Olivetti M24 XP1050 can't get it to boot from HD

[Trixter]

This is what you're looking for: ftp://ftp.oldskool.org/pub/drivers/ATT/6300/6300 disks/A6_LLFUT.ZIP

 

[1ST1]

Hi,

I am trying to restore the HDD of an Olivetti M24.
The BIOS chip on the DTC (Digital Data Corporation) 5150BX4 disk controller is missing.

1) Is that a problem? Is there another HDD ROM on the motherboard from Olivetti ?

2) Where is the low level format utility LLF? Is it in "AT&T PC6300 (M24) Customer Diagnostics Disk Image 360K" on the http://www.olivettim24.hadesnet.org/download.html website ?

Thanks

1) It depends on the dip switches on the mainboard to decide if that is a problem or not. With controllers without BIOS, like this one, you select the harddisk parameters by DIP switches on the mainboard and it is using M24 BIOS inside HDU funcrion. But you can disable that and use controllers with own BIOS. The 2nd makes sens if you have a very intelligent controller where you can input other values like those from the DIP switches.

2) With HDU support by M24 BIOS you have to use the tool on the customer test disk. When using controller's own BIOS, then start the LLF with the debug command of that specific controller.

 

[tonata]

Thanks a lot!!!

It is DSW1/3 and now the computer sees the fixed drive, which is a great! For XT-IDE I think it should be off (yes because it is an external ROM).

Unfortunately my rather contemporary computer with 5.25 floppy is gone (motherboard is burnt). I will appreciate if you know how to write the image (.img) from a 8086 clone?

 

[Trixter]

There are many ways to write disk images directly from DOS; I use IMG2DSK (one copy is at ftp://ftp.oldskool.org/pub/misc/Software/DiskDumps/progs/ ) but there are others too, such as http://www.brutman.com/PCjr/downloads/DskImage.zip . But how will you get the disk image over to you 8086 to write it?

 

[tonata]

Hi,

Thank you all!!!!

It worked with the AT&T low level format tool lowform.exe. I could not write the image of the Olivetti diagnostic disk on a floppy disk though.

Anyway I am quite happy

Maybe the only small thing is how to enter a defect from the back of the hard drive:
TRK HD byte_count **** (bits)
152 02 05772 04

into the lowform.exe which expects: CYL HEAD SECTOR CODE

So it should be: 152 02 and then ?????

My hard drive is 306 cylinders and 4 heads, 10 MB.

 

[1ST1]

I think you can not enter the sector. Just tracks.