8MB RAM cards

I think it prefers the HD w/the jumper set to 4/6, as I get a non-system disk error when I test the HD w/no jumper.

I've tried nearly every cable I have, and so far no luck. But I'm thinking the older ones (w/no missing pin & no "notch ") are most likely out of the running anyway, since the mobo and both HDs have a space for a notch. However, neither the mobo nor either HD is missing a pin.

 

Look what I found:

Motherboard configuration label

System part #: FLEXXX12
Serial #: A05516191
Date: 8/20/95

Part #s
201724-370 IC, DRAM, SOJ, 256KX16, 70NS Quantity: 1
634314-002 PVA, CPU, CYCLOPS, 100MHz Quantity: 1
635229-001 IC, IMX36, 72 PINS, 70NS SIMM Quantity: 4
640607-001 PVA, VALCOR F3 R2 Quantity:1
FLEXXX12 TL, XTENDED XPRESS 12 INCH Quantity: 1
SO # 3250366
PO # C177835

Helpful???

**

I've run through ALL my cables - even the "DIY" one - and none of them will work in any configuration with either one of the HDs. I'm ready to quit!!!

 

pull the jumper off

go with the same as got the

that is what you should be seeing

see if you can get that from the other drive also


best wishes, HJ

 

Harpo, be a little cautious with changing the jumpers, some are "Factory settings only ".
Put the drive's model number along with "jumper settings" into a Google search.

Maxtors Maxblast has a database of jumper settings for most drives.

You need to identify "which way is up ". Sometimes there is jumper setting information printed on the card on the underside of the drive.

There should be webpage for the drive/s at WD with specifications, jumper settings etc.

Matt

 

if that's trying to boot with the HDD a DOS6.22 boot floppy don't worry for the moment

if that's booting with the WD floppy, OK worry !

==

assuming that you can boot with the WD floppy, try the WD BIOS check now

best wishes, HJ

 

Harpo - have you got a CDROM with your Windows95 on it - it would help enormously if you have

best wishes, HJ

the 4 to 6 thing may be wrong anyway - it's true for the later models of WD drive, it's a "neutral storage position" so you don't lose the jumper **edit: 4 to 6 does indeed seem to apply to both earlier 6 pin WD and later 10 pin WD jumper blocks

if you can get the drives through the WD BIOS check thing OK...

...there's a different way of looking at this...

...we may well want to be seeing "Non-system disk error" from the HDD that has Windows95 on it. (if it's W95a, but not if it's W95b or W95c)

it's the same boot routine, give or take, as on the DOS6.22 startup floppy. Which is also producing "Non-system disk error "

I think that it probably means we've got the HDD going OK, and what we need to do is stiop the boot process getting nobbled by the SCSI capability

It's the only thing that fits with the computer not booting from the DOS6.22 floppy... if you look at it that way round...

BW, HJ

 

re: pin numbers on jumper block

Code:

IDE                    531  Power
::::::::::::::::::::   :::  OOOO
                       642

please don't just try them at random! - either 4 to 6 as in diagram above, or leave off is fine - but making other settings could be a really bad idea, as Matt says

best wishes, HJ

==

there's a diagram in the Help on the WD floppy, but it isn't very clear; if you refer to it the ^ mark is pointing at pin2 for both the 6-pin and 10-pin blocks

 

Not that I can find.

I read this that the jumper should be put on pins 3 & 5. But I would have remembered pulling off a jumper that was placed sideways! I tried it anyhow - from the top view and from the bottom view. No go.

But should I go back and change BIOS back from Extended to Logical Block?

Again, I don't know what ver my original Win95 disk is - it doesn't say. I've got TWO originals - one MS, and one Gateway (yech).

HOLD EVERYTHING!!!!!!

Code:

IDE                    531  Power
::::::::::::::::::::   :::  OOOO
                       642

Too late! Per the above info I found on jumper settings, I tried setting the jumpers to what I thought was 3 & 5 until I saw your post, HJ! Then I thought, omygawd, I've ******* it up, because I wasn't counting the pins in that order, and I'd already tried two different configs, neither of which worked.

But I went ahead and put the jumper on pins 3 & 5 per your diagram, and then inserted my Win98 boot floppy. And...............

I'm installing Win98 right now! But you know what? It SHOULDN'T BE WORKING THIS WAY, because I've got the CD-ROM hooked up as slave! But I'm not asking any questions at this point, because it's working!!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!!

(Hey, you guys need a "happy dance" smiley!)

 

Congrats to a point!!

I've been following this thread but not putting much into it as a lot of it is over my head.

Something bothers me here with it working. I would think that having the hard drive set as a single drive would cause some kind of conflict with having the CD hooked up. This may not necessarily be true as I believe it was stated that the CD was an old one and, in fact, there was consideration (from me, I think, and others) on the possibility of the CD connecting to the sound card. This tends to tell me that the CD is really old.

