Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!usc!ucselx!crash!pnet01!jca
From: jca@pnet01.cts.com (John C. Archambeau)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: mfm+ide drive in 1 computer.
Message-ID: <6887@crash.cts.com>
Date: 13 Jan 91 17:16:02 GMT
Sender: root@crash.cts.com
Organization: People-Net [pnet01], El Cajon CA
Lines: 40

bkirby@mcs213a.cs.umr.edu (Bill Kirby) writes:
>In article <6833@crash.cts.com> jca@pnet01.cts.com (John C. Archambeau) writes:
>I'm confused.  I've called CompuAdd (i own a compuadd floppy/harddrive 
>controller), and USA Flex (I was going to buy an IDE drive from them)
>and they both claim that the controllers will not interfere with each
>other.  I specifically told the USA Flex tech. guy that I had heard
>of I/O and IRQ conflicts, but he assured me that this wouldn't be a 
>problem.

Either the person at CompuAdd needs a laxative or their controller isn't a
standard ST412/506 MFM controller (standard being that it behaves like a
WD1003).

>Right now, my only option for a second hard drive must be 3.5"
>form factor.  And the cheapest drives i've found are IDE.
>
>If I decide to get rid of my current drive (ST-225) and go with the 
>IDE by itself, can I still use my CompuAdd controller to control
>my floppy drives?  If not, what do I do?

You can if you switch the port address on the ST412/506 MFM controller to its
secondary port address and not hook a hard drive to it.  Very few ST412/506
MFM controllers support IRQ switching.  Best bet would be to get an IDE
adaptor with a floppy port on it and get rid of the CompuAdd controller
completely.

>Also, does the IDE drive require any special device driver?

No, that's the beauty of IDE.  It looks like an ST412/506 drive to your BIOS.

     // JCA

 /*
 **--------------------------------------------------------------------------*
 ** Flames  : /dev/null                     | What to buy?
 ** ARPANET : crash!pnet01!jca@nosc.mil     | EISA or MCA?
 ** INTERNET: jca@pnet01.cts.com            | When will the bus wars end?
 ** UUCP    : {nosc ucsd hplabs!hp-sdd}!crash!pnet01!jca
 **--------------------------------------------------------------------------*
 */