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Making a CF/SD as hard disk to a 386 Acer- model 1100

Interesting experience with the 2gb card. I think you'll run into problems with it once you try to write something beyond the 504mb limit because the bios won't know how to address it. I ran into the same problem with 160gb drives in systems with a 128gb limit. I'd be really curious if it does work.
 
as my other post said, i just got a 8 GB CF card working in my l40 sx which seems to work ok (though i will have to see how it holds up over time compared to a hard drive (these flash memory cards seem to get fragmented and have filesystem problems pretty often)). I have one problem, however, which is that the hard drive activity LED does not work, i wold think that this reads and writes on the same wire as the hard drive, right? any way that anyone can think of to get my HDDLED working again?
 
Update...

After long time and a couple of searching I've managed to buy the Transcend 40pin IDE Flash Module with 64mb.Apparently it doesn't work! The same problem with the damn bios...:mad:
Transcend-IDE-Flash-Modul-40Pin-Vertical-64MB-Disk.jpg


I am prisoned in this old bios with no values to set...


Beside I am not giving up!
The other possible solutions/thoughts
1) Bios expansion card
2) Trying the boot manager plop http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager.html
3) Read the bios eprom chip and make mod into the binary code.Then import again to eprom bios chip
4) Find and try the ndcfwchg.com -> If anyone have it,please send it to vintage-pc@freemail.gr


Any suggestion or comment about these thoughts are welcome! :)
 
This is very simple, using a cf as an ide hdd replacement. You should not need any utility.

All you need is a machine with msdos 5.x. that supports the size cf card you wish to use, if it is bigger, then you may still need ontrack or some sort of overlay... (btw use msdos 6.x to partition the card if over 540mb)

Fdisk the card, make partitions. Then reboot.
After rebooting with a floppy as the bootdisk, fdisk /mbr the cf card.
Now you can restart again, then format the partition. The drive is no longer seen as removable.


No need for fancy software or Sandisk card utilities. I've used this method quite a few times, with 0 errors on sandisk/transcend/lexar/wintec cards, as long as you fdisk /mbr correctly.

Make sure to set it as type 47 (user defined) in bios.
 
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I have the drives you're using in 128meg size working just fine in my 386dx and a 386sx. The drive parameters were something like 1024 bytes, 12 heads, xx cylinders. I'm out of town right now, if you still need parameters by the end of the week, let me know and I'll post them.
Kipp
 
FINALLY I MAKE IT WORK!!!!!!!!:D

I have to confess that the post of twolazy was the inspiration for the achievment! Although I tried the type 47 it didn't work.In the logic that 47 is possible the last type number for user default values, I put the 84 that was mine last.

With a lot of luck I tried with a disk that has installed EZ-Bios, a software bios for hdd's! 84+EZ-bios FINALLY WORKED LIKE CHARM!!!!!!

Immediately I tried with every stuff that I have (sd,compact flash, 40 pin module)
Everythings worked!!!!!!! 40-pin module is unbelievalbe fast like wind!!!!!

Steps for the Acer installation:
1)Put type 84 in bios
2)Boot with this floppy which have EZ-bios -> http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/12/29/2243661/Vintage_pc/ez-bios.rar
(url->right click save target as)
3)Have a floppy with OS on hand (e.g MS-Dos 6)
4)When the floppy boots Select to format.While format is going to ask for OS diskete.Put in the OS diskete.
5)Then when finish,in menu select for the EZ-bios config.
a)Put the diskete protection from enable to disable
b)Enable the 32bit access compatibility
6)Remove the disk from drive and press exit in menu
7)After the pc restarts simply just press C to boot from the "hard disk"

THATS ALL!!!!!!!!ENJOY!!!!!!


As part of the project,I've managed to put a 4gb sd card.I've partioned in 3 seperate parts (2gb,2gb,80mb) because of the limit of FAT16.
Now I run everything from my sd (the giga collection of games that I own:D:D)

I want to thank you all for the comments and the proposals!Without talking possibly I would never find the solution...;)
 
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