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1100hd

M

MrCoffee

Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
41
Hi everyone,

I was digging around my cellar last night and pulled out a pair of Tandy 1100HD units I had from a while ago. Both units where working when I stored them, but now when I boot them up, neither sees the internal HDs. It seems strange to me that they both would have the same problem at the same time. I THINK I can hear the drives properly spinning up, but I am not 100%.

Does anyone remember if the 1100HD had a special startup/config utility disk? I am thinking that the CMOS might need to be reconfigured....?

Any info on these puppies would be helpful. I cant seem to find the proper Tandy tech page when I search, I keep getting 404 errors.

Thanks!
 
Just in case you read this, I edited it so you know.

after a little research I believe I found it.

http://www.8bit-micro.com/download.htm

in there you'll see a link for the tand 1XXX series of computers, seems each had their distinct setup programs pick the one you need. from what I'm seeing on that list you should get he 1110HD Setup 111 link since they have no 1100HD in there.

Here's the direct link. it's a self extracting archive. I tried it and it downloads fine from there.
http://www.8bit-micro.com/setups/1110HD.EXE

hope this helps :) and if it doesn't work let me know, I'll put this on my server so you can get it from there.
 
Last edited:
The 1110HD stores it's system parameters in an EEPROM, and the appropriate setup program is needed to write to the EEPROM. One of the variables that can be set is the boot order; whether to boot from the hdd or from the ROMdisk. Changing it won't make a bad hdd work, but at least it should get the machine booting for diagnostic purposes.

--T
 
Hi Guys,

Thanks for the information and Links. I actually managed to find the proper site on support.radioshack. But I was unable to get either system to boot.

What I have done so far is:
Format a 720k boot disk (format a:/s/f:720)
When that didnt work, I searched my storage bins and found an unopened box of 720k, DD disk, and did the format again.
No matter what, I cant get either system to read a disk of any kind, nor the internal HDs. I cant figure out a way to get the systems to boot so I can run the setup. I cant get to the boot rom either.

Sigh....
 
MrCoffee said:
Hi Guys,

Thanks for the information and Links. I actually managed to find the proper site on support.radioshack. But I was unable to get either system to boot.

What I have done so far is:
Format a 720k boot disk (format a:/s/f:720)
When that didnt work, I searched my storage bins and found an unopened box of 720k, DD disk, and did the format again.
No matter what, I cant get either system to read a disk of any kind, nor the internal HDs. I cant figure out a way to get the systems to boot so I can run the setup. I cant get to the boot rom either.

Sigh....
Click to expand...


They are notorious for failure of the floppy disk drives. The drives are belt-driven, and the rubber belts tend to deteriorate with age.

--T
 
Does the 1100 show any signs of life (lights, beeps, screen, etc)? First check the belt described above. Suitable replacements have been found a McMaster - Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/).

Check for an internal battery. Since this is an XT, it probably does not have one. If there is one, replace it. It will probably look like a coin cell. Make sure it hasn't leaked (clean up any gunk and check for eaten through traces if it did), and then replace it. I'm not talking about the batterypack that runs the computer either.

Finally, leave it plugged in for 24 hours, then try again.
 
No internal battery, just the aforementioned EEPROM, which is non-volitile when written to. Drive belt is the #1 source of problems in these machines, as they harden-up and grow brittle with age, and firing one up after a long period of dormancy instantly breaks the deteriorated belt. Only takes about ten minutes to tear one down and ascertain this as the cause of failure.

--T
 
Hello,

I have a 1100FD that I'm currently rebuilding.

I wanted to confirm that this computer DOES have an NVRAM internal battery. On my model it is located in a corner on the mb between the main battery compartment and the rear ports.

I'm sure the 1100HD also has a battery, although it might be elsewhere on the mb.

Setup-wise, the 1100 is more AT-like than XT-like. It probably requires a working battery to remember that it does in fact have a hard drive, and yes, it should in fact boot from it :).

I'd find and replace the battery first. That would be my first guess about what is keeping your computers from seeing the hdd.

Best regards,

Dave
 
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