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M M AA X X III
MM MM A A X X I
M M M M A A X X I MAXI
M MM M AAAAAA X I
M M A A X X I FORM
M M A A X X I
M M A A X X III
The Original Floppy Disk Expander
(version 1.7)
92-Feb-15
Copyright (c) 1988-1992
Herne Data Systems Ltd.
P.O. Box 250
Tiverton, ON N0G 2T0
CANADA
voice or FAX (519)366-2732
CompuServe 72060,1153
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SHAREWARE REGISTRATION FORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
THE FINE PRINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
REGISTRATION BENEFITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
REGISTRATION AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT ADDRESS . . . . . . . iv
ASP OMBUDSMAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
STARTING UP MAXI FORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Table 1: Example Command Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
THE FORMATTING CYCLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
USING SMAX.COM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
When to Use SMAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Installing SMAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Disabling SMAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
80 Cylinder Double Density Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
THE TECHNICAL DETAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Table 2: Technical Data of MAXI Style Disks . . . . . . 12
APPENDIX A: ENHANCEMENTS AND IMPROVEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . 13
New Features of v1.7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
i
SHAREWARE REGISTRATION FORM
Fill out this form and mail with your cheque, money order or VISA card
number to:
Herne Data Systems Ltd., PO Box 250, Tiverton, ON, CANADA N0G 2T0
Please register my copy of MAXI Form for $10 (US or CDN), [ ]
plus $2 p & h.
Disk size required 720 k - 3.5" [ ] 360 k - 5.25" [ ]
Please send me the Herne Data Systems Shareware Evaluation Pak for $5 [ ]
plus $2 p & h (Evaluation copies of all Herne Data Systems shareware
products including MAXI-Form, Utility_Belt, Over_LAZ and NPS -
Nominal Pipe Size) (3.5" disk only)
Please send me more information on LAN and Site Licenses [ ]
Cheque or money order enclosed [ ] or charge my VISA card* [ ]
VISA # _____/_____/_____/_____ Expiry __/__ Total Amount* _______
Phone # (_____) _____-________ Signature _____________________________
NOTE: * All VISA orders will be charged in CANADIAN DOLLARS.
VISA orders can be FAXed to (519) 366-2732 for faster service.
Name ____________________________
Address ____________________________
City ____________________________ Prov/State_____________
Zip ____________________________ Country _____________
Canadian orders include GST. PST must be added to total charge for ONTARIO
residents.
Please add $4.00 postage and handling for shipments outside CANADA and the
USA. Payment for international orders can be made by VISA card,
international money order (in US$ or CDN$), or Eurochecks in the currency
of the issuing country (e.g. Sterling, Francs and most other other major
currencies).
All orders are shipped by first class air mail. Please allow two weeks for
delivery. Sorry, we cannot accept COD orders.
ii
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THE FINE PRINT
DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT
Users of MAXI Form must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"MAXI Form is supplied as is. The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without
limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness
for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for
damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the
use of MAXI Form. MAXI Form is intended to format blank
disks only. Because it will destroy all existing data on a
floppy disk, Herne Data Systems assumes no liability for
losses caused by misuse or abuse of this product. This
responsibility rests solely with the end user."
Please note that MAXI Form relies on quirks in the MS-DOS/PC-DOS
operating system and BIOS ROM's. Although it has been tested on a
wide variety of systems with MS/PC-DOS versions 3.2x to 5.0 and
DR-DOS 5.0 and later, it cannot be guaranteed to work with all
systems, especially ones which have been heavily customized and
modified (including the installation of non-standard disk drives
and controller cards) by the user; nor can it be guaranteed to
work with future releases of MS/PC-DOS.
This evaluation version of MAXI Form is a "shareware program" and
is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free
to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away
altered or as part of another system. The essence of
"user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users
with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide
incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products.
