Need help—IBM 5162 can't boot from the XT-CF card!

[ohmylove2u]

My IBM 5162 has a damaged hard drive. Every time, I had to use a floppy to boot it.
I recently bought a MINI XT-CF card. However, my IBM 5162 can't boot from it.


Using DOS 3.3, I fdisk the CF card and erase all partitions on my Compaq Prolinea 4/50 (which includes a CF-IDE adapter).

The CF card is then moved to IBM 5162. Start DOS 3.3 from a floppy disk. I use the fdisk command to create a primary partition. Following fdisk's instructions, I restart the computer.
There are no partitions can be seen on the CF card in fdisk when it boots up again. But I can switch the driver to C: . I can't, however, sys to it or format it.

I had to move the CF card back to Compaq. It shows some twisted partitions.

If I create a primary partition and format and sys to it using DOS 3.3 on Compaq, everything works perfectly and the Compaq can boot from it. But the IBM 5162 cannot be booted with the same CF card.


Then I repeat all of the steps in dos6.22, make the CF card bootable on Compaq. However, it remains unresponsive on the IBM 5162, stuck at boot up.

In dos6.22 on 5162, the fdisk command is completely unusable.


Next, what can I do?
Many thanks!

 

[modem7]

First, have you gone into the CMOS SETUP of the 5162, setting hard drive 0 to 'none'? That way, you remove the MFM hard drive from the list of BIOS drives. Important, otherwise when you start FDISK, it may try to read the MFM drive.

 

[modem7]

If I create a primary partition and format and sys to it using DOS 3.3 on Compaq, everything works perfectly and the Compaq can boot from it ...

And in case this has multiple causes, we can rule out the first issue described at [here].

... But the IBM 5162 cannot be booted with the same CF card.

We have seen CHS translation issues, and so it is best to do the FDISK and FORMAT operations when the card is in the 5162.

 

[Ruud]

Question: why don't you remove the MFM/FDC card, install a IDE/FDC card and attach an IDE HDD or IDE/CF converter plus CF card?

 

[ohmylove2u]

First, have you gone into the CMOS SETUP of the 5162, setting hard drive 0 to 'none'? That way, you remove the MFM hard drive from the list of BIOS drives. Important, otherwise when you start FDISK, it may try to read the MFM drive.

Yes, I had set HD to "none" by using the gsetup program.

We have seen CHS translation issues, and so it is best to do the FDISK and FORMAT operations when the card is in the 5162.

I think so. But it can't be fdisk & format in dos3.3 or 6.22 on 5162.
I now believe that the BIOS is the source of the issue. but it seems that there is no newer version available.

 

[ohmylove2u]

Question: why don't you remove the MFM/FDC card, install a IDE/FDC card and attach an IDE HDD or IDE/CF converter plus CF card?

I haven't purchased a card of this kind yet. Because I'm not sure if an IDE hard drive can be used with this vintage IBM computer.

 

[modem7]

We have seen CHS translation issues, and so it is best to do the FDISK and FORMAT operations when the card is in the 5162.

I think so. But it can't be fdisk & format in dos3.3 or 6.22 on 5162.

I do not understand how what you wrote relates to my question.
For example, are you saying that you tried that with DOS 3.3, i.e. XT-CF in the 5162, then boot from a DOS 3.3 boot floppy, then run FDISK (of 3.3), then FORMAT ?

I now believe that the BIOS is the source of the issue. but it seems that there is no newer version available.

Because of your, "but it seems that there is no newer version available.", you must be writing of the motherboard BIOS (not the XTIDE Universal BIOS, the BIOS on the XT-CF)
Is there any particular reason why you believe that the motherboard BIOS (provided by IBM) is the source of the problem?
I believe that @Malc is running an XT-IDE card in his 5162 (fitted with the stock IBM supplied BIOS).

