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From: thoger@solan8.solan.unit.no (Terje Th|gersen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: 1.44 Meg Floppy in IBM AT
Message-ID: <1990Oct31.182126.26984@idt.unit.no>
Date: 31 Oct 90 18:21:26 GMT
References: <1990Oct29.195122.3957@ecn.purdue.edu> <90303.153059ESR@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>
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Reply-To: thoger@solan.unit.no
Organization: Norwegian Institue of Technology
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In article <90303.153059ESR@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>, ESR@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU (Ed Russell) writes:
|> In response to:
|> 
|> >From: rob@bank.ecn.purdue.edu (David L Roberts)
|> >Subject: 1.44 Meg Floppy in IBM AT
|> >Message-ID: <1990Oct29.195122.3957@ecn.purdue.edu>
|> >Date: 29 Oct 90 19:51:22 GMT
|> >
|> >I am trying to install a 1.44 meg floppy in a IBM AT, however the
|> >setup doesn't support it, it only supports the 1.2 Meg floppy.
|> >Has anyone done this before?  The machine has DOS 3.10 installed
|> >on it.  Maybe it needs a special driver, and/or BIOS upgrade, and/or
|> >a DOOS upgrade.  Any IDEAS?
|> 
|> If I recall, DOS 3.1 does not have support for 3.5" floppy drives.  You
|> will AT LEAST need to upgrade to 3.2/3.3.  There could be other problems
|> too depending on the BIOS or controller you're using but you should try
|> upgrading DOS first.

You'll need 3.20 for 720k (came with the Convertible, I think) and 3.30 to
go 1.44MB (came with the PS/2's) 

Also, you'll need a BIOS that supports a 1.44MB floppy. Some people claim
that just using DOS 3.30, and drivparm/driver.sys will do the trick, but this
did *NOT* work in my old (c.-86) Sperry/IT AT-clone. I did, however get the
drive (a TEAC 235) to go 1.44 using the public domain program fdread.exe loaded 
as a TSR to read/write, and the companion program FDformat.exe to format.
If I tried to write to 720k floppies in this 1.44MB drive, they got thrashed. 
(General failiure...)

I've heard about a 'Compaticard' floppy controller that comes with it's own BIOS,
(and perhaps a device-driver???) that can get a 1.44 working on any type of
PC. (about $90-100 in an ad in 'Circuit Cellar Ink') (The card even did 8" 
floppies :-))

   -Terje

____________________________________________________________________________
thoger@solan.unit.no       |                 Institute of Physical Chemistry
THOGER AT NORUNIT.BITNET   | Div. of Computer Assisted Instrumental Analysis
                           |               Norwegian Institute of Technology