rahardj@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Budi Rahardjo) (10/20/89)
Need help (fast!!!) My hard disk crashed !!! Sometimes it boots, sometimes it does not (but the light is on ....). I don't know what is going on ... Any hints ? Well , I decided to format it again. I tried high level format, with "format", but it didn't work... Now I'm going to do low-level format, but I don't know how to do that (I was told I have to use DEBUG). I don't have the spec of my HD either... What a nightmare. Anyway, this is my system : - 20 MB HD, Miniscribe model 8425 (I was told I have 8225, but I opened the case and check the label, and it's 8425) - I have DOS 3.2 - IBM XT compatible, with Phoenix BIOS - I don't know the brand of the controller, but it has label WD.. or something - There are other numbers/spec on the HD label (I don't know what they mean, maybe just serial numbers ?) HDA 03AB, PCBA 05AA, UNIQUE 42A7, TD - Please e-mail me ASAP, I am way behind in this newsgroup (about 100 letters) Thanks a million, Budi rahardjo
wozniak@utkux1.utk.edu (Bryon Lape) (10/21/89)
You need SpinRite. -bryon-
unkydave@shumv1.uucp (David Bank) (10/22/89)
In article <1228@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu> wozniak@utkux1.cs.utk.edu (Bryon Lape) writes: > > You need SpinRite. > > >-bryon- Yeah, right. No one was ever able to low-level format their hard drive before Spinrite came along. Try using DEBUG and enter "g=c800:5" at the "-" prompt. This will usually transfer control to the HD controller's on-board BIOS and allow you to trigger a low-level format. The above refers to Western Digital and similar controllers in PCs and PC/XTs. The PC/ATs require that you use something akin to Advanced Diagnostics or even Spinrite or any of the other programs that allow you to pay for the privledge of something you can do for free if you take the time to read a manual. Or you can pay someone like me $40/hr. Take you pick! :-) Unky Dave unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu
philba@microsoft.UUCP (Phil Barrett) (10/25/89)
In article <4264@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu (David Bank) writes: >In article <1228@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu> wozniak@utkux1.cs.utk.edu (Bryon Lape) writes: >> You need SpinRite. > > Yeah, right. No one was ever able to low-level format their >hard drive before Spinrite came along. > > Try using DEBUG and enter "g=c800:5" at the "-" prompt. This will >usually transfer control to the HD controller's on-board BIOS and >allow you to trigger a low-level format. > > The above refers to Western Digital and similar controllers in >PCs and PC/XTs. The PC/ATs require that you use something akin >to Advanced Diagnostics or even Spinrite or any of the other >programs that allow you to pay for the privledge of something >you can do for free if you take the time to read a manual. > > Or you can pay someone like me $40/hr. Take you pick! :-) Well, thats half the story. SOME controllers have the format routine at c800:5. My WD1006VSR2 has it at cc00:5. I believe its different for adaptecs and the IBM AT controllers don't have any. Also, in many cases you need to know the geometry of your drive (sects/track, # of cylinders, # of heads, write precompensate). The advantage of spinright is that it simplifies the problem for people -- they just select their disk drive and thats that. Generally, if one buys a drive from a reasonable retailer, it comes with enough instructions and SW. phil barrett the above opinions are mine and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.
unkydave@shumv1.uucp (David Bank) (10/27/89)
To Mr. Phil Barrett:
Oh, dear me YES! You are quite right in that there ARE other
DEBUG adresses used out there. I simply gave what I have found to be
the most common. Others I have seen include "c800:7" , "c800:FF"
and about 2 or 3 others.
And, of course, the AT handles things completely differently.
Did I give the impression that the debug option extended to the
AT?? I didn;t mean to.
So, yes, there are a number of these addresses. "c800:5" simply
seems to be the most common, which is why I suggested he "try" it
rather than "it'll work if you do this"
BTW, some people interpreted my sarcasm about SPINRITE to be
a flame. I reiterate: it was not.
Unky Dave
unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu