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low-level formatting an ST-225

NeXT

NeXT

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Before I go and totally give up on this drive which will take a format but start to throw read errors and try and find another ST-225 that the controller seems happy with I want to try and see if I can at least low-level the drive and possibly find out why it's formatting itself as a 10mb disk.
It's currently in an AT&T PC6300 and running off a Western Digital WD1002S-WX2 controller. A quick google yielded the magical debug instructions:
1. Start DEBUG by typing the following at the command prompt:
debug
2. At the DEBUG hyphen (-) prompt, type one of the following commands:
G=C800:5
G=CA00:5
G=CC00:5
G=CE00:5
The above commands execute instructions starting at either location C800:0005, CA00:0005, CC00:0005, or CE00:0005, depending on which address is selected. If the computer freezes with the first address listed above, try the second address.

The program in the controller's ROM will execute and will query for interleave factor and other parameters. Answer these as appropriate; the hard disk will then be low-level formatted.

The following addresses are valid for BIOS low-level format routines on Western Digital hard disk controller cards when using DEBUG.COM to perform a low-level format:
Code: 
   Address    Description
   ----------------------
   C800:5     Used by most Western Digital hard disk controllers for
              XT- and AT-compatible computers, including all WD-1007A
              series cards
   CA00:5     Alternate address used on some XT hard disk controller
              cards
   CC00:5     WD-1007V-SE1 and WD-1007V-SE2 controllers;
              WD-1003V-SR and WD-1006V-SR controllers, Revision F003
              and F005 only (other SR-series controllers do not have
              onboard BIOS)
   CE00:5     Alternate address used on some XT hard disk controller
              cards
The above information is valid not only for hard disk controller cards marketed directly by Western Digital, but also for hard disk controllers manufactured by Western Digital for other companies. For example, the Seagate ST-01 and ST-02 hard disk controllers are manufactured by Western Digital.

The addresses noted above as alternate addresses can usually be selected by installing jumpers on the hard disk controller card, for controllers that have alternate addresses. If the jumper on a card with alternate address capability is left disconnected, the default address (C800:5) is used.

The information above was obtained from sources independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this information's accuracy or usefulness. This information is supplied only for your convenience.
Click to expand...

Thing is, none of the four different debug entries work. They all hang the system. Probably because that is for the 1007, not the 1002.
Also, does the ROM utility have default values for stuff like interleave or do I really have to enter in these values because I have no idea what to type in.
 
Dump the first 16 bytes of the controller's BIOS and show us what you have. It's entirely possible that your BIOS isn't standard and doesn't have a format utility built in.
 
Well, you already know how to get into DEBUG, so use the following command:

D CC00:0 to dump 128 bytes at segment CC00h. Quit by using the q command
 
The WD1002S-WX2 manual is at http://members.dodo.com.au/~slappanel555/manuals/WD1002S-WX2 - OEM Manual.pdf

Per page 7-2, the ST-225 is not supported if the ROM is 62-000042-01 or 62-000042-11.

If the ROM is 62-000042-12, then you're in luck. Page 7-2 is interesting because most people would interpret "1" as jumper on and "0" as jumper off. But per the provided legend on that page, it's opposite to that. So providing you have ROM 62-000042-12, then the jumper block (group of jumpers numbered 1 to 8) would be set for an ST-225 per:

1 = [don't care - for second drive]
2 = [don't care - for second drive]
3 = on (i.e. 0)
4 = off (i.e. 1)
5 = off (i.e. 1)(use IRQ5)
6 = [not used]
7 = [not used]
8 = [not used]

After that you'll need to low-level format the drive, etc.
The low-level format procedure is on page 7-1.

EDIT: In case you don't pick it up, the jumper block isn't physically arranged 12345678, it is 12348765.
 
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CC00:0 and the other addresses were the same: nothign but F's so there is nothing there.

Also, my ROM version is 62-000043-010.

It is also bizarre to point out that the system is already fitted with an ST-225 so it's not totally incompatible with it, or it's trying to run the 225 on the wrong parameters.
 
try Spinrite II's LLF feature, run it off a floppy. i've got v1.1, it does a good job.
 
NeXT said:
CC00:0 and the other addresses were the same: nothign but F's so there is nothing there.
Click to expand...
Chuck(G) said:
I'm simply trying to figure out if there is any BIOS ROM there at all. Jumping into nothingness will certainly hang a system.
Click to expand...
It's not making sense. The controller is in a PC6300, which is a PC-class computer. And the ST-225 is: "which will take a format" and "formatting itself as a 10mb disk". So there has to be a BIOS somewhere that's interacting with the controller/ST-225, because the drive is presently in use.
The low-level format procedure in the WD1002S-WX2 manual indicates G=C800:5, and shows no jumpers to select an alternate ROM address. So the question is, why is DEBUG showing nothing but FFs in segment C800 !

NeXT said:
or it's trying to run the 225 on the wrong parameters.
Click to expand...
As to the present 10MB size, yes, that's what I'm betting my 50 cents on.

NeXT said:
Also, my ROM version is 62-000043-010.
Click to expand...
So the drive table may be different yet again. If we can get an image of the BIOS chip, we should be able to work out the table.
 
Just for fun and old times sake.. from memory... wasn't that 615 / 4 / 17 (615 Cyl, 4 Heads, 17 Sectors per track??)

God, I sold ALOT of those drives in the day.

Later,
dabone
 
modem7 said:
It's not making sense. The controller is in a PC6300, which is a PC-class computer. And the ST-225 is: "which will take a format" and "formatting itself as a 10mb disk". So there has to be a BIOS somewhere that's interacting with the controller/ST-225, because the drive is presently in use.ble may be different yet again. If we can get an image of the BIOS chip, we should be able to work out the table.
Click to expand...

What was the controller that shipped with the PC6300 Plus?
 
I think where Chuck is going is that the ROM on the WD1002S-WX2 might have been disabled because some other code elsewhere in the system is interacting with the WD1002S-WX2.

Is the ROM on the WD1002S-WX2 enabled (W3 jumpered)?
 
So the BIOS ROM is enabled. As determined earlier, for the WD1002S-WX2, C800:0 is the only address that the ROM can start at. Therefore DEBUG should show something in segment C800.

Apart from drive selection, the remainder of SW1 and jumper settings are good. At first I thought that W5 and W7 should have jumpers, but the user manual indicates that for factory defaults (XT operation), "No jumpers are required at W5 and W7" (page 7-1).

Positions 3 and 4 on SW1 are not jumpered (i.e. using table entry #3). For the data shown at the Stason web site, and the three ROM revisions shown in the user manual we have, that corresponds to an ST-412 drive (or similar). Probably a safe bet that all ROM revisions kept the ST-412 drive for that setting. So yes, that's where the 10MB is coming from.

The drive table at the Stason web site matches the drive table shown for ROM 62-000042-12. You appear to have a later ROM. You can either:
1. Dump the ROM BIOS for us and from that we'll tell you which table entry corresponds to the ST-225, or
2. You try entry #2 (the most likely based on info we have), and if that doesn't work, try entries #0 and #1.

As for low-level formatting, the G=C800:5 method is expected to work (per the manual).
You can also try SpeedStor (at http://members.dodo.com.au/~slappanel555/software/speedstor.htm).
 
So what jumper setting should I use to switch the controller back to 20mb ST-225 mode? There's two different entried for 21mb. Also, how would I dump the whole BIOS? An EPROM burner?
 
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