XT Hard Drive shows 1701 error on ROM low level format utility

[Chuck(G)]

I think the 1-8 may have more to do with the drive select jumper settings than with whether the drive is first or second. However, my manual is very specific:

This should initiate the Hard Disk Formatting Utility (See Figure 7). Respond to its prompt by entering the number of the hard disk you wish to format. The first hard disk is 1, the second is 2.

However, there is some earlier text that says that the drive number has to do with the drive select jumper setting and not with its connection to the cable.

I use a Q540 with BXD06 BIOS just fine. Try the "reserved for non-standard" and see if it works. Some WD controllers would let you do this also--the drive data is kept on an otherwise-invisible sector 0 on the first track for them.

Failing that, you could simply use a BXD06 BIOS--there's no real reason that it shouldn't work.

"

 

[modem7]

I guess I might be able to format it under the "Reserve for non-standard" switch setting assuming the low-level format program will then ask me the appropriate questions.

No. I used it to connect an ST-506 as follows:
1. Copy ROM, then add ST-506 parameters in the "Reserve for non-standard" entry (blank) in the drive table, then burn EPROM from that.
2. Insert EPROM into card.
3. Set switches to the "Reserve for non-standard" setting.
4. Low-level format drive, etc.

 

[tezza]

Right. Sounds like the perfect excuse to try out my yet unused EPROM burner. It will have to be a project in waiting though as a few others have higher priority, and burning EPROMS will be quite a learning curve for me.

One other thought. The BXDO7 does support a 20 MB, 8 head drive, but with only 306 cylinders. Can a 8 head, 512 cylinder drive like this Q540 then, be low-levelled formatted to 20MBs (using only 306 of it's 512 cylinders) by this controller? In other words, would formatting to that defined spec work in this case, albeit I'll only have 20 MB, not 32?

Tez

 

[Chuck(G)]

Sure, it'll work fine--you just won't get the last 10 MB out of it.

 

[tezza]

Ok, success! The ST-225 went through a low-level format with no problems. I FDISKed and FORMATted and now seem to have a perfectly good IBM XT with everything working (Whoo hoo!).

I've decided I'll leave the 1/2 height ST-225 in there. Given that this is a 256/640k board, with two 1/2 height floppy drives (so probably released 85/86) a 1/2 height hard disk is probably more authentic for this variant.

In case you are interested, the machine also comes with a clock/calendar multifuction card and a Paradise CGA/Heclules compatible mono card (with printer port)

Thanks very much guys. I can now close this thread. I'll post a link to the collection entry and blog post when I'm done. I now have to clean the case, scrub the keyboard and do those other less interesting things.

Tez

 

[tezza]

As usual with these repairs, I wrote it up in my customary verbose narrative.
http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2010-11-04-restoring-an-IBM-xt.htm

Many thanks for helping me get it going. I also added it to my collections site.

Tez