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From: mike@lutefisk.uoregon.edu (mike hoffman)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Re: Miniscribe 9380E ESDI disk/ FreeBSD 1.1
Date: 12 Aug 1994 14:26:29 GMT
Organization: none
Lines: 50
Message-ID: <32g0ql$2vv@pith.uoregon.edu>
References: <32921p$fsq@clavin.uprc.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: lutefisk.uoregon.edu
In article <32921p$fsq@clavin.uprc.com>,
LaCoursiere J. D. (Jeff) <z056716@uprc.com> wrote:
>
>I finished the install on this disk, but the label is blown away every time
>the machine is booted (Compaq deskpro 386DX20). I can boot from diskette(s)
>and write the label manually, mount the root and usr partitions, etc. The
>boot process does complain with a message like "Can't handle 256 heads - reset
>to controller 15" or something close to that. Am I missing something?
>
>
> ______/ Jeff LaCoursiere FastLane Communications
> / Network security/services mail info@flc.uprc.com
> ___/ lacoursj@uprc.com
> /
> __/ ASTLANE Communications! Connecting America to the Internet...
>
>
I had a lot of trouble with an ESDI drive and *nix.
However I finaly read the disk drive instruction manual (very caaarefully)
and I made it work.
Is your drive operating thru a board that is operating in 'translation'
mode?
FOR EXAMPLE:
physical parameter Logical Parameter
1024 Cyl 1024 cyl
8 heads 16 heads
34 sectors/track 17 sectors/track
look to see if you have skipped a statement in the manual such as :
"Low-level formating of ESDI drives must use the drives physical parameters".
I dont know what controller you are using ( I have only used WD1007)
but using the *nix for low level formating was a frustration (it didn't
work).
If you have a WD1007 use debug to look at the formating program.
>debug
>g=CC00:5
or g=C800:5
depending on jumper W3 (WD1007)
I also used Disk Manager by ONTRACK Computer Systems:
old phone 800 752-1333
612 937-2121
612 937-1107
I also called Western Digital and got a Technical Reference Manual
One last horrible thought 'maybe it is just a "Compaq" '|-).