Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!uunet!beartrk!cjp From: cjp@beartrk.beartrack.com (CJ Pilzer) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: Re: New 320Meg SCSI drive Summary: DOS & ESDI drives with >1024 cyls Keywords: CDC-Imprimis Wren IV Message-ID: <438@beartrk.beartrack.com> Date: 22 Aug 90 05:25:32 GMT References: <26c74115-120.2comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware-1@vpnet.chi.il.us> <304@smosjc.UUCP> Organization: Bear Track Computer Co., Takoma Park, MD. Lines: 19 In article <304@smosjc.UUCP>, richard@smosjc.UUCP (Richard Asano) writes: > > 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. > Well, you ask can you do this without "playing games". I don't know what you mean by that, but I have a Maxtor XT-4380E. It has 1222 cyls. The way it is is used is with an adaptec controller which does track translation. This makes dos think that there are 63 sectors per track and less tracks. There is software on the controller which formats the disk to do this. Using it is easy. Everything I have tried including Windows 3.0 works just fine with the disk. The controller also has a hardware cache. It is an Adaptec ACB-2322D. This controller also has a jumper that can be set to create two drives from one with more than 1024 cyls, but I don't know of any one who has tried it. -- cj