If you find this program useful and find that you continue to use
MAXI Form after a 30 day trial period, you must make a
registration payment of $10 (US or CDN) (plus $2 postage) to
Herne Data Systems Ltd. Cheque, money order, VISA credit card
and corporate/institutional purchase orders are accepted. The
single user registration fee will license one copy for use on any
one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just
like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any
number of people and may be freely moved from one computer
location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it
being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just
as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same
time.
Commercial, corporate and institutional users of MAXI Form must
register and pay for their copies of MAXI Form within 30 days of
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MAXI Form v1.7 Users' Guide
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first use or their license is withdrawn. Site Licenses are
available for $100 (US or CDN) directly from Herne Data Systems
Ltd.
Any individual, corporation or institution distributing MAXI Form
for any kind of remuneration must first contact Herne Data
Systems Ltd. at the address below for authorization. This
authorization will be granted automatically to distributors
recognized by the ASP as adhering to its guidelines for shareware
distributors, and such distributors may begin offering MAXI Form
immediately (However Herne Data Systems Ltd. must still be
advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the
latest version of MAXI Form.).
You are encouraged to pass a copy of MAXI Form along to your
friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their
copy if they find that they can use it.
REGISTRATION BENEFITS
All registered users will receive a copy of the latest version of
MAXI Form, along with free technical support and updates for 60
days. Registered users can also update to later versions (beyond
the initial 60 day free support period) for a nominal update fee
of $5.00 plus $2.00 postage and handling.
REGISTRATION AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT ADDRESS
Please address all registration requests and customer support
inquiries to:
Herne Data Systems Ltd.,
PO Box 250, Tiverton, ON N0G 2T0 CANADA
voice or FAX (519)366-2732
Technical support can also be obtained on CompuServe by directing
inquiries to 72060,1153.
ASP OMBUDSMAN
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve
a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
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help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
write to the ASP Ombudsman at: 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI
49442 USA or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP
Ombudsman 70007,3536
DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE
Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software
before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
using it after a reasonable evaluation period, you are expected
to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some
request registration while others require it, some specify a
maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from
the simple right to continue using the software to an updated
program with printed manual.
Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software,
and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific
exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished
programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are
of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs
and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of
distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy
and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a
specific group. For example, some authors require written
permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their
Shareware.
Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You
should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook,
whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes
fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy.
And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware
has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the
product, you don't pay for it.
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INTRODUCTION
Are you tired of running out of space on your floppy disks? How
would you like to fit 420k on a 360k disk, 800k on a 720k disk,
1.4 meg on a 1.2 meg disk, or an incredible 1.6 meg on a 1.44 meg
disk?
Sound impossible? Well not any more!! If you are using DOS
version 3.2x or later, then the innovative new shareware program
from Herne Data Systems called MAXI Form is just the thing for
you. Using MAXI Form for all your floppy disk data storage needs
is like getting an extra one and a half disks FREE with every box
of floppies that you buy!!
* * * *
In most cases, NO SPECIAL SOFTWARE DRIVER PROGRAMS ARE
REQUIRED TO ACCESS THESE DISKS FROM DOS. However, in cases
where reliable standalone operation cannot be achieved (it
is a complex function of ROM BIOS details, DOS version and
disk controller characteristics), the simple device driver
SMAX.COM can be used to patch the BIOS code and provide
resident support.
* * * *
MAXI Form is designed to be self documenting to the extent that
it can be used by experienced MS-DOS users. This documentation
provides a full description of how to access and use all of the
features of the program.
In order to use MAXI Form you will need a 100% IBM compatible
computer (PC, XT, AT, PS/2, Convertible, etc) with at least one
360k 5.25 inch, 1.2 meg 5.25 inch, 720k 3.5 inch or 1.44 meg 3.5
inch floppy drive. The 1.44 meg drive can be used to format 800k
3.5 inch disks; and the 1.2 meg drive can also be used to format
420k disks or 800k 5-1/4 disks. (Please note that 420k disks
formatted in 1.2meg drives may not work on all 360k drives. This
is due to a physical limitation of the 1.2 meg drives, i.e. the
read/write head is only half the size as that on a standard 360k
drive.) External 5.25 inch drives for the PS/2 and most laptops
are also supported under the given versions of DOS.
