Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (
More info?)
"Rod Speed" <rod_speed@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Zvi Netiv <support@replace_with_domain.com> wrote in message
>
> >> I have this 10 year old Maxtor 546MB 7546AT IDE drive (from the
> >> pre-Win95 era) that I would like to access / ghost. Unfortunately I
> >> no longer have the system to which this drive was connected.
>
> > Was it the boot drive, or slaved? If boot, then the drive will
> > wake up on its own when setup with the proper geometry.
>
> Thats just plain wrong.
Instead of arguing, why don't you simply watch silently and learn? I did this
more than once, with Stacker, DriveSpace, DoubleSpace and SuperStor. They all
are dynamic drive compressions that were used at one stage or another, and
function on the same principles as Stacker.
> >> The problem is that I don't remember how I
> >> setup this drive in the system BIOS. (Large or
> >> LBA, although I *think* it was Large in the BIOS).
>
> > There should be no problem trying all settings of the
> > BIOS, normal / large / LBA with the drive set as auto.
>
> Utterly mangled. Its either set to auto or to one of the other settings.
You are confusing things. The one to set to auto in the BIOS is the drive
'type'. The other parameter was called 'mode' in older BIOSes, and just a plain
"LBA / LARGE" caption in the newer ones. Both type and mode have an 'auto'
state in their setting, often referred to as auto/auto by some of the better
informed regulars in this group.
> > Just boot of a floppy and look in the hard drives root directory with
> > the command DIR C:\ /AH (what you are looking for has the hidden
> > attribute set) and see if there is a large file named STACKVOL.DSK.
> > If there is one, then you just found the compressed volume file and
> > you know that the BIOS settings are correct.
>
> No you dont with just a couple of files visible in the root.
Learn something new: You will see nonsensical data for root if the geometry is
wrong (in result of incorrect translation parameters). When the directory shows
correctly, then you know that you hit the correct settings. Besides, who was
talking about "just three files"? All that I said is that if you can see the
CVF in the root directory then you are on the correct settings. Nowhere do I
say that you should see no other files, "just" the CVF.
> > Start now the drive from its own system and
> > the "stacked" volume should mount automatically.
>
> Wrong again if its not a bootable drive.
Every reasonable reader understands that the drive will mount automatically only
if it is was a boot drive, and so far, the OP didn't contradict that assumption.
> >> To further make matters more complex
> >> this drive was compressed using stacker.
>
> >> I plan to hook the drive up and boot from a CD and then ghosting it.
>
> > Pointless.
>
> Nope. Ghosting it allows graceful recovery if the drive type setting
> is set wrong and the drive is written to with the wrong settings.
With all due respect, you have no clue on what you are talking about. Writing
to the drive with the wrong settings (which is extremely difficult, but Ghost is
definitely capable of doing it) will dramatically lessen the chances to mount
the Stacker volume. Ghosting the drive with these settings will produce a
worthless clone. To produce a clone that is worth its salt, you need first
finding the correct drive settings in the BIOS (i.e. the CVF should be visible
and *intact*), and then clone with Ghost or whatever you like, with the correct
drive settings. Yet if you already found the correct settings, then you may
mount the compressed drive from its own disk, or from external booting (with the
Stacker driver on floppy) and backup what you need.
> >> This is so I avoid booting from the drive itself
> >> and corrupting it in case something goes wrong.
>
> > A clone prepared with the wrong geometry won't be worth the time and effort.
>
> Wrong.
See above.
> >> What about newer systems that don't give you the choice for "Large"?
>
> > They may be unfit for the job. You need a machine
> > where you can select between normal / large / LBA,
> > and set the IDE mode from 0,1,2,3,4 and auto.
>
> Nope.
You obviously have no clue.
> > Some of those early IDE require a lower mode than the later ones.
>
> Should negotiate the lower settings fine.
From experience, older drives don't negotiate the PIO mode properly and you may
have to set it manually, through trial and error. Otherwise why would BIOSes
still have manual PIO settings in their options?
Regards, Zvi
--
NetZ Computing Ltd. ISRAEL www.invircible.com www.ivi.co.il (Hebrew)
InVircible Virus Defense Solutions, ResQ and Data Recovery Utilities
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram