Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!mailrus!uflorida!beach.cis.ufl.edu!seeger
From: seeger@beach.cis.ufl.edu (F. L. Charles Seeger III)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: FORMATTING a AT RLL drive - please read my question !!!!!!
Message-ID: <19509@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
Date: 3 Dec 88 00:23:26 GMT
References: <8191@nsc.nsc.com> <10726@ihlpa.ATT.COM>
Sender: news@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU
Reply-To: seeger@beach.cis.ufl.edu (F. L. Charles Seeger III)
Organization: UF EE Dept
Lines: 63

In article <10726@ihlpa.ATT.COM> wolfordj@ihlpa.ATT.COM (452is-Wolford) writes:
| 
|>  You can use Debug to format your HD (low level) the address is c800:5 even
|>  on an adaptec, at least the few systems I have tried it on. 
| 
|NO NO NO this may be ok for a XT type drive controller but it
|is NOT available on a AT type WD1003-RA controller.  There is no rom
|at that address, yes I've tried.  
|
|I have the documentation (straight from WD), and they say
|you have to use a seperate formatter to do the LOW LEVEL format.  But,
|they won't give any suggestions or recommends.

They make a recommendation in the documentation that I have (User's Guide
for WD1003-RAH, WD1003S-RAH, WD1003-RA2, WD1003A-RA2, Document Number
79-000189, copyright 1987).  On pages 10-12, under the "Software
Installation Instructions" heading, the use of Advanced Diagnostics,
Disk Manager and Speedstor are all discussed.  Advanced Diagnostics can
be used if you have a BIOS with 26 sector disk configurations OR if you
have/use the translation feature.  However, early versions of the WD1003-RA2
could not format a drive beyond 40 MB with the translation feature.  There
were actually different feature numbers on these controllers (e.g. F0001)
that indicated the translation feature.  I once modified one by sniping
a jumper wire so that an ST-277R could be fully utilized.  This information
may be outdated though -- it's 6 months old!  BTW, Seagate ships a free
version of Disk Manager with their drives that might require it.  Rather
thoughtful, actually.  However, I do prefer Speedstor, which also seemed
to result in a faster disk presummably because its driver was better.  I
don't off-hand recall which F000x number was which.  If you need, I'll
look it up when I get back from the Sun User's Group meeting next week.

|I have Dimession Storage's format routine, but this version only handles
|MFM (ie 18 sectors/ track) drives and they want $99 for a program to
|handle RLL.  That's a large $$ for a one time use program.

Seems like you should be able to upgrade yours for less than $99.  And
it's not a one-time use, either.  It includes a device driver that must
be installed to use all 26 sectors.  Of course, you could format the
disk with 17 sectors and use it until you get the appropriate software
or BIOS.

|Please only people who have REAL first hand knowledge comment.

Don't know how REAL this is, but it is FREE! (modulo your comm cost)

|DOES the new MACE utilities ( I have a 1yr old version that does not work)
|format AT (NOTICE I SAID "AT" type RLL drives).
|How about any of the hard disk managers out there, and they do the job ?

Don't know.

For anyone contemplating buying a WD RLL AT controller, I VERY STRONGLY
recommend a WD1006 over the WD1003.  It has the on board BIOS and
formatting routine (at c800:0005).  It has a good media analysis routine
as well.  BTW, Speedstor is better than Disk Manager on this score, too.
If you can afford it, go for the WD1007 ESDI controller, especially if it's
going into a fast '386 box.

Good luck
--
  Charles Seeger            216 Larsen Hall
  Electrical Engineering    University of Florida
  seeger@iec.ufl.edu        Gainesville, FL 32611