"Maverick" hard drive not recognised

[Fra]

I am rebuildng or trying to rebuild an old AST P133. When l fit a Quantum maverick 540mb, which has been formatted and has win 95 installed, the pc won't boot and displays "error loading operating system". The hard drive is recognised in the bios but asks for a system disc after post is completed. I have checked the jumpers on the drive, changed the cable and made sure the red side is to pin 1 on the board and drive.
When at the A:\ and type C: "invalid drive spec" is shown.
When i install another drive and and use the maverick as a slave ( after removing jumper) the system boots and "c" and "D" are recognised.
Maverick by name and nature!!!!!!
Yes l know 540mb is small for a master but l want to use up these small hd's and use another 540 hd as a slave.
Any suggestions ......... besides give up rebuilding!
Fra.

[Jerkymom]

It's been a long time, but I seem to remember having the same problem with some older hard drives. The Maverick drive is apparently working, since it's recognized and functional when it's slaved to another drive. I think even though the BIOS recognizes these drives on auto-detect, they are picky about the mode they run in (i.e., LARGE, LBA, NORMAL), and you often have to manually type in heads, cylinders, etc. It won't hurt to try setting the drive to each one - maybe you'll be lucky and hit on one the drive likes... http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

Hope this helps!
Kim

[Fra]

Thanks for your reply Kim, l would have posted earlier but we have had a power cut!!!
I did try to manually set the HD parameters but the AST has its own Bios and wouldn't let me specify the figures that go with the drive e.g. the number of cylinders is 1049 and the bios won't let me over 1024. That's why l set it to auto.
Just on another point:- Why does time saving technology take so much time....
Regards
Fra

[Paleo Pete]

Your tax dollars at work!!

You might also have to run fdisk and set the partition as active.

Another thing you might run across, often when swapping to a hard drive out of another motherboard, you'll have to reinstall windows since it's trying to run on a set of completely different motherboard specific drivers.

Nothing wrong with smaller hard drives, I wish I had about a half dozen right now. I could use them for Win3.11 machines. I'm having to run with dual 120-140MB drives just to have enough space to load a few programs.

You might try looking up the drive specs and see if you can find an alternate AT drive type to set it to.. Many drives will work when set to a different combination of Cylinders, Heads and SPT.

BIOS Drive Size Limitations (http://web.inter.nl.net/hcc/J.Steunebrink/bioslim.htm)

PC Disk (http://www.pc-disk.de/) Hard drive info.

Earthweb Hard Drive Search (http://www.supportsource.com/hdfind/hd.htm)

Blue Planet (http://www.thetechpage.com/cgi-bin/default.cgi) Great hard drive specs page.

Just looked all over the Quantum site, can't find a word about the Maverick anywhere...this link to Quantum (http://www.quantum.com/src/configs/model_ref_guide.htm) tells you how to read the model number, maybe you can look it up and see if they have info. You might be able to set the drive as a different type...I have Seagates that will work as type 47 (User defined), 24, or another, each specifying a different combination of Cyl/Hd/SPT but totalling about the same size.

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If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[Fra]

Thanks for the reply pete, l ran fdisk and the partition is active, l then tried to format the hd, but as l said earlier C: is not recognised. Can l format and install windows to this drive when l use it as a slave? This might get over a possible problem, as you suggested, of m/board specific drivers. When the drive operates as a slave l have noted the specifics of the drive (they differ from what is on the Quantum site) and entered them when l set it up as a single hd. but l get the same result "error loading operating system".
The Quantum site has limited info on the drive, just basic info.
I also upraded the AST bios to the latest 1.04 version.

Fra

[Fra]

Thanks again Pete,after following up on the links you posted, l found a programme(from the Quantum site) that sorted my problem. The hd had to be formatted and OS reinstalled but the PC is working and that's what matters.
The programme was called Disk Manager for Dos.

Thanks again
Fra.

[bassvax]

Hi Fra! I had to chime in here just for nostalgialety (I like making up words) and to give you some info that may be of use to you. I have the same (or very similar) pc at work. It's an AST Advantage 818 with a Pentium 133MHz with 80MB RAM (overkill) and have found that I have an Intel Advanced M/A motherboard in this puppy. I also found the manual on line through www.ari-service.com (http://www.ari-service.com) (if this link doesn't work you can get there by going to www.ast.com (http://www.ast.com) AST sold their pc manufacturing rights)What kind of video do you have going on in that thing? I have the ATI Mach 64 with 1MB VRAM. I get these color spasms when I open up IE 5.5 and other semi-demanding programs and I can lock up the pc by moving too fast on closing and opening things...does not happen if I take my time. I changed my graphics/hardware accelerator in the "my computer" properties box this seems to have helped a lot. I found out that I can upgrade the processor to 350MHz using the Spectra series from Evergreen Technologies www.evertech.com (http://www.evertech.com) for about $80 http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I'm using Win 95a and have a 1.6GB Maxtor HD. Anyways...just letting you know that you are not alone out there. I've been intimate with this machine and it has been the bulk of my learning experience so if you run into any hardware problems just give a shout.

