16 Jun
2006
16 Jun
'06
4:05 p.m.
Dwight,
DOS (actually the BIOS) uses a table with an entry for each drive to
indicate several things like specify bytes (which sets stepping rates).
Later 5.25" drives tend to step at 6 ms per cylinder, although some older
drives (e.g. SA400) require longer than that. 3.5" drives typically can
step at 3-4 msec. per track.
It doesn't hurt a drive to step it more slowly than the manufacturer
specifies, but it does tend to increase the noise level. As a quick fix,
you may simply want to slow everything down.
What's the FDC chip in the M20?
Cheers,
Chuck