• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

IBM 5150 And ST-412 Format

The IBM PC 5150 is not supposed to have a hard drive.

Assuming that somebody took the hard disk controller from an XT and put it in your machine, the official way to do it is to get the Advanced Diagnostics disk. It has an option for low level formatting the hard drive.

A small assembly program that calls the BIOS of the hard disk adapter can be used as well. See this thread:

http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/archive/index.php/t-1890.html
 
The XT (5160) was shipped with an optional HD, but a special kit was done also for the 5150 (the power supply, also, must be accomodated).

The IBM 1501492 recognizes only few models of HD ... I've never had it under my hands, perhaps.
If I remember well, it doesn't have a BIOS formatting program included, so you can't execute it through the standard DOS DEBUG command g=C800:5.
There are many formatting tools of the era (PREP from Zenith, LOFORMAT, LLFORMAT, etc ...) and you must try the one more suitable to you, or you can try the IBM diagnostic disk.
Some of them allow to specify "on the fly" the drive geometry (C/H/S).
The Seagate ST412 (which I own) is 306/4/17, 10 MB, with precompensation beginning at 128.
You can take other infos from www(dot)artofhacking(dot)com/th99
If you send me a *clear* picture of the board, expecially if there are user selectable jumpers, I can tell you more.
If you need, I have those old formatting tools (together with 4Gb of old DOS programs, not games !).
I keep alive a lot of old harware pieces ... so I must have those old tools.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top