With many BIOSes, you will need to use the TSR driver program
SMAX.COM to read and write MAXI style disks (especially 800k,
5-1/4 inch disks).
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MAXI Form works with all standard display adaptors and monitors.
This documentation assumes that the reader is reasonably familiar
with MS-DOS concepts and terminology and has a basic
understanding of how to use his/her computer.
The complete MAXI Form package consists of a number files:
MAXI.EXE The main MAXI Form program file. Current version
is 1.7.
SMAX.COM The memory resident driver required by many
systems to read/write MAXI style extended capacity
disks. Current version is 3.1.
MAXI.DOC This documentation file.
UPDATE.DOC (Optional) contains information on new features or
enhancements since the last version.
CATALOG.DOC Descriptions of other shareware and commercial
software products available from Herne Data
Systems Ltd.
RUN-ME.BAT Run this batch file the first time you use MAXI
Form. It will display the ASP shareware ombudsman
information then start-up the help mode of MAXI
Form.
ASP.COM Displays the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP) ombudsman message.
If one or more of the above files is missing from your package,
please contact Herne Data Systems Ltd at the address listed above
with the details of which file(s) is missing and where you
obtained this copy from.
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STARTING UP MAXI FORM
MAXI Form relies on command line switches to specify its input
parameters. If you simply type in:
MAXI <-- (note: in this documentation the symbol <-- is
used to denote the "return" or <Enter>
key.)
you will be greeted by an extended sign on message which gives
the shareware registration details and a summary of the command
line options. To switch between the various pages of the help
screen, press <PgUp> to go to a previous screen, or <Enter> or
<PgDn> to go to the next screen. The help screens will cycle in
a continuous loop until you press the <Esc> key.
The general syntax for the command line options is:
MAXI {drive:} [/3] [/H] [/L] [/8] [/T:xx] [/V] <--
Where:
{drive:} is either A: or B: corresponding to the physical disk
drive on which you wish to perform the formatting
operation. Use of other drive letters will result in an
error message. This parameter must be explicitly
included. MAXI Form will not assume a default value for
the drive.
/3 is used to denote a 3.5 inch (720 k or 1.44 meg) disk
drive. This will give an 800k disk or a 1.6 meg disk.
(An 800k disk will be assumed unless /H is also used in
a 1.44 meg drive).
/H is used to denote a high density (1.2 meg) AT type 5.25
inch or 1.44 meg PS/2 type disk drive. This will give a
1.4 meg disk or 1.6 meg, respectively. (For a 1.6 meg
disk, /H must be used in combination with the /3
switch.)
/L is used to denote a 420k disk in a 1.2 meg drive. This
should not be used in combination with the /3 or /H.
/8 is used to denote an 800k disk in a 1.2 meg drive. This
feature will format a normal double density 360k 5-1/4
inch disk to 800k when used in a 1.2 meg drive. In most
cases, it must be used with the 80 track option of
SMAX.
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/T:xx is used to specify the number of cylinders (xx) to
format. The defaults are 42 cylinders for 360k, 5-1/4
inch drives; 82 cylinders for 1.2 meg, 5-1/4 inch
drives and 80 cylinders for 3-1/2 inch drives. Changing
this parameter will let you maximize disk storage space
for specific hardware systems. (Some disk drives can
handle more cylinders than others.)
/V is used to denote a "format with verify". With this
option, the sectors on each track are written with test
data just after the formatting to make sure that they
are OK. A message will be displayed during the
formatting cycle indicating if any tracks had
detectable errors. Note that cylinder 0 is always
tested for errors regardless of the setting of this
switch. If errors are found on track 0, the formatting
operation is aborted. /V will automatically re-try a
format on a track up to 3 times before reporting an
error. A format operation done without the verify
option is considerably faster than one done with the
verify option.
