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Problem with Seagate ST-225 type 2 hard drive

T

tonata

Experienced Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2019
Messages
190
Location
France
Hi,

I am trying to fix a Seagate ST-225 type 2 hard drive. It is a 20 MB drive. The controller is 62X0775 with 4 switches.

Problem: the drive is reported by the BIOS, but programs can not use it. Programs report problem with MBR.

The BIOS does not report 1701 error. It reports a 601 floppy errror, but the floppy works.

Switches on the controller are correct. Cable is OK. I tried LLF:
- debug - it returned immediately with some result, so it did not have any effect
- IBM Advanced Diagnostics Disk - gives an error and it returns immediately

What I noticed is that the stepper motor only turns on power on with a beep and when using the "Measurements Test" in the IBM Advanced Diagnostics Disk. Nothing else makes it move. Programs like fdisk.exe and part.exe do nothing.
It seems like INT 13 is not handled ... Not sure where the problem is ... the HDD or the controller.
 
There two things:
0 - FIXED DISK TEST - (Tests the Fixed Disk Drive Adapter and the fixed disk drive (C or D) read and write operation)
1 - MEASUREMENTS TEST - (RUN MEASUREMENTS TEST: Provides a test signal to measure voltage levels at selected test points)

The FIXED DISK TEST gives an error "CHECK DRIVE AND ADAPTER".... Then the MEASUREMENTS TEST makes the stepper motor spin, but it does not output anything.

The guy who sold me the computer told me that the disk worked at least one time he tested ...
 
It does not give an error.

CHECK DRIVE C: AND ADAPTER
ERROR -
1 FIXED DISK DRIVE(S) & ADAPTER 1715 S
 
Looks right to me. The terminate is that yellow resistor array on the bottom of the drive in your photo. With the untwisted cable you should have the drive select jumper set for the first option, which according to your photos looks correct too.
 
tonata said:
Not sure where the problem is ... the HDD or the controller.
Click to expand...
So both controller and drive are under suspicion.

tonata said:
The BIOS does not report 1701 error.
Click to expand...
Can you confirm that the controller's BIOS displays 1701 when no drive is attached.

( On my IBM 5160, after the POST completes its RAM test, it takes about 30 seconds before the IBM/Xebec controller displays 1701. )
 
Yes. It reports 1701 after 20 seconds.

It is a XEBEC variant 3 and HDD type 2.
DOS sees the disk in general through the BIOS but all calls to the disk seem to fail.
I also tried another cable. The disk has not been damaged or rusty ... it spins, beeps, the stepper motor is not stucked ...
 
tonata said:
Yes. It reports 1701 after 20 seconds.
Click to expand...
So the IBM/Xebec controller's BIOS ROM and related circuitry appear to be good.

To prove that the remainder of the IBM/Xebec controller is good, and the cables, do you have another MFM drive (known good) that you can try ?
The drive requirements are that it have 306 cylinders or more, and 4 heads or more.
You would configure the IBM/Xebec controller for a drive of 306 cylinders / 4 heads (i.e. switches 1 and 2 both ON).
Any cylinders over 306, and any heads over 4, would simply not get used.
 
I have a ST-412 drive from IBM computer.
Can the Xebec 3 damage the ST-412 drive. Can a bad controller really damage a drive ? I do not want to lose this second working drive.
 
As long as you don't put write options to the disk , it should be no problem.
The inputs of drive are all bufferd.

MBR is the master Boot record, so think that is the problem on your drive.

So try first to change the HD and driver to check if that will take effect.
But bear in mind with your working drive that even if you set correct the jumpers, reading could be still a problem.
With mfm is will often not work and a Low-Level format had to be done.
But should give some result if you just swap.

That 601 error could be a indication of some kind of hardware conflict.
If your hard drive is a problem than it just must be still boot from flop.
May be one of your jumpers has broken internaly.

I ones had that problem, a broken jumper that did not make good contact.
 
The BIOS reports the ST-225 with Ranish Partition Manager as:

Int13 0x80 -> 614 cyl x 4 heads x 17 sects = 20 MB (41,752)

I see that type 2 hard drives are with 615 cyl, but 1 cyl difference is not important I suppose.
 
I started testing with SpeedStor:

- it says Internal Controller test PASSED
- all tests give error on all cylinders and heads
- "Bounded Initialization" does move the stepper motor but after several tries it fails with (AMNF) Data Address Mark Not Found
 
As I said, mixing Driver cards with A Low Level formatted MFM Hardisks done on previous cards will not work.
It is not as with IDE that with the settings you can mix and get it to work.

If your lucky you sometimes can mix but more luck than rule.

Try to find a Western Digital WD1002A MFM card.
Other wise try , if no problem to lose data, do a Debug Low Level Format.
Try these in the order listed:

1) Try a DOS format.

2) Try FDISK/MBR. Recreates Master Boot Record(At least DOS v5.0)

3) DEBUG

4) SpeedStor

Low Level format:
1: DEBUG
G=C800:5
Accepting the default interleave of 3

2: FDISK to create the DOS Partition,
3: FORMAT C: /S to transfer the operating system.
 
tonata said:
The BIOS reports the ST-225 with Ranish Partition Manager as:
Int13 0x80 -> 614 cyl x 4 heads x 17 sects = 20 MB (41,752)
I see that type 2 hard drives are with 615 cyl, but 1 cyl difference is not important I suppose.
Click to expand...
'MFM' hard drives cannot be interrogated. When Ranish Partition Manager makes the information request of the BIOS, the request goes to the IBM/Xebec controller, and the IBM/Xebec controller reports back information that is based on its switch settings. If you change switches 0/1, reboot the computer, I am sure you will see the reported information change.

In the INT 13H portion of the source code for the IBM/Xebec controller's BIOS expansion ROM is:

IF DRIVE PARAMETERS WERE REQUESTED,

DL = NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE ACKNOWLEDGING DRIVES ATTACHED (0-2) (CONTROLLER CARD ZERO TALLY ONLY)
DH = MAXIMUM USABLE VALUE FOR HEAD NUMBER
CH = MAXIMUM USABLE VALUE FOR CYLINDER NUMBER
CL = MAXIMUM USABLE VALUE FOR SECTOR NUMBER

Cylinder numbers and head numbers start at 0, sector numbers start at 1.
And so with the IBM/Xebec controller configured for an IBM type 2 drive, expected reported back from the BIOS is:

MAXIMUM USABLE VALUE FOR HEAD NUMBER = 3 (i.e. heads 0 to 3)
MAXIMUM USABLE VALUE FOR CYLINDER NUMBER = 614 (i.e. cylinders 0 to 614)
MAXIMUM USABLE VALUE FOR SECTOR NUMBER = 17 (i.e. sectors 1 to 17)

It appears that when Ranish Partition Manager converted the reported 'maximum usable value' figures to 'count of' figures, it forgot to add a one to the 614 figure.

The number of sectors for an IBM type 2 drive is not 41,752 as Ranish Partition Manager reports, but 41,820 (615 x 4 x 17).
 
Thanks! Wow. Checking even the BIOS code for the XEBEC. That always amaze me.

I was checking the ST-225 with the original XEBEC variant 3 controller. I am still afraid to test with the ST-412, but if no other choice ...
On the ST-225 it is only written: TYPE 2 20MB XT So there is no other configuration of the jumpers I suppose than: 0 OFF 1 ON ?

Currently the disk does not respond except for "MEASUREMENT TEST" in Advanced Diagnostic Disk and "Bounded Initialization" in SSTOR. In these cases the stepper motor moves clearly.
I checked again with another cable. It is not that.
 
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