🚀 go-pugleaf

Success to report:

Can boot ATAPI devices at will, using BIOS Startup Sequence, as C: (EIDE
HD), D: (SyJet1.5GB), and A: (LS-120MB).

This boot versatility is an advantage, as you may know how fragile your
Win95 is! Could use PowerQuest's DriveCopy utility for a backup. Having a
removable cartridge drive is also helpful with development with different
OSs, such as WfWG, retail Win95, Win95B, Win98, WinNT3.5, WinNT4, etc.,
without having to resort to a multiple boot utility, such as PowerQuest's
Partition Magic.

As the newsgroups postings have shown, not too many people have a successful
procedure on how to make it all work. So here is a recipe on how I did it:

Motherboard is a M-Tech Mustang R534F AT Socket 7, with a SiS 5571 chipset.
The BIOS is an Award v4.51PG and customized v007, 9/11/97.  MTech's web site
does not have this newest BIOS update. Have to download from their FTP site:
ftp.mtiusa.com/driver/r534F007.bin file dated 4/3/98.

1) must use Win95B
2) must fdisk, format boot media, with device as a C: drive, using Win95B
boot diskette in A: (Yes, have to manually change cables and jumpers in
order to format the media with system files)
3) install OS and configure normally
4) install OR Tech LS-120 drivers v1.2 onto each boot media
5) set all four BIOS HD Type as "Auto." and Drive A: as None
6) setup the EIDE ports as follows,
primary: EIDE HD master (WD Caviar 2340); ATAPI SyJet slave
secondary: ATAPI LS-120 master; ATAPI Mitsumi 4X CD-ROM slave
7) change the BIOS Startup Sequence as desired, can startup with A:, C:,
LS/ZIP, D:, E:, F:, CDROM, and SCSI.

Will see that BIOS detects all four devices upon boot. Will see normal
configuration in Device Mgr, with Disk Drives.

Operational Notes:

ON1) When boot sequence is D: (SyJet), the HD and SyJet logical device
letters are swapped.
ON2) When boot sequence is LS/ZIP, the LS-120 becomes logical device A:
ON3) If the Drive A is set to 1.44MB, and HD is boot drive, then LS-120
become B:
ON4) If boot is LS/ZIP, then Device Mgr shows that floppy controller is
disabled.

Technical Notes:

TN1) Did not have to install any bus mastering drivers, such as Siside37.exe
TN2) Just recall that removable cartridge drives and media are probably not
as robust as a sealed mechanism of a typical hard drive. I would not use a
SyJet as a primary HD device, as it will probably wear out quickly (say 6-9
months). SyJet warranty is 1 year.
TN3) Remember that SyJet media is very fragile, if you drop a cartridge,
just get it replaced with its "lifetime" warranty. Do *NOT* "test it" by
putting it into your drive.
TN4) Have had instances when the boot sectors somehow get corrupted and
cannot boot, then have to repeat Step 2. Make many bootable media just in
case.
TN5) Leave enough logical drive headroom if using real mode ATAPI drivers
for CD-ROM, as it floats to bottom of logical drive stack (/L switch in
mscdex.exe statement in autoexec.bat).
TN6) If using retail Win95 as OS, then LS-120 becomes E: and non-bootable

What you get:

It is great for storing large project files, fast backups, and development
work. Get to use all the EIDE ports that a motherboard can provide with
maximum versatility and least expense.

Especially good for making a backup and testing for any new software or
hardware which may or may not work! I'm sure we have all been there
before...

Performance Comments:

The only "real" issue I see with the SyJet, is that the write-verify caching
algorithms for writing to the removable cartridges have not been optimized,
as the the buffer writes in many small spurts. With my brief testing, I
rough calc'd a write transfer rate of about 10MB/min, or 1/2 the rate of the
Iomega Jaz 2GB. See PC Magazine's recent PC Labs benchmarks, April 21, 98, p
162, tests of Removable Storage, by M David Stone. Iomega Jaz 2GB had
similar issue with a faster 23MB/min write rate. Compare this to a real hard
drive, which will write at 150-200+MB/min, which is what we expect. I
believe that HDs write "blind", and I did not see an option to turn off
write-verify on the SyJet.

Thus we can have also have multiboot capability without having to resort to
the significant expense of a SCSI controller, such as Adaptec 2940AU PCI
Ultra ($200+), although I like SCSI and think it is more versatile with it
six device limit on a single bus. Additionally, you can have external
removable HDs or Removables and select which is the boot device in the SCSI
BIOS. IMHO, for a reliable long external SCSI bus, I only use "gold plated"
Granite Digital cables and Active terminators with diagnostic lights.


Regards, Phil

PS. Have not tried CD-ROM boot (I don't have any CDs with boot sectors) and
have not tried sucessfully with ATAPI ZIP (returned before determining
issues fully) as Iomega Zip OEM Product Mgr said that they are still
discussing conflicts with Award. I don't know what these issues are.
Supposedly, Phoenix BIOSs are more ATAPI ZIP-boot friendly, eg Intel-brand
TX motherboards.