The /3, /H, /L, /8, /T:xx and /V switches are optional. Spaces
are not required between multiple switches. If only the drive
letter is specified, then MAXI Form will default to a 420k disk
with no verify.
If an invalid command line option is specified, an error message
will be displayed along with a summary of the valid options.
Press the <Esc> key to quit the help screen and return to DOS.
Table 1: Example Command Lines
Command line What it will do
---------------------+------------------------------------------
MAXI B: /3/H/V will format a 1.6 meg disk in drive B:
(assuming the drive is a 1.44 meg, 3-1/2
inch drive) with verify on.
MAXI A: /8/T:81 will format an 810k (81 cylinder), 5-1/4
inch disk in drive A:, assuming drive A:
is a 1.2 meg drive.
MAXI A: /L will format a 420k disk in drive A:,
assuming drive A: is a 1.2 meg drive.
MAXI B: will format a 420k disk in drive B:,
assuming drive B: is a 360k drive.
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MAXI A: /H will format a 1.4 meg disk in drive A:,
assuming drive A: is a 1.2 meg drive.
* * * *
MAXI Form does not check to see what kind of drive is
connected as the specified device. This allows you the
flexibility of, for example, creating an 800k 5.25 inch disk
in a 1.2 meg drive or an 800k disk in a 1.44 meg drive. DO
NOT SPECIFY AN 80 TRACK DISK TYPE FOR A 40 TRACK (360K 5.25
INCH) DRIVE. THIS MAY CAUSE THE DRIVE TO PHYSICALLY JAM UP.
* * * *
THE FORMATTING CYCLE
When it is ready to go, MAXI Form will prompt you to insert a
disk into the specified drive. It will display a message
indicating the type of disk to be formatted, and in which drive.
At this point, you can either insert the disk and press <-- to
procede, press the <escape> key to abort and return to the DOS
prompt, or press the <F1> function key for the on-screen help
display. Use <PgUp> and <PgDn> to cycle through the pages of the
help screen. Press <Esc> to return to the main screen.
Before formatting the disk, MAXI Form will check to see if the
disk is already formatted. If it is formatted as a DOS disk,
MAXI Form will display the volume label, total disk size, bytes
used and free space on the disk. You will then be prompted to
continue formatting or quit. If you type in anything other than
Y <-- , you will terminate the current process and be taken to
the "Format Another" prompt.
As the disk is being formatted, the current cylinder and head
being processed is displayed, along with a indication of the
approximate percent completion. If the verify option was
specified, indications of the number of media errors detected and
the current re-try attempt (if re-tries are required on a given
cylinder) are also given.
You may interrupt the formatting cycle at any point by pressing
the <Esc> key. When the current track has been completed, MAXI
Form will terminate the formatting operation and display an error
message. Disks interrupted in this fashion will not be usable.
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If MAXI Form detects a major system error (like the no disk in
the drive, or the drive door being opened after formatting has
started, the process will be terminated and an error message
displayed.
When the formatting cycle is complete (i.e the required number of
cylinders have been formatted, and the disk boot record data have
been written), you will be asked to enter a volume label of 1 to
11 characters. (This is similar to the DOS FORMAT program with
the /V option specified.) Type in the label, then press <--. If
you do not wish to label the disk, press <-- alone.
When the label has been written to the disk, MAXI Form will
display the total space available on the disk, the number of byte
locked out in bad sectors, and the amount of usable space on the
disk. Note that bad sectors are only detected and locked out if
the /V verify option has been selected on the command line. The
default is NO VERIFY.
You will then prompt prompted for formatting additional disks of
the same type in the same drive. If you type in anything other
than Y <-- , you will exit MAXI Form and return to DOS.
