Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!tellab5!chinet!chaz
From: chaz@chinet.chi.il.us (Charlie Kestner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: 386, AMI & dos Format.......
Message-ID: <1991Apr28.180333.21739@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 28 Apr 91 18:03:33 GMT
References: <4c6EBgS00Uh700iaAW@andrew.cmu.edu>
Organization: Chinet - Chicago Public Access UNIX
Lines: 22

In article <4c6EBgS00Uh700iaAW@andrew.cmu.edu> eh1b+@andrew.cmu.edu (Eric David Hornchek) writes:
>Help!
>
>I've replaced the 286-10 motherboard in my AT clone with a 386DX motherboard
>running at 16/20 Mhz, with AMI bios w/setup & xsetup in rom (APR 9, 1990).
>
>                            ^floppy
>The problem is that all three drives refuse to format floppys.They all report
>sector 0 bad and refuse to continue.  They're set correctly in setup, they
>can read and write on pre-formated disks, and all other system functions are
>working ok.  Two are on a standard MFM hard/floppy card, the other (720k)
>is on it's own drive card w/bios.  Ive tried removing the 720k, changing
>wait states, other dos versions, pulling all cards out to no avail.
>
>Can anyone help with this problem, or at least provide a phone# for AMI?


  Ignore the bogus "sector blah bad", answer "yes" to the "format another"
question, do NOT change disks, and just hit "enter" when it queries you.
  Apparently it's some kind of brain-death regarding AMI's BIOS and HD
drives.  They'll format okay, it's just that they'll give you that stupid
message on every un-formatted disk.