Running a 144 floppy disk on ancient computer ??
Vince m1bnl
I'm trying to get a 1.44 floppy to work with
an old compaq 286 computer. the computer
sees it as a 1.2m 5 1/4 disk and wont see all the
sectors. Dos 5 is installed. the dos5 book says
"Device =driver.sys /d:1 /f:7" would add driver
for 144 floppy, msd even reports a drive D which is
144, I can see a dir but anything else fails!!
Any suggestions????
Vince
CJT
I suggest you use a new computer instead.
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Pen
The help I found said the command is drivparm
loaded in config.sys.
http://www.computerhope.com/drivparm.htm#03
You could try it.
"Vince m1bnl" <re...@sad666damh.freeuk.com> wrote in message
news:40BBAC89...@sad666damh.freeuk.com...
Vince m1bnl
The drivparm does much the same as device=driver I think
( - It's quite a surprise to go back to computers as they used to be )
Vince
re...@this.newsgroup.com
wrote:
DOS 5 shouldn't need any driver for a normal floppy!
Check your computer's CMOS settings for the drive, to make sure it is properly
specified.
On most computers you get there with the Del key at boot time, but some
Compaq's used the F10 key
Since built in floppies are A: and B: (if two), not sure what MSD is reporting
about that drive D -- something sounds strange.
GEO
<re...@sad666damh.freeuk.com> wrote:
You don't need to change anything on your configuration files, but
instead you should be changing the BIOS using the setup disks provided
by COMPAQ; they are still available from the old web site -now part of
H-P. COMPAQ did not have an on board setup, but the setup was done
using the supplied programs.
Try SP1743: ALL Compaq platforms running DOS 6.x
(Supersedes SP1248, SP0957)
http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/
Good luck.
Geo
Mike Dee
> msd even reports a drive D which is
> 144, I can see a dir but anything else fails!!
>
> Any suggestions????
Maybe it's a 720k drive, not 144. Try placing tape over the cutout on the
floppy [not the locking tab] and see if it accepts it.
D.
Kevin G. Rhoads
the original 6MHz AT. For such old machines, the BIOS needs
a patch, to reset the BIOS diskette parameter information to
reflect 18 sectors/track when accessing a 1.44M floppy. I
ended up writing a little TSR to do this for me, and then
use it together with the loadable floppy device driver.
If you are interested, e-mail me. I will supply x86
ASM source, as well as a .COM file.
Sincerely
Kevin
Executable is supplied as FreeWare, source under any
standard "free" license (GPL, LGPL, Artistic, BSD or
other).
Vince m1bnl
"AjaxŽ" wrote:
>
> On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 00:35:48 +0100, Vince m1bnl
> <re...@sad666damh.freeuk.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >The drivparm does much the same as device=driver I think
>
> Have you tried specifying the /s/h/t instead of using the /t argument?
> and are you trying to access it as a: or d:?
>
Good point, but MSD.EXE is showing a drive D with 144M C-80 H-2 S-16
so it should be OK.
I see a "dir" on D but it reports sector lost when I try to read a file.
I have tried two 144 floppy drives so I dont think the drive is a
problem.
> Another option would be a HD floppy controller with it's own bios rom
> onboard.
>
Vince m1bnl
Thanks - I have some setup disks - V 8.0 rev B not sure what the SP
number
was - they seem to automatically report it as a 1.2M 5.25 inch and wont
let me change it - i'll look at compaq - oops! HP.com
Vince
Vince m1bnl
Just an update - no luck.
C144.com and others can change the CMOS settings but
the BIOS seems to stop me reading more than the 15 sectors on
a 1.2M ( There are 18 sectors on a 144 ). It can't be a hardware problem
cos I can read everything on a 720 floppy, and I can read a DIR
on 144 ( so I can read some sectors, and I have got a 144 disk drive ! )
.
The compaq SP did not help either.
Vince
Kevin G. Rhoads
>the BIOS seems to stop me reading more than the 15 sectors on
>a 1.2M ( There are 18 sectors on a 144 ).
