Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!holin!doc
From: doc@holin.ATT.COM (David Mundhenk)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: 3.5" 1.44M drive in vanilla AT
Summary: I have this configuration...
Message-ID: <213@holin.ATT.COM>
Date: 11 Nov 88 18:42:48 GMT
References: <5219@louie.udel.EDU> <10323@ihlpa.ATT.COM>
Organization: AT&T DSG Holmdel NJ USA
Lines: 46

In article <10323@ihlpa.ATT.COM>, wolfordj@ihlpa.ATT.COM (452is-Wolford) writes:
> > 
> > 	I am trying to get the definitive answer to a very simple question:
> > 	Will a 1.44M 3.5" drive work if installed as the second drive in an 
> >	AT, using the correct device= statement... 
> 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 height hard disk.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Just couldn't resist adding my $0.02 worth of info to this discussion.
I have an AT clone with AWARD BIOS also, and a 16 bit HD/FD controller.
I bought a Toshiba 3.5" drive with the understanding that I needed
a special driver to make it go 1.44MB with the MS-DOS 3.2 I'm using.
I didn't get the driver right away, so I just used it at 1.2MB with
DS/DD media. Finally, I got the driver, tried to use it without luck.
Then I realized I needed high density media. Now it works fine.

The driver I have is by a company called Bastech. I don't have their 
address handy, but if anyone needs it, let me know and I'll find it.
The package comes with a driver to put in "config.sys", a special
"format35.exe" to format at 1.44MB (which enables me to still format 
DS/DD's at 1.2MB on the same drive using the regular DOS format command.)

Regarding the use of DOS drvparm - I tried this without success, but
that was before I realized I needed to use DS/HD media. If you can
find out what parameters to use(I don't remember), this might be easier. 


-Dave                "Credo quia absurdum"
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