Don't do this unless Hugh or others say it's a good idea!!!!! But you said that the CD is currently set to slave. I have a hunch that it wouldn't matter if the CD was set to master. I think the system may not be seeing it as a drive at all but rather as a mass storage device right now, much as a digital camera would be seen.

It may be considered best to leave well enough alone but I would probably try leaving the CD as slave and rejumpering the hard drive to master just to proof what will happen. If it fails I would think that just putting the jumper back to where it is now would solve the potential failure.

I just don't like the config of the hard drive set as single and having another device on the line. If you ever got a newer CD or tried to add the second hard drive I have a feeling you would be back here trying to solve another problem.

I believe it was stated that while there were two hard drives and a CD there wasn't enough ports to connect everything at once. This leads me to think of a really early system that had only one IDE connector. Yet, on that system my jumpers were to have the CD and second hard drive set to slave while the boot hard drive was master. Under normal running the boot hard drive and the CD were connected. When I did a system backup I would switch between the CD and the second hard drive, do the backup and then switch back to the CD. This gave me a totally safe backup that nothing could get to as the backup drive wasn't connected during normal operation. I think this may be what the setup was on your system.

Jay

 

Hi Jay,

I hate to agree with you, but I do. <sigh> Everything is working right now. I had nothing but the floppy and the HD hooked up, but now I've got the CD-ROM in the mix as slave, plus a sound card (not the one that came with, but an even older one that is working fine).

You bring it up right away, but sooner or later, I would have wanted to ensure things were all as they should be... I'm not going to tackle it tonight, because I'm still in the "afterglow" of having the system working again!

I *do* intend to upgrade the CD-ROM to a CD-RW at some point, and I also want to get the 2nd HD hooked up right away - but I was going to wait a day or so before going for that "extra mile ". You are right that there is only one IDE slot in the mobo, so getting the 2nd HD into the mix will be a challenge - anybody up to tackling this???? Provided, of course, that tomorrow's test passes muster...

BTW, I noticed that the word "smiley" creates a "temporary" link to Smiley Central. Did you all know that that site is questionable as far as spyware goes?

 

With only one IDE conector on the mobo The only way you are gonna get two hard drive and the CD going at the same time is by adding an IDE PCI card. If you decide that you really need to do this Maxtor makes one that I had pretty good luck with.

Jay

 

how extraordinary (ROTFL)

well, well - I've been trying to follow this thread too, despite its tendency to depart at peculiar tangents at rather baffling speed.

...which it just did again:

so I tried Googling "FLEXXX12" and... ...no, that's not a motherboard...

==

Could 3-5 and 4-6 both be valid neutral storage positions? Yes, it's possible.

**edit: see here

No - leave it as it is. if you can get Win98 happy, check with scandisk (or something) that you are "seeing" the whole of the hard drive. If you are happy that you can access all the HDD OK, leave well alone.

sound advice. Please try to get the HDD jumpered as "master" if you can - preferably as soon as you can.

It's very risky allowing the possibility of both the CDROM and the HDD trying to "talk" to the ribbon cable at the same time - which is what you get the way you have described it.

This imposes an unnecessary load on the PSU, and can even cause hardware failure. Change the HDD jumpering to "master" - it really is much better / safer.

best wishes, HJ

 

Yeah, and I fell off the turnip truck yesterday...

I'll re-jumper tomorrow & let you know what happens.

 

nice one Harpo - good luck - let us know how it goes...

best wishes, HJ

 

HD is jumpered correctly and the system still works.

But why is C: drive labeled as Drive _d (C: ) ???

 

Hi Harpo

assuming this means that you've altered the jumper to 5-6 (master), that's very good news

a bit of a puzzle but nothing to worry about - you can call 'em whatever you want to call 'em...

...it depends upon the past history of the HDD - once upon a while ago it might have been part of a two drive installation perhaps?


best wishes, HJ

 

Yes, jumpers are on 5/6. Your diagram was extremely helpful HJ. I've printed out a copy and taped it to the inside of the case, with notes as to what the settings should be.

So... in Win98, how do I change the drive name?

And here's another Q: On the "games" computer, the slaved HD shows up as a "removable" drive, and refuses to operate as an installed drive. Why would this be?

 

Hi

using Windows Explorer: right-click on the icon for the drive itself (in the LH pane) and choose "Properties ".

Type a new name in where it says "Label "; click "Apply ", and then "OK ".

You can get rid of the old label like this - blank out the label box, and then Apply the "nothingness "

==

sorry Harpo - not a clue about that one at the moment. I've heard of it happening before, quite a few times - but it's not one that I've had the misfortune to run into myself. With luck someone will know.

First thing I'd check is the jumpering etc of course - get the fundamental stuff out of the way then work up...

...or maybe, try starting up into DOS and see if it will play properly like that. Might give an idea whether it's a problem at the grass-roots level or something to do with how Windows is understanding the hardware.

best wishes, HJ