Of course, to test the motherboard BIOS hypothesis, you could try one of the third-party motherboard BIOS' at [here] (the ones listed there for the IBM 5170).

Another possibility is that the symptom relates to the fact that your 5162 does not have a 'standard' 5162 motherboard in it.

 

[Ruud]

I haven't purchased a card of this kind yet. Because I'm not sure if an IDE hard drive can be used with this vintage IBM computer.

An IDE HDD is a MFM HDD in disguise: the hardware on the card has been transferred to the HDD. Therefore any AT or better doesn't see any difference between between the two systems. Have a look at this card:

The the two ICs on the left part is for address decoding and the big IC is pure for the floppy drive. That's all. Personal opinion: some buffers between the data bus and HDD would have been better.

If you want to buy such a card, then google for "ide fdc mio card". These IDE/FDC/Multi-IO cards also have one or more COM ports, LPT ports and sometimes a Game port on board.

Good luck!

 

[Malc]

I believe that @Malc is running an XT-IDE card in his 5162 (fitted with the stock IBM supplied BIOS).

I have tested my VCF R1 / R2 and GW R4 XT-IDE cards in my 5162 and 5170 with stock IBM BIOS using the stock IBM MFM/Floppy controller in a 8-bit slot for the floppy drives and all worked fine, However i have a 16-bit IDE / Floppy controller / Stock IBM Bios and XUB and a 4Gb fujitsu IDE hard drive in both running perfectly fine.

Depending on the 16-bit IDE/Floppy controller one uses YMMV.

 

[modem7]

Regarding swapping out the IBM 'combo' controller for a third party IDE+floppy controller, note that the 'Known problem - POST error of 601' section of [here] is a possibility. If encountered, it is usually fixed by swapping out the IBM motherboard BIOS for a third party one, although someone may have already modified the 5162's IBM motherboard BIOS to get around the issue.

 

[Krille]

I now believe that the BIOS is the source of the issue. but it seems that there is no newer version available.

Your version of XUB is very old. Use the latest version from here instead.

 

[ohmylove2u]

An IDE HDD is a MFM HDD in disguise: the hardware on the card has been transferred to the HDD. Therefore any AT or better doesn't see any difference between between the two systems. Have a look at this card:
View attachment 1272967
The the two ICs on the left part is for address decoding and the big IC is pure for the floppy drive. That's all. Personal opinion: some buffers between the data bus and HDD would have been better.

If you want to buy such a card, then google for "ide fdc mio card". These IDE/FDC/Multi-IO cards also have one or more COM ports, LPT ports and sometimes a Game port on board.

Good luck!

I got one.

It works fine.

BTW,I just replaced the connector of the keyboard with a couple of DB9 connector

 

[ohmylove2u]

Your version of XUB is very old. Use the latest version from here instead.

I’m waiting for the programer.
When I got it ,I will try your way.
Thanks a lot!

 

[Ruud]

Next step can be to add the AT version of XUB that enables you to handle HDDs up to 8 GB.

 

[modem7]

Your version of XUB is very old. Use the latest version from here instead.

I’m waiting for the programer.
When I got it ,I will try your way.

The third link at [here] points to an example of an XUB upgrade procedure.

 

[Krille]

Next step can be to add the AT version of XUB that enables you to handle HDDs up to 8 GB.

All of the official builds can handle drives up to 8 GB. In fact, with the exception of the Tiny build, they all support LBA48 which means that you can use drives of any size.

I’m waiting for the programer.
When I got it ,I will try your way.
Thanks a lot!

You don't need a programmer to upgrade the BIOS. Just follow the instructions modem7 linked to.

 

[ohmylove2u]

You don't need a programmer to upgrade the BIOS. Just follow the instructions modem7 linked to.

The third link at [here] points to an example of an XUB upgrade procedure

I will follow the instruction.
Thanks!

 

[ohmylove2u]

Finally, I upgraded the motherboard bios with AMI version. Everything works fine.