jdw@hpfijdw.HP.COM (Jeff Wood) (03/15/90)
I am having problems with VP/ix and floppy drives. I have version 2.3.3 of Xenix and 1.1 Update A of VP\ix. I am using an HP Vectra with 1.2 Mbyte 5.25" and 1.44 Mbyte 3.5" drives. Here are the device files for the floppy drives: 5.25 crw-rw-rw- 4 bin bin 2, 52 Mar 14 12:31 /dev/rfd096 crw-rw-rw- 3 bin bin 2, 4 Jan 12 1989 /dev/rfd048 crw-rw-rw- 2 bin bin 2, 12 Jan 12 1989 /dev/rfd048ds8 crw-rw-rw- 3 bin bin 2, 4 Jan 12 1989 /dev/rfd048ds9 3.5 crw-rw-rw- 2 root root 2, 62 Feb 3 14:23 /dev/rfd2135ds18 crw-rw-rw- 1 root root 2, 38 Mar 14 12:02 /dev/rfd2135ds9 crw-rw-rw- 1 root root 2, 38 Feb 9 10:41 /dev/rfd296ds9 Here is a listing of my vpix.cnf file: C /u/jdw/vpix/C:; /usr/vpix/defaults/C: ROM /usr/vpix/defaults/rom CMOS /usr/vpix/defaults/cmos BOOTIMAGE $HOME/vpix/vpix.img EGAROM /usr/vpix/defaults/romvga A /dev/rfd096 ;A /dev/rfd048 ;A /dev/rfd048ds8 ;A /dev/rfd048ds9 ;B /dev/rfd296ds9 B /dev/rfd2135ds18 ;COM1 /dev/tty1a ;LPT1 /usr/bin/lp -s When I try to format a disk with the command: format b: I get the message: Insert new diskette for drive B: and strike ENTER when ready I strike ENTER then I get Head: 0 Cylinder: 0 Drive not ready Format failure Format another (Y/N)? When I try to catalog a formatted disk with the command: dir b: I get the message: Not ready error reading drive B Abort, Retry, Ignore? What's the deal Camille??? :^( Any thoughts would be appreciated! Jeff Wood Colorado IC Division jdw@hpfijdw.hp.com (303) 229-6633
kabra437@pallas.athenanet.com (Ken Abrams) (03/18/90)
In article <15030011@hpfijdw.HP.COM> jdw@hpfijdw.HP.COM (Jeff Wood) writes: > [Why can't I use the B: drive in VP/ix?] Although undocumented, I have seen several reports that VP/ix can't deal with more than 1 floppy assignment at a time. My own very limited experience would tend to confirm this. If this is true, then for the examples you stated, DOS is probably operating as though you have only 1 floppy on the system. When this situation is present, DOS uses the single floppy as both A: and B:. Try your commands again with a disk in your physical A: drive and see if it doesn't act differently. I >>THINK<< that the only practical solution to this is to re-start VP/ix with only the B: drive defined when you need to use it. -- ======================================================== Ken Abrams uunet!pallas!kabra437 Illinois Bell kabra437@athenanet.com Springfield (voice) 217-753-7965
campbell@Thalatta.COM (Bill Campbell) (03/19/90)
In article <15030011@hpfijdw.HP.COM> jdw@hpfijdw.HP.COM (Jeff Wood) writes:
:
:I am having problems with VP/ix and floppy drives. I have
:version 2.3.3 of Xenix and 1.1 Update A of VP\ix. I am using
:an HP Vectra with 1.2 Mbyte 5.25" and 1.44 Mbyte 3.5" drives.
:Here are the device files for the floppy drives:
:When I try to catalog a formatted disk with the command:
:
: dir b:
:
:I get the message:
:
: Not ready error reading drive B
: Abort, Retry, Ignore?
:
VP/IX seems to have a problem using more than one floppy at a time and
only seems to recognize the first one in the *cnf file. Try commenting
out the line defining the a: drive and only use the b:
I have had a number of difficulties reliably reading floppies under VP/IX
(Tandy 4000 running Xenix 2.2.6) and have had to do various work-arounds
involving using doscp under xenix to copy the floppies to a xenix
directory then using netup to reassign the a: drive.
--
....microsoft--\ Bill Campbell; Celestial Software
...uw-beaver-----!thebes!camco!bill 6641 East Mercer Way
....fluke------/ Mercer Island, Wa 98040
....hplsla----/ (206) 232-4164davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr) (03/22/90)
Older versions of VP/ix couldn't use 1.44MB drives because the DOS
didn't know about it. I think you could use driver.sys to bypass this,
but I don't rtemember. The new (revA) version certainly does, I do it
all the time.
--
bill davidsen - davidsen@sixhub.uucp (uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen)
sysop *IX BBS and Public Access UNIX
moderator of comp.binaries.ibm.pc
"Getting old is bad, but it beats the hell out of the alternative" -anon