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From: jeffm@mmintl.UUCP (Jeffrey Miller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: 3.5 Inch Drives in XT's and Clones
Message-ID: <2487@mmintl.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 13-Oct-87 21:34:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: mmintl.2487
Posted: Tue Oct 13 21:34:48 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 18-Oct-87 09:02:49 EDT
References: <454@mit-caf.UUCP>
Reply-To: jeffm@mmintl.UUCP (Jeffrey Miller)
Distribution: na
Organization: Multimate International, E. Hartford, CT.
Lines: 47
Xref: mnetor comp.sys.ibm.pc:9167 comp.sys.att:1519


I've been investigating 3.5" drives for the 6300.  I really don't want to
bother with 720k drives when 1.44M drives are getting so cheap.  But the
problem is, the 6300 is an XT compatible, not an AT compatible.  And
without DOS 3.3, I need special drivers to read/write 1.44M drives.

There are currently 3 companies I am looking at:

Manzana Microsystems   Astro Systems           Sysgen
PO Box 2117            807 Aldo Ave. #106      556 Gibraltar
Goleta, CA 93118       Santa Clara, CA 95054   Milpitas, CA 95035
(805) 968-1387         (408) 727-5599          (800) 821-2151

All 3 manufacturers make both 720k and 1.44M drives.  Manzana does not
have a 1.44M drive for the 6300 yet due to BIOS problems.  But they provide
lots of drivers so you can read lots of other formats including HP, Atari,
DG, etc.  I hope they will have a controller for the 6300 soon for 1.44M.
They've got 720k systems for the 6300 already, and were the 1st 3.5 drive
system on the market.  Sysgen claims their 3-1/2 Bridge System will run in
a 6300 if you use DOS 3.3.  I am still trying to get 3.3 working in my 6300
(it runs fine in my Televideo TeleCAT-286).  Their 720k system should work
fine now.  They actually have the best price here.  But you need an adapter
card for the 6300 to run their drive (only $75).  And you need DOS 3.2 for
720K.  Astro systems claims not to need any special DOS since their special
drivers handle everything.  But they say that due to some limitation in
the AT&T, their 1.44M drive will now work in 1.44M mode on the 6300.

So if I can get PC-DOS 3.3 running properly on my 6300, I'll go with the
Sysgen.  I would actually prefer one of the others due to their drivers
which allow you to read lots of other formats, but since the others won't
read/write in 1.44M mode on the 6300 yet, I'm stuck.

Jeff

P.S.  Another company, Tigertronics, has a 3.5" drive available.  I don't
know much about it since I haven't seen them advertise 1.44M, only 720k.
Look in the back of Infoworld for them, and also for Astro.

P.S.P.S. Any idea how to make PC-DOS 3.3 run on the 6300?  Does AT&T have
an MS-DOS 3.3 available yet for the 6300?  My ROMs are V1.21.  Do I need
to go to 1.43?  Will that mess up my 30Meg Seagate ST-238 with Adaptec's
2070A RLL controller (no problems so far)?
-- 
* Jeff Miller                                                              *
* Multimate International, an Ashton-Tate Co.                              *
* 52 Oakland Avenue,  East Hartford, CT  06108-9911                        *
* (203) 522-2116 x257  UUCP: ...!seismo!utah-cs!utah-gr!pwa-b!mmintl!jeffm *