Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!agate!bionet!apple!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!ihlpa!wolfordj
From: wolfordj@ihlpa.ATT.COM (452is-Wolford)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: 3.5" 1.44M drive in vanilla AT
Message-ID: <10323@ihlpa.ATT.COM>
Date: 7 Nov 88 20:30:52 GMT
References: <5219@louie.udel.EDU>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois
Lines: 42

> 
> All,
> 
> 	I am trying to get the definative answer to a very simple question:
> 
> Will a 1.44M 3.5" drive work if installed at the second drive in an AT, using
> the correct device= statement in the config.sys, and the original
> floppy/harddrive controller found in the AT?  Using DOS 3.3.

Several things need to be true:

To use a 1.44M 3.5" fd your floppy disk controller needs to be capable of
the "high" density mode.  If you are already using a 1.2MB as the first
drive then the controller is "high" density capable.

Second: You need Dos 3.3 or a special device driver, you said you have DOS
3.3 so you have this one covered.

Third: Your BIOS needs to know about how to use 1.44MB drives or you
can configure your 1.44MB as a external drive using the dos driveparam
device line option in your config.sys.

I have AWARD BIOS 3.03 and it recognizes 1.44MB drives.
I have DOS 3.3
3.5" 1.44MB drive worked just fine, I had to change it out when I wanted
	the second full hieght hard disk.

Those are the facts as I know them.  I am not totally sure about the BIOS
since I have not had lots experiance with AT CLONE BIOS's.

Just to show you people will sell you any thing.  Including a program to 
read 360K floppies in a 1.2MB drive........ for $79 no less in BYTE, oh well


Jeff Wolford
att!iwsag!jww
att!ihlpa!wolfordj

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