Right. DOS and the BIOS together are being "helpful", the
drive is marked as 1.2M, which only has 15 sectors, so
between them, DOS and the BIOS that is, they are "forcing"
the drive to see no more than 15 sectors by resetting the
sectors/track info in low core.
You will only be able to read/write 1.44M floppies with
a BIOS patch. There are several out there. Or you can
use mine, if you want it.
Vince m1bnl
bud
FWIW: DRIVER.SYS adds a logical drive to an existing drive. DRIVPARM
tries to "patch the BIOS". It is not good enough to increase the number
of sectors originally written to the FDC, however. If Kevin's patch can
do it, "more power to the group!"
salaam,
dowcom
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karma...@qwest.net
Defines parameters for devices such as disk and tape drives when you
start the operating system. You can use this command only in your
CONFIG.SYS file.
The DRIVPARM command modifies the parameters of an existing physical
drive. It does not create a new logical drive. The settings specified
in the DRIVPARM command override the driver definitions for any
previous block device.
UNDOCUMENTED in v3.20 through v3.40. Fully documented in v4.0.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Syntax
DEVICE=[drive:][\path\]DRIVPARM [/C] /D:n [/F:factor] [/H:heads] [/I]
[/N] [/S:sectors] [/T:tracks]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parameters
[drive:][\path\] (v3.20)
Specifies the location of the DRIVPARM file.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Switches
/C (v3.20)
Specifies that the physical disk drive can detect whether the drive
door is closed (change-line support).
/D:n (v3.20)
Specifies the number of the physical floppy disk drive. Valid values
for number are in the range 0 through 255. The first physical floppy
disk drive (drive A) is drive 0; a second physical floppy disk drive is
drive 1; a third physical floppy disk drive, which must be external, is
drive 2; 128 is the first hard disk drive, 129 the second hard disk
drive. For a computer with one floppy disk drive, drives A and B are
both numbered 0; for a computer with multiple floppy disk drives, drive
B is numbered 1.
/F:factor (v3.20)
Specifies the type of disk drive. Valid values for factor are:
0 160K/180K or 320K/360K (single-sided)/(double-sided)
1 1.2 megabyte (MB)
2 720K (3.5-inch disk) or other, the default
5 Hard disk
6 Tape v5.0
7 1.44 MB (3.5-inch disk) v4.0
8 Read/write optical disk v5.0
9 2.88 MB (3.5-inch disk) v5.0
Generally, if you use the /F switch, you can omit the /H, /S, and /T
switches. Check the default values for these switches to make sure they
are correct for the type of disk drive you are using. To determine the
appropriate values for the disk drive, see the disk-drive
manufacturer's documentation.
If you specify the /H, /S, and /T switches, you can omit the /F switch.
/H:heads (v3.20)
Specifies the number of heads in the disk drive. Valid values for heads
are in the range 1 through 99. The default value is 2. To determine the
correct value for your disk drive, see the disk-drive manufacturer's
documentation.
/I (v3.20)
Specifies an electronically compatible 3.5-inch floppy disk drive.
(Electronically compatible drives are installed on your computer and
use your existing floppy-disk-drive controller.) Use the /I switch if
your computer's ROM BIOS does not support 3.5-inch floppy disk drives.
(Some IBM PC/AT-compatible systems do not have a ROM BIOS that supports
3.5-inch floppy disk drives.)
/N (v3.20)
Specifies a non-removable block device.
/S:sectors (v3.20)
Specifies the number of sectors per track. Valid values for sectors are
in the range 1 through 99. The default value depends on the value of
/F:factor:
8 /F:0 160K/320K
9 /F:0 180K/360K
9 /F:2 720K (3.5-inch disk) or other, the default
15 /F:1 1.2 megabyte (MB)
18 /F:7 1.44 MB (3.5-inch disk)
36 /F:9 2.88 MB (3.5-inch disk)
To determine the correct value for your disk drive, see the disk-drive
manufacturer's documentation.
