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Priam Innerspace Internal Disk System

J

James191145

New Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2015
Messages
7
Location
USA / TENNESSEE
I am trying to install a Priam V150 / ID40 MFM hard disk into a Kaypro PC. The controller is a Western Digital WD10025-WX2. The controller is actually a Priam variant. It has an EPROM with priam version numbers on it and I assume it is part of the innerspace system.

I tried to LLF / partition the drive as normal and it has resulted in a lockup at every attempt. The card / drive was working in a magitronic 8088 when removed.

Upon further investigation and finding the manual for the Priam Innerspace disk system on ebay I discovered that the priam system has it's own installation software. The manual specifically states to not use dos fdisk or format but use Pfmt.exe and edisk.exe from the priam install disk.

I cannot find the Priam software ANYWHERE and the usual debug commands wont load any internal software.

Does anyone have any experience with this particular hd /controller combo? Know any tricks to get this drive ready for use without priams software? Do you have the priam installation software?

Since I didn't know I was not supposed to use dos fdisk initially the drive is unusable.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I would love to have this 40MB drive in this Kaypro PC!

thanks
 
You should have just moved the drive and controller and tried it that way. It probably would have worked without the extra, unnecessary attention. MFM drives/controllers are pseudo plug'n play when moved in tandem.
 
Stone said:
You should have just moved the drive and controller and tried it that way. It probably would have worked without the extra, unnecessary attention. MFM drives/controllers are pseudo plug'n play when moved in tandem.
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It was partitioned with a 2mb c: and the rest d:. I didn't want that so I unsuspectingly did what I had normally done many times without problem. I was setting up a new machine and getting her ready for use!
 
James191145 said:
Yes that's the controller.
Click to expand...
Easy to mistake the 'S' for a '5'.

James191145 said:
Only difference is mine is a custom priam version.
Click to expand...
A possibility is that you replace the PRIAM ROM with a copy of an original Western Digital one. You could then treat it like a 'standard' WD1002S-WX2, not needing the Priam software.

The photo that I pointed to is of my WD1002S-WX2, and an image of its Western Digital ROM is at [here]. The drive support for that particular ROM, the 62-000042-11, is shown in the top section of page 7-2 of the WD1002S-WX2 manual at [here]. Certain forum members (including myself) have the ability to modify the drive table within the image to suit your Priam drive. Do you have an EPROM programmer?
 
modem7 said:
Easy to mistake the 'S' for a '5'.


A possibility is that you replace the PRIAM ROM with a copy of an original Western Digital one. You could then treat it like a 'standard' WD1002S-WX2, not needing the Priam software.

The photo that I pointed to is of my WD1002S-WX2, and an image of its Western Digital ROM is at [here]. The drive support for that particular ROM, the 62-000042-11, is shown in the top section of page 7-2 of the WD1002S-WX2 manual at [here]. Certain forum members (including myself) have the ability to modify the drive table within the image to suit your Priam drive. Do you have an EPROM programmer?
Click to expand...

I actually have an eprom programmer on the way (ebay). This controller uses a file on the drive called evdr.sys that contains the map for the drive. DOS actually calls evdr.sys and then EVDR accesses the drive. I know this is one strange disk / controller combo. I do not know why a company would design a drive / controller combo this way.
 
I have a Priam V170, 60 meg MFM drive, but I did not get a controller with it. It has always worked as I expected when paired with a few of the controllers I have on hand. They were all 8 bit, MFM or RLL,of the type where the drive preparation software is in the ROM. The drive has always worked perfectly with no proprietary behavior.
 
Thanks fatwizard, that is nice to know! I will have to try it without the companion controller card. I am waiting on some eproms to arrive and when they do I am going to use modem7 's suggestion and replace the priam proprietary rom on the WD card with a WD prom. I think the V170 is the same drive with more space so hopefully it will work. All the other MFM controller cards I have are in other machines or are 16 bit. So I AM going to make this one work one way or another!

Hopefully one day someone will run across that software and I will be able to use the old priam rom just for the hell of it.
 
modem7 said:
Easy to mistake the 'S' for a '5'.


A possibility is that you replace the PRIAM ROM with a copy of an original Western Digital one. You could then treat it like a 'standard' WD1002S-WX2, not needing the Priam software.

The photo that I pointed to is of my WD1002S-WX2, and an image of its Western Digital ROM is at [here]. The drive support for that particular ROM, the 62-000042-11, is shown in the top section of page 7-2 of the WD1002S-WX2 manual at [here]. Certain forum members (including myself) have the ability to modify the drive table within the image to suit your Priam drive. Do you have an EPROM programmer?
Click to expand...

My Eprom programmer arrived and I saved a copy of the PRIAM image. Do you want it for minus zero degrees? If so how do i send it to you?
 
UPDATE! I used everyone's advice that responded and have the V150 up and running. First I followed modem7's suggestion of writing the standard WD software to the PRIAM EPROM. I then used Speedstor as recommended by SomeGuy to format and partition. Speedstor had the drive listed so setup was quick and easy. Also thanks fatwizard for confirming the drive would work on a generic controller.


PROBLEM SOLVED! THANKS
 
James191145 said:
My Eprom programmer arrived and I saved a copy of the PRIAM image. Do you want it for minus zero degrees? If so how do i send it to you?
Click to expand...
It has been added (here).

James191145 said:
I then used Speedstor as recommended by SomeGuy to format and partition.
Click to expand...
Be aware that when SpeedStor is used to partition, it uses a SpeedStor type of partition. That may cause some compatibility problems with diagnostic software that does not know about that partition type.
 
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