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Jerry

[This message has been edited by bassvax (edited 10-31-2000).]

[Fra]

Jerry, thanks for the imput. I thought that the thread would have been cut after getting a solution to problem, however it's great to know that there's help out there.(The light at the end of the tunnel can sometimes be very dim and sometimes not there at all !!!!)
Having tried a couple of newsgroups in the past l found the posters distant, this forum seems to have a great bunch of friendly people prepared to help others on a more personal basis.

Now for a bit of background info. I think this is going to be a bit of a long story so l hope you are sitting comfortably.

ONCE upon a time there was a mechanical service contracting company (fitters) who worked in factories in their home town. One of the factories, who manufactured blankets, burnt to the ground, literally, and we were asked to see what equipment and machines we could salvage. Their were 4 water damaged AST's and a Dell 350 that were going to be bulldozed, so they taken out and left in a boiler house for several weeks to see if they would dry out. The original post above is about one of the "saved" and seems to be working OK and is promised to one of the lads who works for the company.
Around the same time another company that manufactured hard drives announced that it was closing and moving it's operation to Singapore, they held an auction of all the equipment they weren't sending away and we acquired the computers they didn't sell. There are about 9-10 ranging from 386's to K6-2 400's, in various stripped states, a couple of laser printers and an Apple quadra 650.
The reason for the dialogue is that the story is not over yet, as my next project is to get another AST going. It has an unusual m/board (to me anyway) in that its expansion slots are on a riser card on one side of the board. It is a desktop Bravo has P200 processor, 2.1gb HD and on board graphics.
So l might call on your help when l get round to looking at it, being mechanically orientated it can be frustrating not to physically see anything worn or broken.
I've already checked out the www.ast.com (http://www.ast.com) and www.ari-service.com (http://www.ari-service.com) sites, and downloaded the manual for the 133 and a Bios update.
I upgraded my own machine (P133)with an evergreen processor using a spectra 333 about 18 months ago, but l hope to use one of the K6-2 400's when l get it built up.
My own machine has been a bit temperamental recently, hanging while loading Win98 and the CD burner quit on me, but that's another post in the making........
l hope l didn't put you to sleep Jerry l was just putting you in the picture.

Regards
Fra

This hobby devours time like a child having Mc Donalds happy meal.

[Paleo Pete]

The threads aren't closed when the problem is fixed, they are left here for future reference, and so folks can look them up and possibly learn something from them.

Glad you got ot going.

Troubleshooting Windows Start Up Problems (http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q188/8/67.ASP?LN=EN-US&SD=gn&FR=0) Might help with the other problem...

Also, the riser you referred to in the other computer is very little different from the same ISA/PCI slots in a "normal" board, they just made it like that so you'd have to buy their proprietary board if it needed to be replaced, and now that they're gone bye bye you'll have a hard time finding one. But the system works the same, and installing components is done by the same procedures. It's just a different physical setup.

I have the same riser setup in my Packard Bell P-60 and have had no trouble with it at all, running win3.11, but if I ever have motherboard problems I'll have to trash the machine, since Packard Bell's long gone too. I'll never find parts for it...

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If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[Fra]

Pete,I see what you mean about threads not closing, posting a question may not always be necessary, as a lot of the problems posted can be quite similar.
I regard myself as being lucky to have the internet and this site/forumn, for helping me to solve my computer related problems. It is a superb resourse. I imagine years ago that trouleshooting was both costly (going to a qualified tech when experiments went wrong) and time consuming (time spent wading though a bookshelf of manuals).
I've found that l've got accurate replies to questions in hours and at worse days, with no cost (except for the time online) or inconvience. The rate of learning is also increased making the curve not quite so steep. You, Charles, Jerkymom and the rest of the members who answer our questions or send us in the right direction, have to be thanked for going to the trouble. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

[Paleo Pete]

You're welcome, glad to help...

And thanks for the compliments, for all of us. We appreciate it.

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If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[bassvax]

Fra, amazing story on salvaging pc's. As the technology speeds on I believe it is sometimes forgotten (not in this forum though) that those old pc's still have a lot to give. I just got an old Gateway 2000 out of one of the closets (it took 2 hours to clean it) here at work and have it up and running Win 95b... I plan to learn Linux on it (supposedly the 486's are good for Linux learning at least according to the guys at www.thescreensavers.com (http://www.thescreensavers.com) ) yes, I throw that url out there quite often, but there is so much help on the topic there. Good luck on your future endeavors with that machine and others. In siding with your comment on the hobby itself, I am lucky in that area that I work 12hr night shifts and have access to the internet as I have spent numerous hours just learning about that old AST. We do have a nice new Dell Dimension 800MHz/128MB RAM that I get to play around on so...the learning is perpetual. Undoubtedly this web site...thank you Charles...is the ultimate example of how the internet can help people http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif Again, glad to have your input here Fra http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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Jerry