/T:tracks (v3.20)
Specifies the number of tracks per side on the block device. Valid
values for tracks are in the range 1 through 999. The default value is
40 when /F:0, otherwise the default value is 80. To determine the
correct value for your disk drive, see the disk-drive manufacturer's
documentation.
bud
'Lo karmadragon:
Group: comp.os.msdos.misc Date: Fri, Jun 11, 2004, 8:43am (CDT-2) From:
karma...@qwest.net
script:
>Everything you wanted to know about
>drivparm in dos 5
Thanks for the info. I have PC-DOS 3.00-3.30, and MS-DOS 3.2. I found
DRIVER.SYS long ago,… but never was able to invoke DRIVPARM. I'll try
again in the future.
dg1261
> invoke DRIVPARM. I'll try again in the future.
Bud, PMFJI, but if it helps, here's an excerpt from a CompuServe forum
thread over a decade ago:
#: 379117 S11/88/286 Systems [H]
30-Oct-93 14:55:04
Sb: Format 720k B: on 8088
Fm: David West 75130,1316
To: ALL
Have IBM-DOS 3.30 & 8088 clone which came w/ single 5.25in 360k.
Added 3.5in capable of 1.44mB w/ understanding that would be able to
use as 720k. "FORMAT B:" formats 360k & seem to successfully read &
write "B:". IBM-DOS manual states "use FORMAT B:/N:9/T:80" to format
720k, but this yields "Parameters not supported."
Fm: Dan Goodell 71520,3116
To: David West 75130,1316
Your original floppy controller (FDC) is likely not a high-density
model, so you won't be able to use 1.44M disks unless you change the
FDC (about $50).
As you've discovered, it works fine as a 720K drive, but to format
720K disks you need to add driver.sys or drivparm to your config.sys
file. Driver.sys creates an alternate logical drive for B: -- watch
the screen closely during bootup and it should say something about a
C: or D: drive (depending on whether you have a hard drive or not)
when driver.sys loads. You must use the alternate drive letter when
formatting. For example, if driver.sys says it created drive D:, you
can read and write to a 720K disk as either B: or D:, but to format a
disk you must refer to it as D:.
You can sometimes use drivparm instead of driver.sys. Drivparm
changes the parameters in the DOS drive table for B: instead of adding
a second entry for that drive, so you can use the normal "format B:"
command. It was undocumented in IBM's PC-DOS 3.30, but you can
usually make it work with the following command in config.sys:
drivparm ^A^A^A /d:1 /f:2
Those are Control-A's, not Carat-A's, so you need to edit your
config.sys with an editor that allows you to insert true Control-A
(smiley face) characters. It doesn't work in all systems, but if it
does it's much tidier than fumbling with the phantom drive letter from
driver.sys.
Fm: David P West MD [75130,1316]
To: 71520,3116
Muchas gracias! Your advice resulted in "drivparm ^A^A^A /d:1/f:2",
which yields 720 k in 3.5" B:. Thanks much again!
bud
'Lo Group:
Group: comp.os.msdos.misc Date: Mon, Jun 7, 2004, 1:43am From:
dow...@webtv.net (bud)
script:
>It is not good enough to increase
>the number of sectors originally
>written to the FDC, however.
My bad, I had a memory lapse. It _can_ increase the number of sectors.
It _cannot_ increase the data rate if that is insufficient for the
increased number of sectors at the given sector size.
HTH,
bud
Thanks dg1261:
Group: comp.os.msdos.misc Date: Mon, Jun 14, 2004, 4:05pm (CDT-2) From:
dg1261...@cs.com (dg1261)
script:
> It was undocumented in IBM's PC-DOS
>3.30, but you can usually make it work
>with the following command in config.sys:
>
> drivparm ^A^A^A /d:1 /f:2
>
>Those are Control-A's, not Carat-A's,
>so you need to edit your config.sys
>with an editor that allows you to insert
>true Control-A (smiley face) characters.
salaam,