reichert@motcid.UUCP (Chuck KD9JQ) (04/08/91)
After learning the hard way, I've determined that the Low Level Format for
MFM, RLL drives is not the same definition for IDE drives. When a manufacturer says
they've Low Level Formatted their drives, that means Cyls, Heads, Sectors, and
Interleave. The old definition was just Interleave.
When Toshiba said their drive can be low level formatted what they really meant
was
can format the cyls, heads, sectors with some specified program like
Ontrack's DiskManager. Do not try to change IDE Interleave. DiskManager
checks to see if its an IDE drive and skips the Interleave part. The HD must be
run with their DMDRVR.BIN installed though!
When installing a new IDE drive just set the CMOS to the correct drive type or
use the User defined type. Use physical parameters if possible. Then reboot
the OS
off a floppy and then use FDISK to partition the Hard Drive.
Do not use the ROM BIOS Format, Interleave or any destructive test on an IDE
drive! My new AMI ROM BIOS now includes the Interleave with the normal Head,
Cyl,
Sector Format, which really screwed things up.
So as a rule, just partition IDE drives!
Chuck Reichert KD9JQntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) (04/28/91)
>Do not use the ROM BIOS Format, Interleave or any destructive test on an IDE >drive! My new AMI ROM BIOS now includes the Interleave with the normal Head, > Cyl, >Sector Format, which really screwed things up. > >So as a rule, just partition IDE drives! According to the tech at a local computer clone shop, there is a new version of Spinrite out that can handle IDE drives. True or false? The old Spinrite wouldn't work due to the buffering and sector translation of IDE drives. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iskandar Taib | The only thing worse than Peach ala Internet: NTAIB@AQUA.UCS.INDIANA.EDU | Frog is Frog ala Peach Bitnet: NTAIB@IUBACS ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------