type computer. The
drive is 830 cyl, 10 heads, and is a Toshiba drive. I know it is a RLLable
drive, because I am using it RLL already, I just got a new 1:1
controller. Does any one know of a program that will let me enter in
the direct specifications of the drive with out using DEBUG or firmware
routines which I don't have. Please help! Please respond with mail.
I can't check news all that often.
USnail: Weylan Wang Email: wwang@ucscb.ucsc.EDU
UCSC College 8 #608 wwang@ucscf.ucsc.EDU
Santa Cruz, Ca 95064 w.wang GEnie
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"Are you driving with your eyes open or are you like using the FORCE?"
-Axel Foleyplim@hpsgpa.HP.COM (Peter Lim) (12/13/89)
> > I just got a new RLL 1:1 caching controller. It looks hot. It will > cache 64K in look ups. The problem I am having though is that I need to > do a lowlevel format and my BIOS are old and don't have my drive > specifications in the format tables. I have an AT type computer. The > drive is 830 cyl, 10 heads, and is a Toshiba drive. I know it is a RLLable > drive, because I am using it RLL already, I just got a new 1:1 > controller. Does any one know of a program that will let me enter in > the direct specifications of the drive with out using DEBUG or firmware > routines which I don't have. Please help! Please respond with mail. > I can't check news all that often. > > USnail: Weylan Wang Email: wwang@ucscb.ucsc.EDU > UCSC College 8 #608 wwang@ucscf.ucsc.EDU > Santa Cruz, Ca 95064 w.wang GEnie > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > "Are you driving with your eyes open or are you like using the FORCE?" > -Axel Foley > ---------- Well, you'll have to store the drive info somewhere. Either in the AT's BIOS dirve table or the BIOS on the controller board. If your BIOS support RLL (ie. 26 sectors/track, I think), then choose that even though the number of cylinder doesn't match. If your BIOS only support 17 sectors/track then you are out of luck (that's like my 386's AMI BIOS). Why don't you try tools like SpeedStor and DiskManager. You might have to setup a small drive for C: using 17 sectors/track or something like that so that your AT will know how to boot. And then use the above tools' drivers to get full 26 sectors from remaining tracks. Don't ask me the details, because there's too much to describe -- interact with tools to find out. This could still screw-up. Like my case, I had an ESDI controller (a special version of WD-1007A) with no BIOS and my AMI BIOS's built-in table know nuts about ESDI. I used all the tricks I know (2 long nights and 1 day) but just can't get the damn thing to boot. Finally, I gave up and bought a DTC ESDI controller. Plugged the thing in, used DEBUG to low-level format the 171MB drive. Within half-an-hour, everything is up and running with a healthy raw transfer rate of > 900KB/sec according to coretest. So, sometime you just need BIOS on the controller board. Regards, Peter Lim. HP Singapore IC Design Center. E-mail address: plim@hpsgwg.HP.COM Snail Mail address: Peter Lim Hewlett Packard Singapore, (ICDS, ICS) 1150, Depot Road, Singapore 0410. Telephone: (065)-279-2289