Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!mcsun!ukc!acorn!moncam!emmo
From: emmo@moncam.co.uk (Dave Emmerson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: AMI BIOS vs. ESDI problem
Summary: Maybe
Message-ID: <346@marvin.moncam.co.uk>
Date: 4 Jan 90 14:32:56 GMT
References: <340045@hpsgpa.HP.COM+ <11250121@hpldola.HP.COM+
Organization: Monotype ADG, Cambridge, UK
Lines: 50

In article <11250121@hpldola.HP.COM+, ppa@hpldola.HP.COM (Paul P. Austgen) writes:
+ + / hpldola:comp.sys.ibm.pc / emmo@moncam.co.uk (Dave Emmerson) /  5:40 am  Dec 21, 1989 /
+ + In article <11250116@hpldoro.UUCP+, ppa@hpldoro.UUCP (Paul P. Austgen) writes:
+ + + + / hpldoro:comp.sys.ibm.pc / darcy@druid.uucp (D'Arcy J.M. Cain) /  4:52 am  Dec 16, 1989 /
+ + + + In article <11250114@hpldola.HP.COM+ ppa@hpldola.HP.COM (Paul P. Austgen) writes:

 [lots of stuff deleted from this posting]
+ + + + +There doesn't seem to be any code at c800:5 to do a low level
+ + + + +format.
+ + + + 
+ + These days you can't rely on the HD's BIOS being at c800, it could
+ + appear anywhere from C000: to EE00:
+ + 
+ + 
+ + If you have Norton's SI, you can speed this up, it will list the addresses
+ + of all your bios's. If the one you want isn't in that list then you have
+ + 2 boards using the same address, and will have to reconfigure one.
+ + 
+ 
+ 
+ I think that the problem is more complex than you state, Dave.  I
+ have Norton, and I know where the code is.  Most of the areas
+ you mention, however, contain code that has nothing to do with
+ hard disks, however.  They are for video, lan cards, HP-IB, etc.
+ 

Correction, you know where the code is on *your* system. That's the point,
of the dozen or so HDD controllers I have seen in the past month, *none*
were unable to have their bios relocated. Just as well for me, I had to 
move it every time! c800:x is only the *most common* place for it, but
it often needs to be moved because it's too large, and encroaches on
(in my case) the floppy controller bios at CA00:x

+ Anyway, many HD controllers simply do not have code on board.

Agreed, I should have mentioned this, I had *assumed* from the original 
posting that one was supposed to exist. If this is the case then it's
a job for the motherboard bios setup. I gather WD(R) MFM controllers fall 
into this category.

I wonder if it's worthwhile maintaining a list of board configurations,
BIOS entry points etc.. ? There seem to be a lot of enquiries along
these lines. Anyone agree?

ATB

Dave E.

-Disclaimer-
I reserve the right to be wrong (occasionally I exercise it)