Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!rpi!uwm.edu!bionet!agate!ucbvax!hsdndev!cmcl2!panix!schuster From: schuster@panix.uucp (Michael Schuster) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Subject: Re: low-level format of IBM XT 10 Meg HD Message-ID: <1991Mar7.233659.23416@panix.uucp> Date: 7 Mar 91 23:36:59 GMT References: <4bpab3G00WCSRfv2wK@andrew.cmu.edu> Organization: PANIX - Public Access Unix Systems of NY Lines: 20 In article <4bpab3G00WCSRfv2wK@andrew.cmu.edu> dd2x+@andrew.cmu.edu (David Eugene Dwiggins) writes: >I was under the opinion that only RLL and above hard drives have formatting >programs built into ROM. > >All the MFM controllers (except the ones that translate sectors) I've ever >seen required a low-level formatting program on disk. >(LLFORMAT.COM, etc.) Read the subject line again. XT hard disk controllers, no matter what type, =must= have a ROM because the XT BIOS does not contain the code for hard disk support. On an AT it's different because the planar BIOS supports HD's by itself. -- Mike Schuster | CIS: 70346,1745 NY Public Access UNIX: ...cmcl2!panix!schuster | MCI Mail, GENIE: The Portal (R) System: schuster@cup.portal.com | MSCHUSTER