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From: pam1@ra.MsState.Edu (Phillip A. McReynolds)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Need help: MFM & RLL drives on same box??!!?
Message-ID: <1149@ra.MsState.Edu>
Date: 14 Mar 91 03:10:46 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Mississippi State University
Lines: 33

My question is simple:  Is there any way in HELL to get a Seagate 238R and a
Seagate 251-1 to co-exist on the same 386 box (DFI 386sx w/AMI bios)?  The
answers I've gotten thus far haven't been hopeful (or helpful).  My options
seem to be these:

1.  Try to RLL the MFM drive.

- Probably won't work since the MFM is a Seagate.  Storage would be unreliable 
in any case.  Besides, this probably isn't the best option for me since my RLL 
controller is 8 bits (an ST11).

2.  Try to MFM the RLL drive.

- A good idea?  Will this work at all?  Would it be reliable?  Presumably the
RLL specs are tighter than the MFM specs so that if 1) I bought an MFM card
(16 bits) I might actually improve performance on the RLL drive although I'd
reduce its storage capacity.

3.  Get a MFM controller and try to make the two controllers work in the same 
box at the same time.

- I'm told that this won't work at all because there'd be memory address
conflicts.  Is this true?

4.  Other solutions?  A special card which might meet my special needs?

Please respond either by email or posting.  I'm desparate for a solution to this
sticky wicket!

Phillip McReynolds
pam1@ra.msstate.edu
sophist@mars.ee.msstate.edu
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