disk drive hell (aka /etc/hdinit)

[Jack F. Vogel]

In article <689 at tness7.UUCP> mechjgh at tness7.UUCP (Greg Hackney ) writes:
>
>When installing Xenix, the hdinit program gives this error:
>Error on Fixed Disk (minor 0), blkno = 0, cmd = 0001 status = 0041
>Sector =0, Cylinder/head = 0/0
 
This message tells you that Xenix is failing to write on the very first
sector of the disk and if it can't do that you are SOL as far as installation
goes.

>I WAS running Xenix-86 on a PC6300 with a Seagate ST225 20MB hard disk,
>and a Western Digital 1002 controller, worked fine.
 
There is a world of difference between Xenix-86 and Xenix-[23]86 and between
Disk I/O in the respective hardware. Your drive may work with DOS but it is
not at all surprising that it doesn't work with Xenix.

>I got a new 386 machine, and put the 20MB drive on it, and am NOW trying
>to run it with a Western Digital 1003 (WA2) controller. Any ideas?
>Do I have to get a later version of Xenix to be compatible with the
>controller?

How can someone go to all the expense of buying a 386 box and then put an
ST225 drive in it!!?! Also you aren't trying to run Xenix-86 on it too are
you??? If that is the case it may well not be compatable with the 1003, but
you would be mad not to run Xenix386 anyway. My recommendation would be that
now that you have spent $X000 on a state of the art box the least you could
do is pay a few hundred for an AT-class drive (~40Meg) and run an OS that
will utilize your hardware!!!

						Best of luck,


-- 
Jack F. Vogel
Turnkey Computer Consultants, Costa Mesa, CA
UUCP: ...{nosc|uunet}!turnkey!jack 
Internet: jack at turnkey.TCC.COM