Media Share 9/MEDIASHARE_09.ISO/private/mpc93mar.zip/HARDRIVE.DAT

Text File | 1993-02-14 | 11KB | 209 lines

                      HARD DRIVES AREN'T SO HARD

     By: Ron Hirsch, Boca Raton Computer Society

     Recently I went through the process of selecting and installing a new
     C:drive for my Compaq 386/20e. The world out there was so loaded with
     misinformation and half-truths that I had to work very hard at
     separating the wheat from the chaff.

     First, it must be understood that it's not a case of "IF your hard
     drive fails," it's a case of "WHEN your hard drive fails." Too many
     people think it won't happen to them. The three rules to follow are
     backup, backup, and backup. My first computer, an IBM AT purchased in
     early 1987, had the Seagate 30MB drive quit completely in 13 months
     (one month after the warranty expired).

     My present computer here in Florida has the original Compaq 40MB
     drive; and it had become intermittent. I diagnosed the problem as the
     head(s) becoming stuck in their "off" position when the computer was
     off. When I turned the machine on, it often wouldn't recognize the
     C:drive. The temporary fix was to give the unit a hard rap. It would
     then boot up OK. I did have a D:drive installed, a Hardcard 105XL, and
     I did have everything backed up via a tape drive I had installed last
     November. But one shouldn't have to whack a computer to get it going.

     My machine, like many of today's, has an IDE HD. IDE stands for
     "integrated drive electronics" -- probably the most widely used type
     of drive in the general PC marketplace today. My objective was to find
     a replacement unit which I could just plug in the existing cables, go
     through the setup, fdisk, format, and be on my way.

     Hard drives are typically mounted in a front bay of the CPU, similar
     to the way a floppy drive mounts. But there is generally no front
     access to them as with a floppy -- there's no need for that. In my
     Compaq, the HD is mounted in a special bracket behind the floppies.
     But removal and access is simple. One screw allows the whole assembly
     to be lifted out.

     I looked through the ads, and the typical street price for a 120MB HD
     varied from $349 for a bare drive to $400+ for one with a "kit" to
     install it. I decided to call Compaq to get their opinion of things,
     and see if they had an HD I could use. Compaq is the least compatible
     of any IBM compatible computer, and I figured they might be a good
     place to get replacement hardware.

     Yes, they could offer me their special 120MB unit which would be
     absolutely compatible. The price: $1500. I asked them if they were
     embarrassed to quote that high a price -- commenting that I could buy
     a whole computer with a similar HD for that much. The tech I spoke to
     said he had no control over pricing. He did tell me that Conner made
     many of the drives for Compaq.

     Since Connor was the usual supplier to Compaq, I called them for some
     answers.


     They told me that they did make the 120 drive for Compaq, and that it
     was not the same as their street version 120. They also said that
     their standard model would not work in my Compaq!

     I called Maxtor, and the person I spoke to couldn't tell me very much.
     He didn't seem to know much more than I did. I called Hard Drives
     International -- they have big ads in many magazines, and all they do
     is sell hard drives. I figured that they would be "experts" in this
     area. The best they could tell me was not to worry -- they'd sell me a
     new drive, with a new controller card, and if necessary, a new ROM
     Bios chip on the card. They didn't tell me that I would have to go
     through a procedure to disable the old chip. (They weren't sure what
     the procedure was on my machine.)

     I then went back to Compaq, and queried them about the criteria
     necessary to meet my desire for a plug-in replacement. They told me
     that I had to find a drive type that my ROM Bios could handle. The
     next step was to go into Setup on my machine and find out what drive
     types were listed there. Along the way I noted the ROM Bios ID which
     was M.4. There was nothing listed there in the 120 MB size, but Compaq
     said that often all the acceptable types may not be listed. They
     looked up M.4, and gave me a whole string of drive types that would
     work. They also gave me the cylinders, heads, and sectors/track for
     each of the types.

     Now, I figured things were starting to open up. Along the way I
     learned that the cylinders, heads, and sectors/track didn't
     necessarily refer to the physical layout of the HD, but the logical
     layout. That is, a given drive could be used as a type 24, 36, 44, or
     whatever, depending upon the way the manufacturer had it set up.

     I went back to Compaq, to confirm the drive types that my ROM could
     handle, just to verify things. This time I got some different answers.
     I duly noted them.