USING SMAX.COM
While DOS versions 3.2x and later can automatically handle the
housekeeping required to access MAXI style extended capacity
disks, the BIOS and hardware on many systems will not. SMAX.COM
is a memory resident driver which is used to improve the
compatibility of MAXI extended capacity disks with some
combinations of hardware and DOS. It is not a true device driver
in the conventional sense of DOS terminology. Rather, it is a
simple TSR (terminate but stay resident) program which patches
into the BIOS disk interrupt vector (interrupt hex 13) and
changes the EOT (end of track, or last sector in a track)
parameter to match the increased value of the MAXI extended
capacity disks when it detects a disk read or write operation.
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* * * *
SMAX may be freely copied and distributed to your
friends for their PRIVATE, NON-COMMERCIAL use (so that
they can read files which you may send them on MAXI
formatted disks) provided that the copyright notice is
not removed. Third party software developers or vendors
wishing to include SMAX with their own commercial
products require the prior written permission of Herne
Data Systems along with a runtime distribution license.
* * * *
When to Use SMAX
To determine whether or not you need to use SMAX with your system
configuration, perform the following simple test.
- Install SMAX on a cold system boot.
- Format an extended capacity (420k/800k/1.4meg/1.6 meg) disk
with MAXI Form.
- Turn off SMAX or reboot your system without SMAX installed,
then try to copy a number of relatively long files (eg. over
about 20k bytes long each) to the new disk using the DOS
COPY or XCOPY command or equivalent.
- If you get an error message (eg. 'general failure reading
drive ...' or 'sector not found') then you need to install
SMAX to use the MAXI formatted extended capacity disks.
* * * *
If SMAX is required on your system, it should be
installed BEFORE using MAXI for formatting the extended
capacity disks and before reading or writing any
previously formatted MAXI disks. This is most easily
done by inserting the required command line into your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
* * * *
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Installing SMAX
To install SMAX automatically on a cold boot, type the following
command at the DOS prompt (or insert the line into your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file):
SMAX <--
SMAX checks to see that you are using DOS 3.20 or later before
installing itself. Once installed, SMAX remains resident in your
computer's RAM and is active for all floppy drives on your
system. The resident portion of SMAX requires only 512 bytes of
memory. SMAX also accepts several command line options. These
are:
SMAX 0 Turns off SMAX so that it remains hooked into the
interrupt 13h chain, but does nothing. If SMAX is not
resident, an error message is displayed. Note that the
'0' can be either the letter o (uppercase or lowercase)
or the numeral zero.
SMAX 1 Turns on SMAX that has been previously turned off with
the 0 option. If SMAX is not resident, it is installed
as for a first time installation. Note that the '1' can
be either the letter i (uppercase or lowercase) or the
numeral one.
SMAX 40 Turns off the 80 track double density mode for 1.2 meg
drives to allow them to access 360k/420k disks.
SMAX 80 Turns on the 80 track double density mode for 1.2 meg
drives. This allows 720k/800k 5-1/4 inch disks to be
formatted and used in 1.2 meg drives with normal 360k
DD media. On most systems, this feature is only
supported for drives A: and B: due to BIOS limitations.
In addition, it will also remove the ability for these
drives to access 360k/420k disks.
SMAX E Enables SMAX for secondary controlled drives. This is
the default mode.
SMAX N Disables SMAX for secondary controlled drives. The
BIOS in some secondary floppy disk controller cards,
such as those used with some external expansion drives,
is not compatible with SMAX. This options allows SMAX
to be used for internal, primary controlled drives,
while not interfering with the use of secondary
controlled drives.
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SMAX R Re-installs a previously un-installed copy of SMAX.
This option re-hooks an existing copy of SMAX into the
interrupt 13h chain without placing a new copy in
memory. If SMAX is not resident, it is installed as for
a first time installation.
SMAX U Un-installs a previously installed copy of SMAX. This
option removes SMAX from the interrupt 13h chain, thus
deactivating it, but leaves the code resident in
memory. If SMAX is not resident or it is not the last
link in the interrupt 13h chain, an error message is
displayed.
