🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <960@uc.msc.umn.edu> jeff@msc.umn.edu (Jeff Turner) writes:
>I recently purchased a secondary floppy controller for my Zenith 241 (AT).
>My problem is that when I try and use it DOS complains that the previously 
>formatted floppy I am using is a Non-DOS Diskette.  This even happens when I
>...

I think this is due to the inability of the hard/floppy disk controller
to coexist with any other floppy controller.  The standard controller
used in that machine is a slightly customized version of the Western
Digital WA2 controller, I think.  I'll check the next time I pop open
my Z241.

There are special floppy controllers made to get around this problem
(e.g. the CompatiCard), though I have never tried one in the Zenith.

>I remember some discussion about this a few months ago, unfortunately I did
>not save any of the articles.  I believe it has something to do with length
>of magic number and how different types of BIOS look at it differently.

BIOS shouldn't matter, *unless* you want to use 3.5" drives.  For
those, you will probably need a ROM upgrade, unless you have already 
upgraded your ROMs to 2.0 or 2.1 or so.  (Hit CTRL-ALT-INS and look
at the "MFM Monitor, version X.XXa" line at the top of the screen).

Update ROMs are easy to get by phone -- I can give you the number.
They are about $20-30, and you get other goodies like OS/2 support,
more drive types, etc.

>I am looking for the specifics of where and what this magic number is (and
>what it should be) so that I can patch the firmware and then replace it with
>a newly burned controller eprom.

You're braver than I am, Gunga Din...

>Thanks much.
>Jeff Turner			Minnesota Supercomputer Center, Inc.

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