Validating HDD???

[K7HTH]

I am trying to install a WD 6GB HD contained in an IVS Trumpcard 500 AT for one of my A500s. I have 2.0 ROMS and OS2.1 booted. I used the IVS installation disk to partition the drive and got the limit of 2GB, no problem I can deal with this. The problem is after I get the hard drive icon on the WB , I cannot copy to it because it says it is 100% full. When I try to format the drive I get the warning the drive is NOT validated. Even quick formatting or initializing from the IVS program does not validate the drive. So when I reboot the A500 by floppy (because there is no OS on the drive to boot) the HD icon disappears from the WB. I run the IVS disk again and there the partition is listed. I delete and redo the partition to have the same symptoms arise.

Is there some arcane technique I need to perform to Validate this hard drive?

[Thomas]

You might still be above some not so obvious limits. I don't know the Trumpcard but as it is for an A500 it might be quite old and as such might have some limits like 500MB or so. Try to make a small partition of about 100MB and look if it works. If so, add another partition and so on until you reach the limit where it does not work. Also you should format the partitions (not quick) to verify if all space can be used.

Bye,
Thomas

[Argus]

I second what Thomas says.  Try not going quite so close to the 2Gb limit and use smaller partitions.  I believe NSDPatch.cfg under OS3.5+ has a line for the IVS controller to recognize drives >4Gb.  I'd try a small 100mb partition, install 2.0 and take it from there.  Maybe later upgrade to 3.1 rom or softkick to 3.1 and then install 3.5, 3.9 etc.

[K7HTH]

Argus wrote:
I second what Thomas says.  Try not going quite so close to the 2Gb limit and use smaller partitions.  I believe NSDPatch.cfg under OS3.5+ has a line for the IVS controller to recognize drives >4Gb.  I'd try a small 100mb partition, install 2.0 and take it from there.  Maybe later upgrade to 3.1 rom or softkick to 3.1 and then install 3.5, 3.9 etc.

I have 3.1 ROMS for the A500 but I have it in the A2000 at the moment. Do you mean to say that OS 3.9 would be viable on an A500? Even with an AdSpeed2 bringing the CPU to 14.2 MHz along with an Adram 540 with 4 MB is less than the minimum requirements for OS3.5 and 3.9 I would think.

Thanks for the tips on smaller partitions, I will implement them. I thought since I was able to partition at least 2GB  with the AdIDE2 I could get the same to work with the Trumpcard.

 

[Thomas]

Do you mean to say that OS 3.9 would be viable on an A500? Even with an AdSpeed2 bringing the CPU to 14.2 MHz along with an Adram 540 with 4 MB is less than the minimum requirements for OS3.5 and 3.9 I would think.

OS3.5/3.9 needs a 68020, it does not run on a 68000, no matter what its clock speed is.

I thought since I was able to partition at least 2GB with the AdIDE2 I could get the same to work with the Trumpcard.

You should be able to partition the entire 6GB of the drive. I don't know any program which knows of the 2GB or 4GB limits. Just check that the program uses the correct geometry data (sectors, heads, cylinders) and change them manually if they don't match the specifications.

It is up to you to take care that you don't create partitions beyond the driver's limits.

Once you have determined the upper limit, you might decrease the number of cylinders so that the partitionable area is inside the bounds.

If the driver already has problems to address the entire 2GB which are currently visible, then I doubt it will go beyond the 4GB limit with a simple patch like NSDPatch. Probably you need a newer firmware for that.

Bye,
Thomas