23 Apr
2002
23 Apr
'02
10:03 a.m.
After a long DEC-inflicted delay, I finally found time to replace the
Altos' CMI doorstop with a 20MB Seagate ST225. The ST225 formats fine
in the Diags and passes all read/write/seek tests, but neither CP/M nor
MP/M, booting from floppy, are able to access the drive.
I'm fairly sure I'm missing a critical step, like partitioning and
making a filesystem, but there's a double hitch. I know nothing about
CP/M _and_ nothing about the Altos. Online info is non-existent for the
580 and bewilderingly abundant for CP/M.
I'm soliciting "favorite CP/M tutorial" recommendations, as well as a
Cx4 for reading the HDD from the OS.
Doc
23 Apr
23 Apr
11:15 a.m.
What, exactly, do you mean by "partitioning and making a filesystem?"
Are you sure you've used the correct sector size and number of sectors per
track? The only Altos 580 I've dealt with had a Quantum 540. It's possible
that the firmware won't support a 6-head drive.
I tried a functional CMI 40-MB drive and, though it worked in a CP/M box
BEFORE it was in that system, it didn't work there, and, when I removed it and
put it back in the system whence it came, it didn't work there any longer
either. I wouldn't blame the Altos box for that, but, who knows?
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Doc Shipley" <doc(a)mdrconsult.com>
To: "Classic Computers" <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2002 9:03 AM
Subject: Altos 580 and CP/M-MP/M Again.
After a long DEC-inflicted delay, I finally found
time to replace the
Altos' CMI doorstop with a 20MB Seagate ST225. The ST225 formats fine
in the Diags and passes all read/write/seek tests, but neither CP/M nor
MP/M, booting from floppy, are able to access the drive.
I'm fairly sure I'm missing a critical step, like partitioning and
making a filesystem, but there's a double hitch. I know nothing about
CP/M _and_ nothing about the Altos. Online info is non-existent for the
580 and bewilderingly abundant for CP/M.
I'm soliciting "favorite CP/M tutorial" recommendations, as well as a
Cx4 for reading the HDD from the OS.
Doc
5:31 p.m.
On Tue, 23 Apr 2002, Richard Erlacher wrote:
What, exactly, do you mean by "partitioning and
making a filesystem?"
Most OS's won't write data to a raw low-level-formatted drive. You
have to define filesystems - partition the drive - and then _make_ the
filesystem - "format" in WinSpeak. I have no idea what's required on
the Altos. That's why I asked.
Are you sure you've used the correct sector size
and number of sectors per
track? The only Altos 580 I've dealt with had a Quantum 540. It's possible
that the firmware won't support a 6-head drive.
I do tend to do my homework. It'll be OK with me if the firmware
doesn't support a 6-head drive, since the ST225 is a 4-head. I found a
couple of references to running that drive on the 580, so I'm pretty
sure it's user error.
Doc
8:58 p.m.
Under CP/M, IIRC (it's been a while) all you have to do is low-level format
the drive with the sector size the software expects, then write 0xE5 to every
byte on it. That's easy if not quick, and leaves you with a useable disk,
provided you've got the right sector size.
As I said before, I do believe the '580 I once had (2 boxes, of which one was
a tape drive ... I gave it to Will Jennings for the taking) had a quantum
Q-540 in it. That one had 8 heads, which is why I snagged the thing. The
drive didn't work, nowever, nor did a functional CMI-6640.
I didn't try a 225 ...
Have you tried different sector sizes? How about different numbers of sectors
per track?
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Doc" <doc(a)mdrconsult.com>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2002 4:31 PM
Subject: Re: Altos 580 and CP/M-MP/M Again.
On Tue, 23 Apr 2002, Richard Erlacher wrote:
possible
What, exactly, do you mean by "partitioning
and making a filesystem?"
Most OS's won't write data to a raw low-level-formatted drive. You
have to define filesystems - partition the drive - and then _make_ the
filesystem - "format" in WinSpeak. I have no idea what's required on
the Altos. That's why I asked.
> Are you sure you've used the correct sector size and number of sectors per
> track? The only Altos 580 I've dealt with had a Quantum 540. It's
that the
firmware won't support a 6-head drive.
I do tend to do my homework. It'll be OK with me if the firmware
doesn't support a 6-head drive, since the ST225 is a 4-head. I found a
couple of references to running that drive on the 580, so I'm pretty
sure it's user error.
Doc
8297
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