Large Hard Drive with ISC 386/ix & Toshiba T5200.

[William Suetholz]

I have a problem which maybe somebody can help me with.

I have a Toshiba T5200 Computer which I got before Toshiba
came out with a 200Meg version.  Recently I saw an add for
a 540Meg Hard drive from Conner Periph. (same form factor 
as the 100Meg that is already installed.  The problem has
to do with the ROM's in the Toshiba, There is no way for 
me to create my own drive table entry, to allow for a larger
capacity drive than 100Meg!  I've called Toshiba, and the
phone numbers that they gave me and the prices quoted to me
for a 200Meg upgrade are outragous ($1700 when I can get
a 200Meg conner for $800-$900 and sell my 100Meg for $200).
and a 450Meg is around $3000 (I could by a complete desktop
system with 600Meg for that!)

I have a couple of options.  
  1) It's possible that I could modify the bootmenu.asm
     program that was posted to actually load a drive table
     entry for the hard drive, when the system is being
     booted.  This looks possible, but I haven't had the
     courage to try it out.
  2) Try going with a completely SCSI system (I currently
     have a Future Domain Host adaptor with a Syquest SQ555
     cartridge drive (Which doesn't work under DOS 4.0),
     but last time I tried to install ISC 386/ix on this system
     I had to disconnect the SCSI Host Adaptor intirely, otherwise
     the "boot floppy" wouldn't boot.  Kind of worrysome!
     I preferred the Adaptec but the card is toooo big and also
     did bus-mastering which the T5200 Doesn't like at all.

I do have some information about the proper bios interrupt to
call to set the drive table entry, and if I can find out the
proper values could possibly make option #1 work.  

I think that Option 2 would be better (less headaches and late
nights), because option 1 seems to be a bit outlandish, I mean
if it was that easy how come we don't have all the drives telling
the bios their particular capabilities?  That would make the
systems integrator's life a whole lot easier!

I am requesting any insights anybody might have, will ISC boot
and install properly on a SCSI only system?  Has anybody actually
done something like option #1?  How did it work?

Any Ideas?

Bill Suetholz  (poor programmer with FULL hard drive)