SMAX ? Checks the current status of SMAX in memory, if
present.
If you attempt to install SMAX with no options specified (or with
the ? option) when it is already resident, a status message will
be displayed showing the currently active options. If you attempt
to install SMAX with a command line option not listed above, you
will get an error message.
SMAX options can be changed at any time after it is resident in
memory by running the appropriate command line. This will change
the current parameters for the copy of SMAX in memory and will
not result in another copy of SMAX being loaded into memory.
Disabling SMAX
SMAX will not normally interfere with the use of standard floppy
DOS disks and it is completely transparent to hard disks. Both
regular style DOS disks and MAXI extended capacity disks can be
used interchangeably and transparently on any floppy drive in
your system by most application software such as word processors,
spreadsheets and databases. However, it is recognized that some
programs, such as those which access the disk at the physical
sector level or in an unconventional manner (including some hard
disk fast backup utilities and some versions of the DOS FORMAT
and DISKCOPY programs) do not work correctly with SMAX installed.
For such cases, SMAX can be de-activated without re-booting the
computer by using one of two command line options as summarized
above:
SMAX U <--
SMAX 0 <--
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The U option will completely remove the SMAX code from the
interrupt 13h chain and return everything to its previous state.
The SMAX code remains resident in memory and can be re-activated
later using the R command line option. The U option can only be
used if SMAX is the last link in the interrupt 13h chain. This
condition is required in order to be able to correctly re-
establish the previous interrupt 13h chain. If SMAX detects that
it is not the last link, it will display an error message telling
you to use the 0 option instead.
The 0 option will set a disabling flag within SMAX itself,
without actually removing the code from the interrupt 13h chain.
SMAX can then be re-activated using the 1 option when required.
The 0 method is required when SMAX is not the last link in the
interrupt 13h chain, since it does not disturb the existing
chain.
A special compatibility concern may arise when using two floppy
disk controller cards: a primary card and a secondary or add-on
card. The primary card may require SMAX to work correctly, while
the BIOS in the secondary card (such as a CompatiCard, usually
controlling external floppy drives) may become confused by SMAX.
In this case, use the SMAX N option to disable SMAX for
externally controlled drives.
If you wish to install another interrupt 13h handler after
installing SMAX, but wish to keep SMAX last in the chain, then
the following procedure can be used:
- Un-install SMAX with the U option. This releases SMAX from
the chain, but keeps it in memory, and lets the other TSR
hook in.
- Install the other TSR.
- Re-install SMAX with the R option. This re-links SMAX to the
end of the interrupt chain.
80 Cylinder Double Density Mode
The 1.2 meg disk drives used in AT class machines are capable of
reading and writing 80 cylinders. Normally this feature is used
only in high density mode (1.2 meg or 1.4 meg). However, in
order to do this reliably, special (i.e. more expensive) high
density (HD) diskettes are required. Some BIOSes will let you
format and use 80 cylinder double density (DD) 5-1/4 inch disks
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MAXI Form v1.7 Users' Guide
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in 1.2 meg drives. However, most will not. With the 80 option
of SMAX, you can take advantage of this to get up to 800k on a
normal 360k double density disk with any BIOS! This is done by
recording the data at the same bit density as normal 360k disks,
but with twice the number of cylinders. In terms of reliability,
the disks are just as reliable as 360k disks that have been
formatted and used in 1.2 meg drives.
Of course, the 80 cylinder DD disks will NOT be usable in 360k
drives, but will be usable in the 80 cylinder DD, 5-1/4 inch
drives used on some non-standard MS-DOS systems. The 80 option
is not required if your BIOS normally supports reading and
writing this disk type.
