🚀 go-pugleaf

I'm having problems getting Amiga partitions recognized and formatted on
my bridgeboard harddisks.  Hopefully someone will have some insight and
solutions to all the errors I have encountered.  My configuration is

Computer:
	Amiga 2000 Rev 4.2, small function keys on keyboard
	Bridgeboard (ibm xt) Assy No. 380755 Rev. 3 in right (from front) slot
		380788-04 EMu-BIOS 3.4 (Phoenix), 38078[345]-01 support chips
Harddisk:
	bridge:  Western Digital controller WD1002A-WX1
		ROM = 62-000094-002 (latest SuperBIOS), in middle XT slot
	Drive 1:  Maxtor XT-1105  (918 cyl, 11 heads, ~80MB)
	Drive 2:  Micropolis 1304 (830 cyl,  6 heads, ~40MB)
Software:
	Amiga:	WB 1.2 (33.59) w/ bridgeboard support (version ??? (~Sept 87))
	bridge:	MS-DOS 3.3 from MS + adisk, etc from C='s MS-DOS 3.2

The partitions I'm trying to set up are as follows:
	Drive 1: cyl's   0 -  56, MSDOS3.3 C: ~5MB (system disk.  works fine)
		 cyl's   7 - 113, MSDOS    D: ~5MB (formatted fine (empty))
		 cyl's 114 - 343, Amiga jh0: ~20MB (formatted fine (empty))
		 cyl's 344 - 917, currently unused, planned mostly for Amiga
	Drive 2: cyl's   0 - 310, Minix      ~15MB (current not partitioned)
		 cyl's 311 - 829, Amiga jh1: ~25MB (THIS IS THE ONE THAT FAILED)

Sorry about all the detail, but better too much than too little.  Anyway, my
scenario is as follows:  Low level format both drives using the HD controller's
SuperBIOS.  Only enter the worst of the bad spots into the bad track table
(btw, I have tried it w/ all the original known bad areas).  Fdisk and high
level format the MS-DOS partitions (always rebooting as necessary).  Adisk
both amiga partitions.  Djmount and cancel requestors (two of them both
saying something like "non-DOS" disk (as expected)).
"dpformat drive jh0: name jh0"; works fine.
"dpformat drive jh1: name jh1"; When I return shows this on the screen:
Format cyl 516.  Retry required cylinder 1.  Hard error cylinder 1.
Error:  Format abandoned.  A requester also appeared (I'm guessing an
after product of the unsuccessful format):  Error validating disk.  Key
48340 checksum error.

This is the first problem.  Questions:
1.  Did the format find a bad area on the disk?
2.  If so, how can I tell where it was so I can lock it out with the low-level
    formatting.  (Cyl 1 isn't very helpful since I don't want to waste that
    much space).
3.  Will it do any good to lock out such bad spots i.e. will the driver
    handle them.  My guess is yes, since I (think) I tried this before.
4.  Is there some problem w/ the size (~25MB) or the position of the partition?

Now in trying to get all this to work, I decide to use the same partition (at
least the first 5 cylinders where the problem was indicated) as an MS-DOS
partition to see if it will format.  After making all the changes using
adisk and fdisk, I was able to format the area successfully.  Then, just
for kicks :-( I decide to try and format it under the Amiga side again.
Again I make judicious use of fdisk and adisk, but after rebooting, when
I do djmount it doesn't recognize jh1: as a valid hard disk partition (my
guess).  Jh0: still comes up fine, but instead of getting a requestor
saying something like "non-dos disk", I get one saying "Please insert
volume JH1 in any drive"!  It's like parts of the OS now think jh1: is a floppy.

Well, getting desperate, I shut down drive 1 and reboot.  This time djmount
just hangs with an interesting "Divide by zero" error that shows up on, of
all places, the MS-DOS screen.

Thus the second problem.  Questions:
1.  Why does djmount no longer recognize my second hard disk partition?
    (Is this what C= means when, in the pamplet that comes with the
    bridgeboard, it is recommended that all partitions be formatted
    at once?)
2.  Will I not be able to format additional partitions later on
    when I decide to use the unused space on my 80MB drive?
3.  Is any of this detailed in the Tech. Ref. which I have on order?
    My local dealer isn't much help, *he* thinks there's an RLL
    harddisk controller on the bridgecard...
4.  The big question:  what do I need to do to get all this to work?

I'm at witt's end (and don't even have a magazine :-)  I sure could use
some help from someone who has successfully made it through this
procedure.

Thanks,
Randy


-- 
Randy Hendry		randyh@ozvax.gwd.tek.com    ...!tektronix!ozvax!randyh
Tektronix, Inc.		Graphic Terminals Division		(503)685-3063w
P.O. Box 1000, M.S. 63-523,  Wilsonville, OR 97070		(503)639-7697h
"In Oregon, the sun shines every day; in the summer, you can even see it."