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IBM 5170 - Trying to get my fixed disk to run as "Drive 0"

ButINeededThatName

Experienced Member
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Nov 29, 2018
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176
Location
Fort Wayne, IN
So I've been having a strange issue with my 5170 when trying to set up the hard disk. The system is equipped with the Quatel BIOS and I'm running the original combined floppy / hard drive controller alongside an IBM WD-25 connected to the "C" position on the cable, and I can't seem to get the hard drive to function as "Drive 0".

Setting the Drive 0 type to 13 in BIOS (which is correct for the WD-25) results in a "Drive 0 Failure" error at startup and I get a 3780 error when trying to use the BIOS utility to scan for bad sectors or format the drive.

Setting Drive 0 to none and Drive 1 to 13 allows me to format and scan the drive with no issue, but still returns a "Drive 0 Failure" message at startup despite Drive 0 being set to none in the BIOS.

Anyone know what's going on here? Am I missing something obvious?
 
"C" position? This is an "MFM" drive, right? Does this cable have a twist in it? (There is little point using a twisted cable on hard drives, but some vendors did). Just be aware that in that case the drive select jumpers on each drive connected should be set to the same thing.... I forget which drive select, but just try changing that and see if it helps. Also, don't forget that the smaller "data" cable must be connected to the correct connector. If it formats and works as drive 1, then you must connect it to the other one to act as drive 0.
 
The cables are connected properly for Drive 0 operation. As for setting the ID on the drive, I'm stumped. There's no jumpers or DIP switches on it that I can see, just a shunt block and the terminator resistor (which is in place). I tried flipping the shunt block, but that didn't seem to do anything as I still get the sane error.
 
Which position is closed on the shunt? If it is the first one, then flipping it won’t fix it, because that will close 4. You need to close 2. I see a photo of a drive that looks like they trimmed the shunt to have just 3 positions instead of 4 and then moved it so that it would close the second position. You can also use a something else, maybe a leg trimmed off a capacitor or something to jump the connection with the shunt removed.
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