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From: cur022%cluster@ukc.ac.uk (Bob Eager)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: How do I add a 3.5" 1.44M drive to my old XT?
Message-ID: <22167.27eddfba@cluster@ukc.ac.uk>
Date: 25 Mar 91 11:32:10 GMT
References: <12206@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: Computing Lab, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.
Lines: 25

In article <12206@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>, sadoyama@argon.berkeley.edu (Eric Sadoyama) writes:
> I've got an old Leading Edge Model D (an XT-compatible) that I'd like
> to add a 3.5" 1.44M drive to, either internally or externally.  I've
> been told that for various reasons, I can't do this.  Why?  

All you need is a new floppy controller card and a driver for it. No BIOS
support is needed. You can't boot from it, though.

Both Sysgen and MicroSolutions make these, among others. I have the
MicroSolutions CompatiCard (they are in DeKalb, Illinois; don't know the
address, I'm in the UK). CompatiCards support either two or four drives, max,
and may be primary or secondary controllers. They come with drivers, and
even support 8 inch disks.

The basic problem is not just BIOS support, you see (the driver can fix that);
you need a controller that can do high density writes.

There are no doubt clone controllers too, but they probably DO need a BIOS
upgrade (if you can get one....)

My CompatiCard works fine on a 4.77MHz Taiwan clone XT.
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Bob Eager                | University of Kent at Canterbury
                         | +44 227 764000 ext 7589
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