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From: bouchard@sg1.chem.upenn.edu (Donald Bouchard)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: SpeedStor Problem with DTK 386/25
Message-ID: <BOUCHARD.90Feb13092000@sg1.chem.upenn.edu>
Date: 13 Feb 90 14:20:00 GMT
Sender: news@netnews.upenn.edu
Distribution: comp
Organization: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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My PC has the following configuration:

1. DTK 386/25 Motherboard
2. WD-1003V-MM2 Controller
3. Maxtor XT-2190 (160 MB) drive.
4. VGA
5. MS-DOSE 3.30

I would like to be able to use the entire 160 MB.  If I use the DTK BIOS
to select the drive type and format the disk I can only use 130 MB broken
into 4 partitions.  I have successfully used the system in the 130 MB 
configuration.

I have also tried to use software from two vendors, V feature Deluxe from
Golden Bow and SpeedStor from and Storage Dimensions.  I was unable
to boot the system using V feature and Golden Bow tech support, which
was helpful, could not help me enough.  I then turned to SpeedStor.
I could successfully boot the machine using the SpeedStor driver in
a 2Mb (dos partition) + 158Mb (speedstor partition) configuration,
but I have been unable to restore my files using FastBack without
disk space being mysteriously lost.

I am aware of the dangers of using larger partitions with pre 4.xx
versions of DOS.  My questions are as follows:

1. Has anyone worked out a similar solution?
2. Could the problem of non-working V Feature and inconsistent SpeedStor
   be manifested in DTK bios?

I would greatly appreciate hearing others solutions.


Donald Bouchard                         Internet:  bouchard@sg1.chem.upenn.edu
Department of Chemistry                 AT&T:      (215) 898 4886
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6323

"Would you like to know what I think of the IBM?", she asked.

"No ma'am, just the VAX".