     I called Maxtor again, and got someone I felt was on the ball. He
     referred me to their 7120A, and gave me the various drive types it
     could match. Now armed with this info, I decided to call Compaq one
     more time to verify the last info I'd received. Again, I got different
     information, but the tech said he would research it carefully, and
     call me back later in the day. He did call, and confirmed some of the
     drive types I'd been given by the previous Compaq call. But he said
     that others were absolutely No Go. He also said that this info was
     definitely correct, as he had gotten it from their engineering support
     group.

     Now things were really starting to come together. One of the drive
     types he gave me matched one of the Maxtor's drive type
     configurations. I searched through PC Sources magazine, and found an
     ad for $349, bare. I ordered it (the price was now $359 + S&H), and
     bare it was. Only a photocopy of a one-page instruction/data sheet
     came with it.

     I opened up my machine, disconnected the two cables, and easily
     removed the old HD. I then put the new HD in the old bracket and
     installed it, reconnecting the cables. I then went through the setup
     and installation procedure. Eureka! I now had a new C:drive. I
     restored all the files from my tape backup, and I was back in
     business.

     My weeks of research had paid off. All the people who had wanted to
     sell me the band aids of a new controller card or a new ROM Bios were
     all wet. People tend to use a fix for a problem, rather than eliminate
     the problem to begin with. That reflects the usual "brawn instead of
     brains" approach.

                    Summarizing The Replacement Process

      - Determine the drive types that your ROM Bios can handle; your
        computer manufacturer is a good place to start if you can't get the
        ROM Bios info from your machine. (It's also a good place to get the
        types that might not be listed.) You will need the ROMRev date or ID
        number if you call the manufacturer. Generally this is available in
        the Setup mode for the machine.

     - Decide what capacity drive (MB) you want.

     - Verify whether you have a 3.5" or 5.25" drive in place now, assuming
       you want to put the new drive in the same spot.

     - Check with a potential supplier, re: what he can offer, if you
       haven't already made up your mind about a given brand.

     - Call the drive manufacturer to confirm what drive type
       configurations that model can handle.

     - When you are sure that you have compatibility -- order the drive.
       You don't need any of the so-called kits, as you'll be doing a
       direct replacement. Kits usually can provide the necessary hardware
       for the physical installation and/or new controller cards and
       cables.

     - Physically install the drive; make sure that you don't flip the
       ribbon cable; they're not necessarily keyed. A colored stripe,
       usually red or blue on the cable identifies Pin #1.

     - Go through Setup and tell the machine what you've installed.

     - Boot from a bootable FLOPPY, and make sure that the floppy has a
       copy of FDISK.EXE and FORMAT.COM from your current version of DOS on
       it. Run FDISK, following the instructions, and answering the
       questions presented.

     - Run FORMAT.COM to prepare your disk for accepting data. Don't forget
       to use the /S switch to make the new hard drive bootable. Also, the
       /U switch is a good idea just in case there is anything on the disk.
       The /S switch installs the system files needed to make the disk
       bootable. The /U (unconditional) switch removes all files/data which
       might be on the disk.

     - Restore all the files and directories you had previously backed up.

     - Enjoy your new disk!

     Remember, you must BACKUP EVERYTHING on the drive that you will be
     replacing. If you don't, all programs will have to be reinstalled from
     scratch, and all your data will be lost.

     If you've read all the way to here, congratulations. You now know as
     much as I do about hard drives. Not too long ago I looked at them with
     fear and trepidation -- but once you get to know them, they're really
     not so hard.

                       Hardcards -- The Alternative Approach

     Hardcards are overlooked by many as a very easy way to add an
     additional hard drive to a computer. They had their start in the era
     when computers didn't come with a built-in hard drive. Physical
     installation was easy -- just put them in an available slot. Then, go
     through a relatively simple setup, usually via a software disk
     included with the drive.

     Many people tend to shy away from them. They don't feel they are
     reliable, and they have a reputation for being expensive. Originally
     that may have been so. But today's units, especially such as those
     from Plus Development are reliable, and very competitive in price.
     I've installed them in two machines, an old AT and my present Compaq
     386; so my information is first-hand.

     A good example is the HardCard II XL 105 from Plus Development which
     is a 105MB unit and has a current street price of under $450. I
     clocked it out a 16 msec, and a transfer rate of 3000+K/sec. This is
     actually better than the Maxtor 7120A I just installed. These drives
     can't easily be set up as the C:boot drive, so they are best suited to
     being a second drive. My 105 has been in place for several years with
     no problems.

     As with a regular drive, I would tend to stick with an established
     manufacturer rather than an unknown name. In today's marketplace, the
     name brands are very competitive, and sometimes cheaper than the
     unknowns.