Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!sdrc!thor!scjones
From: scjones@thor.UUCP (Larry Jones)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Can WD1003-WA2 do 1.44 Meg floppies?
Message-ID: <133@thor.UUCP>
Date: 22 Jan 91 22:08:50 GMT
References: <26412@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
Organization: SDRC, Cincinnati
Lines: 20

In article <26412@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>, dwatney@pine.circa.ufl.edu (Marshall Sutherland) writes:
> The subject pretty much says it all.  We have had a Western Digital drive
> controller for almost 3 years and recently tried to hook a 1.44M 3.5" floppy
> drive to it.  It doesn't want to treat it as anything other than a 720K
> drive.  Are there ROM upgrades available for this board?  Can a software
> driver be used to correct the problem?  (for obvious reasons, this wouldnt
> permit booting off of a 1.44)

The problem is not in your set.  The WD1003 is an AT controller, so
it is perfectly capable of controlling a 1.44M drive.  The problem
is undoubtedly the floppy disk BIOS which is located in the system
BIOS on the motherboard in AT class machines.  You could either try
to get an updated BIOS for your motherboard or get a floppy-only
controller that has it's own BIOS.  Alternatively, you may be able
to convince DOS to drive it by fooling around with DRIVPARM or
DRIVER.SYS, or you may not.
----
Larry Jones, SDRC, 2000 Eastman Dr., Milford, OH  45150-2789  513-576-2070
Domain: scjones@thor.UUCP  Path: uunet!sdrc!thor!scjones
I take it there's no qualifying exam to be a Dad. -- Calvin