anlee@misvax.mis.arizona.edu (Andrew Lee) (02/27/91)
My Seagate ST251-1 (40 MB) drive is just about full so I need
more space. I would like to have at least 80 MB of total disk
space. Speed and cost are my main objectives.
System Configuration:
CompuAdd 286/16 MHz
Award BIOS
IDE connector on motherboard
WD1003 controller (supports 2 floppies, 2 hard drives)
Seagate ST251-1 hard drive
5.25 and 3.5 high density floppies
My options are:
1. Add another ST251-1 (~$239)
If I add another 40 megs, my total disk space would be
sufficient. It is the cheapest option and would also represent
the least amount of change to my system. All I have to do is
plug it in and configure it. I don't have to change my
controller card or trash my existing drive. The only concern
that I have is speed. Coretest reports a data transfer rate of
about 400 KB/sec. I think that this is the weakest part of my
system.
2. Replace the Seagate with an IDE
Hard Drives International has a Conner CP3104 for $529. This
seems like a pretty good deal. It costs more than a ST251-1 but
hopefully I could sell my Seagate.
Questions:
1. What should I do?
2. If I get an IDE, should I use the connector on the
motherboard?
3. If I do use the connector on the motherboard, can I still
use my WD controller for my floppies or will I have to get a new
controller card just for the floppies?
4. Should I get an IDE adapter and put it in a slot? With this
option, I will just ignore my motherboard connecter. All
adapters that I have seen support floppies so this would allow me
to trash my WD controller.
5. The Conner comes with an adapter. Does the type or brand of
the adapter matter?
6. Will the IDE have a faster transfer rate than my ST251-1?
7. Is there any way to get an IDE to work with my ST251-1? I
have heard that this is next to impossible.
8. Any comments on Conner drives? Should I consider any other
drives?
9. Any comments on Hard Drives international?
Thanks,
Andrew Lee
anlee@mis.arizona.edu
p.s. anyone want to buy an ST251-1?scott@blueeyes.kines.uiuc.edu (scott) (02/28/91)
In article <26FEB91191243@misvax.mis.arizona.edu> anlee@misvax.mis.arizona.edu writes: > > >My Seagate ST251-1 (40 MB) drive is just about full so I need >more space. I would like to have at least 80 MB of total disk >space. Speed and cost are my main objectives. > >System Configuration: > >CompuAdd 286/16 MHz >Award BIOS >IDE connector on motherboard >WD1003 controller (supports 2 floppies, 2 hard drives) >Seagate ST251-1 hard drive >5.25 and 3.5 high density floppies > >My options are: > >1. Add another ST251-1 (~$239) > >If I add another 40 megs, my total disk space would be >sufficient. I have almost exactly the same upgrade situation as you. I have a CompuAdd '386 with Seagate ST251-1 drive and IDE connector on the motherboard. I, too, wanted at least 80Mb of total space. I opted for a second ST251-1. Not only is it the cheapest solution BY FAR, but it's also the simplest (essentially you just plug in and go, no need to back up and transfer 40Mb worth of data onto floppies, etc. (although you SHOULD back up anyway ;-)) >2. Replace the Seagate with an IDE > >Hard Drives International has a Conner CP3104 for $529. This >seems like a pretty good deal. It costs more than a ST251-1 but >hopefully I could sell my Seagate. Problems with the IDE approach: 1. You (usually) can't safely low-level format an IDE drive. As far as I know, this leave you with no way to correct for the alignment drift as the drive ages. (You IDE experts, please correct this if it is wrong!) 2. What will you use to control your floppies? My understanding of the CompuAdd motherboard's IDE connector is that it works fine with an IDE hard drive, but there's no floppy controller on the motherboard. This means you'll need to buy a floppy-only controller to control your floppy drives. (Note: you can't use your old Hard+Floppy controller, because the IDE controller cannot coexist with another hard drive controller in the same system). So you'd have to sell your Seagate and the WD controller and buy a new controller anyway. 3. What happens when you want an even bigger hard drive? Can you add a second IDE drive to your system, or will you have to chuck the whole thing and buy a bigger IDE drive? >p.s. anyone want to buy an ST251-1? Too bad I didn't see this yesterday - I would have bought it from you! I ordered a new one instead ($239 from ComputAbility, same price as Hard Drives International but they're closer to me so I'll get it faster ;-)