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Is it possible to use XT-IDE on a IBM 5170 computer?

zamuel_a

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Dec 27, 2020
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I have used an XT-IDE on my IBM 5150 with sucess but tried to make it work on my 5170 but that seems to be more difficult. I have replaced the BIOS and tried both the AMI and AWARD versions, but it doesn't work. Tried different CF cards but no success. When I start the computer it freezes for a minute or so before continuing and saying something is wrong with the hard drive. After that it start and I can select from the XT-IDE menu to boot from disk. I have been able to format C: so that it was possible to access it from DOS, but it won't boot from it.

I tried different programs, like wipedisk and fdisk with no sucess. FDISK /MBR isn't doing anything (DOS 5.0). It just return a message that the "Boot rom code wasn't updated"

I still have the normal floppy/hardrive ISA card installed. Is that interfering? I tried to remove it but it didn't try to boot from HD that time either (just reported that it couldn't find any floppy drives).

So maybe it's not possible to make this work?
I also have a PS/2 model 30 286 computer I had liked to try this in (can't boot it since floppy drive is dead), but I guess it won't work here either.
 
Yes. There is an AT version of the BIOS that you can use. What's nice about the 5170 is that you don't need an actual XT-IDE card, you can use a regular 16 bit IDE Controller, and just house the BIOS somewhere else. In my case I have it running from an EEPROM on a network card. Works well.
 
I have used an XT-IDE on my IBM 5150 with success but tried to make it work on my 5170 ...
So you are using an XT-IDE card that is known to work.

These days, "XT-IDE" is used to describe many different cards. Exactly, what card do you have?

Is the XT-IDE card set (base address and base I/O address) to the defaults ?

What type (1,2, or 3) of IBM 5170 motherboard are you using ?

What other cards are in the IBM 5170 (i.e. possible sources of resource conflicts) ?

... and saying something is wrong with the hard drive
Always tell us the exact text shown on the screen.

So maybe it's not possible to make this work?
It is possible.


Coexisting with the IBM hard/floppy 'combo' controller

See the bottom section of [here]. There, I am using a VCF version of the XT-IDE card, and that card is set to its default values (i.e. no resource conflicts between the XT-IDE card and 'combo' controller).

As noted there, I exchanged the IBM BIOS ROM's for AWARD ones. That was all that I needed to do.


Removing the IBM hard/floppy 'combo' controller

A '601-Diskette error' error is expected, as described at the bottom of [here].

And a '1782-Disk Controller Failure' error is expected if you failed to change the hard drive type number in 'CMOS SETUP' to zero.
 
It is a Monotech XT-IDE Deluxe. I haven't changed anything from the default on it. Works fine in a 5150 machine.
I have EGA card and the standard (I think) IBM RAM card and floppy/hd card installed. Nothing else. I think it's a type 1 machine. The RAM chips are piggybacked on each other, which they are on type 1 from what I read. The floppy/hd card looks like first generation.

I have a ISA16 bit IDE controller (GoldStar Prime 2C) but I can't get that one to work either. Behaves in the same way as the XT-IDE card.
 
It is a Monotech XT-IDE Deluxe. I haven't changed anything from the default on it. Works fine in a 5150 machine.
I have EGA card and the standard (I think) IBM RAM card and floppy/hd card installed. Nothing else. I think it's a type 1 machine. The RAM chips are piggybacked on each other, which they are on type 1 from what I read. The floppy/hd card looks like first generation.
Quite a standard configuration.

What I would expect to work is:
1. Exchange the motherboard's IBM BIOS ROM set for the Award set at [here], then verify that the IBM 5170 is still working okay (no error messages), then
2. Add the working XT-IDE card and its drive to the IBM 5170.

A diagram showing the situation is at [here].

There is no need to remove the MFM hard drive. If you do remove the MFM drive, you will need to set the hard drive type number in 'CMOS SETUP' to type 0.

I have a ISA16 bit IDE controller (GoldStar Prime 2C) but I can't get that one to work either. Behaves in the same way as the XT-IDE card.
'GoldStar Prime 2C' is a chip, not a card. So you have a 16-bit card that contains a GoldStar Prime 2C chip. That 16-bit IDE controller is very different to an XT-IDE card. I expect that the 16-bit IDE controller is using the standard resources for an AT-class MFM (or IDE) controller, in which case, it will conflict with the 'IBM Fixed Disk and Diskette Drive Adapter'.

Did you try it with the 'IBM Fixed Disk and Diskette Drive Adapter' removed ?

Did you then set the hard drive type number in 'CMOS SETUP' to something suitable for the attached IDE drive, and then partition and high-level format the drive ?
 
I have already tried the Award BIOS (And the AMI one). That was the first thing I did since I heard the stock BIOS wouldn't work at all. Both BIOS works fine without the XT-IDE card, but when I add the XT-IDE with a CF card installed (or the 16 bit IDE card) it stops for a minute after the startup text in the BIOS is shown and after that an error message comes up and I can press F1 to continue or CTRL ALT ESC to setup. If I press F1 I get the XT-IDE boot screen and can boot from floppy.

I have the original AT diskdrive not connected since it gives a bad noise, so both the ribbon cable and power is disconnected. I haven't done anything else with it. Do I need to change any jumpers or something if the computer still think it's here?
 
I got it to work with the XT-IDE adapter now! :D
The main problem was my old internal harddrive. I have unplugged it but it was still in the BIOS setup. I could see one drive here all the time and thought it was the CF card but it was the original drive instead! So that's the one BIOS couldn't find. When I deleted it so BIOS didn't see any drive and restarted I could use FDISK and install DOS without any problems and boot from the CF card now!:D
 
... it stops for a minute after the startup text in the BIOS ...
The Award BIOS.

... is shown and after that an error message comes up ...
What exactly is the error message ?

I have the original AT diskdrive not connected since it gives a bad noise, so both the ribbon cable and power is disconnected. I haven't done anything else with it. Do I need to change any jumpers or something if the computer still think it's here?
All that you should need to do is set the hard drive type number in 'CMOS SETUP' to type 0.
 
There is no need to remove the MFM hard drive. If you do remove the MFM drive, you will need to set the hard drive type number in 'CMOS SETUP' to type 0.

This is what I hadn't done. Set the old hard drive to 0 in CMOS SETUP. Thank you for suggesting that! :) Now it's working.
 
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