On Wed, 15 Nov 1995, Thomas Kocourek wrote:
> Hello Dave, > > (ref. Debian Linux install) Things to check for: > > 1) can the BIOS directly support IDE? Can you select type 47 hard drives > in the BIOS setup? If so, you will need to make an entry for your drive > using the parameters shown by Linux. Yes, I the BIOS supports it - the drive geometry being shown by Linux is what I entered, if I change it Linux displays the new values. The (386SX) board runs DOS off the disk with no problems. > 2) is the controller replaceable? If so, you might want to spend $20 and > get a cheap, but newer technology type IDE controller. I am beginning to suspect the controller and it is replaceable (marvellous things - old technology!) but am asking around to see if anyone has a controller to test with despite the cheapness of cards! > Lastly, make sure the drive is jumpered for AT class of operation. The > 'X/A' at the end of the drive model number indicates that the drive will > operate in either XT or AT mode. There is a big difference between XT > and AT operation on an IDE bus! Yes, it is jumpered correctly - I downloaded the data sheet from Seagate + checked. With the IRQ probe failure and then nothing. I think it is failing during a check for floppy drives and this perhaps points again to the disk controller. However I am still willing to consider any other possibilities. Dave Low