To activate the 80 cylinder mode of SMAX, use the command line:
SMAX 80 <--
(Because of limitations of BIOS flag storage areas, this feature
is limited to drives A: and B: only. On most systems this is
adequate because the standard AT type machine has only two drives
with the 1.2 meg drive as A:.) The 80 cylinder mode will not
affect normal 80 cylinder disks (i.e. 3-1/2 inch and 1.2/1.4 meg
5-1/4 inch). However, with the 80 cylinder mode activated, you
will not normally be able to access 360k/420k disks in the 1.2
meg drive. To de-activate the 80 cylinder mode, use the command
line:
SMAX 40 <--
This will return the machine to normal 40 cylinder DD mode for
1.2 meg drives.
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THE TECHNICAL DETAILS
MAXI extended capacity disks work on the basis of creating a disk
with extra sectors on each track, and extra tracks on each disk.
On a normal DOS disk (e.g. 360k with 9 sectors per track), there
is enough space on each track taken up with filler and padding
bytes to provide another sector. Just by adding an extra sector
per track, you can turn a 360k disk into a 400k disk. If you add
a few more tracks (most modern disk drives are quite capable of
getting more than 40 tracks), the capacity can be boosted to 420k
or more! All of this occurs without data compression or
encryption of any kind.
We admit that some of the current generation of 'disk expanders'
claim they can double the capacity of a disk. However, all of
that is done with data compression. Such disks are not
transportable (i.e. you cannot use them on another machine not
equipped with the data compression board or software).
Normal DOS disks and MAXI style disks can be used transparently
and interchangeably on any system configured to use MAXI style
disks. The main parameters for the MAXI style disks are outlined
below. Other parameters (such as number of directory entries,
allocation unit size, etc.) are the same as the corresponding
standard DOS disk.
Table 2: Technical Data of MAXI Style Disks
DISK TYPE
---------------------------------------------
PARAMETER 420k 800k 1.4 meg 1.6 meg
--------------------------------------------------------------
sectors/track 10 10 17 20
default # tracks 42 80 82 80
# FAT sectors 2 3 9 10
sector interleave 1 1 1 1
---------------------------------------------------------------
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APPENDIX A: ENHANCEMENTS AND IMPROVEMENTS
New Features of v1.7
MAXI Form v1.7 has the following new features and improvements
over v1.61:
- A 'safe-format' feature which checks to see if disk has been
previously formatted has been added.
- The formatting process can be user terminated by pressing
the <Esc> key.
- The final display of disk stats now includes total disk
space, bytes locked out in bad sectors and free space
available on the disk.
- Improved disk verify option.
- Improved on screen help.
- Improved documentation.
New Features of v1.61
MAXI Form v1.61 has the following new features and improvements
over v1.6:
- Improved version of SMAX which can be disabled for secondary
floppy disk controller cards. This allows MAXI to work with
CompatiCard style external floppy controllers.
- Revised signon screen and shareware notice.
- Updated documentation.
- VISA credit cards now accepted for registration fees.
New Features of v1.6
MAXI Form v1.6 has the following new features and improvements
over v1.54a:
- Supports formatting of 800k double density disks in 1.2 meg
drives.
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- Improved version of SMAX to allow use of 800k DD disks in
1.2 meg drives, and activation/de-activation without having
to re-boot.
- Supports user adjustable number of cylinders to format.
- New address information for shareware registrations.
- Improved disk verify method that writes data to a track when
verifying it instead of just trying to read it.
- Updated documentation.
- Unlimited user corporate/institutional site licenses now
available.
New Features of v1.54
MAXI Form v1.54 has the following new features and improvements
over v1.52:
- Supports formatting 420k disks in 1.2 meg drives.
- Improved error detection and handling routines.
- On screen display of type of disk being formatted. (This
lets you know how MAXI interpreted your command line
switches).
- Automatically re-tries formatting a track up to 3 times
before reporting an error (with verify option on).
- Improved version of SMAX compatible with more hardware
BIOS's.
- Automatically determines if you have correct DOS version
(3.20 or later).
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