Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!smosjc!richard
From: richard@smosjc.UUCP (Richard Asano)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: New 320Meg SCSI drive
Summary: What is the maximum usable disk space in DOS?
Keywords: CDC-Imprimis Wren IV
Message-ID: <304@smosjc.UUCP>
Date: 21 Aug 90 17:19:37 GMT
References: <26c74115-120.2comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware-1@vpnet.chi.il.us> <9wB6N1w162w@ijpc.UUCP>
Organization: S-MOS Systems, San Jose, Ca., USA
Lines: 29

In article <9wB6N1w162w@ijpc.UUCP>, ianj@ijpc.UUCP (Ian Justman) writes:
> kji@vpnet.chi.il.us (Ken Isacson) writes:
> 
> > >>   CDC-Imprimis Wren IV $950
> >
> >While we're talking about drives, I saw the following "good" drive prices:
> >Maxtor EXT-4380  (335MB, 28ms, 10ESDI) $950
> >Maxtor 8380E  (335MB, 14.5ms, 15ESDI) $1195
> >MiniScribe 9380E (335MB, 16ms, 10ESDI) $895
> 
> Can any of these hard drives be used with MS-DOS/IBM PC-DOS?
> 
> If so, which ones?
> 

They should be all usable by DOS.  However, my question is can DOS use all
335MB?  Assuming 15 heads, 35 sectors/track, 1024 cylinders, and 512
bytes/track, I get a maximum of 262.5MB.

I have not seen any drives with more than 15 heads and I believe ESDI uses
35 sectors/track.  Is there some way to address more disk space than 265.5MB
without playing games?  By games, I mean fooling DOS into thinking that
there are more than 35 sectors/track.

What are the problems one runs into (software incapatibilities, ex. Spinrite)
when playing these games?

Richard Asano
uunet!smosjc!richard