Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!slvblc!dick
From: dick@slvblc.UUCP (Dick Flanagan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: AMI BIOS vs. ESDI problem
Summary: Not all controllers contain on-board BIOS
Message-ID: <90@slvblc.UUCP>
Date: 4 Jan 90 19:29:07 GMT
References: <340045@hpsgpa.HP.COM> <11250121@hpldola.HP.COM>
Reply-To: dick@slvblc.UUCP (Dick Flanagan)
Organization: SLV Systems Group, Ben Lomond, CA
Lines: 16

In article <11250121@hpldola.HP.COM> ppa@hpldola.HP.COM (Paul P. Austgen) writes:
>> These days you can't rely on the HD's BIOS being at c800, it could
>> appear anywhere from C000: to EE00:
>
>Anyway, many HD controllers simply do not have code on board.

This is quite true.  A large number of systems are shipped out the door
with disk controllers containing empty BIOS sockets--the supporting code
is all provided by the motherboard's BIOS.  So, before you knock yourself
out trying to find the address of the on-board format routines, check the
controller board itself.  If you see a large empty socket, with the word
"BIOS" silkscreened nearby, you are probably out of luck. 8-)
-- 
Dick Flanagan, W6OLD, CFII, CFIG             Cherokee 235 N9212W
UUCP: ...!uunet!slvblc!dick                  GEnie: FLANAGAN
Internet: slvblc!dick@uunet.UU.NET           POB 155, Ben Lomond, CA 95005