From: kelli217@crosswinds.not.invalid   
      
   On Sun, 16 Jul 2006 02:54:41 -0500, zeke wrote:   
      
   > On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 18:55:39 -0500, "Jim Nicholson"   
   >  wrote:   
   >   
   >>If you have the DOS, you can boot from that. If you do not care about any   
   >>data on the hard disk, you can do a low-level format by using the fdisk   
   >>command. Make a list of all of the listed bad sectors before you start so   
   >>they can be marked. After you finish with fdisk, just use the format C:   
   >>/s command to do your high-level format and add the boot information to   
   >>the hard disk. Then install your DOS normally. All versions up to 6.22   
   >>will work.   
   >   
   > FDISK is a partitioning program, not a low-level formatter. To low-level   
   > format an MFM drive, you normally run DEBUG and type G=C800:5 (the address   
   > can vary, consult controller documentation). Then run FDISK to partition   
   > the drive. Then FORMAT C: /S with a bootable floppy in A:.   
   >   
   > DOS up to 6.22 will work as you say, but 3.3 is best as it uses less   
   > memory on a machine with no XMA or UMB's. The TX came with 3.2. The   
   > original TX DOS can be downloaded from Tvdog's Archive.   
   >   
   >>The hard drive is an MFM drive, and ANY MFM drive will work with the   
   >>controller on the hard card. For large drives, a disk controller program   
   >>like OnTrak might be needed to access the whole drive. You can also use a   
   >>WD RLL controller (the card's address needs to be changed - it is   
   >>different from an IBM XT) or an XT IDE controller (if you can find   
   >>one)(an AT IDE controller will NOT work!) with an XT IDE hard drive -   
   >>This setup was sold by Tandy as a hard card for the 1000TL series.   
   >   
   > The MFM drive will need to match the MFM controller for number of heads   
   > and sectors, though it can have more cylinders than the controller needs   
   > (the extra cylinders will be ignored). Each controller has a set of drive   
   > types that it supports; consult the controller documentation (check the   
   > Total Hardware 99 site if none). Same situation for RLL, which must match   
   > heads and sectors with an RLL drive with the same or more cylinders. An   
   > RLL drive can be used with an MFM controller but not vice versa as long as   
   > the heads and sectors match (when used as an MFM drive, the RLL has fewer   
   > sectors, 9 instead of 15). OnTrak has no relevance here.   
   >   
   > An AT IDE drive could also be used with an 8-bit AT IDE controller. Again   
   > the drive needs to be one supported by the controller.   
   >   
   >>As a matter of note, the 1000TX will actually run Windows 3.0 if the 768   
   >>kb memory is installed, even though it is an 8-bit machine, because it   
   >>has an 80286 processor!   
   >   
   > A 286 is recommended for Windows 3.0 but not required. The 768k is needed   
   > to get 640k DOS RAM which Windows requires.   
   >   
   > And the TX is a 16-bit machine, like the original IBM PC. The TRS-80 and   
   > Color Computer were 8-bit machines.   
      
   The original IBM PC had an 8088 processor. While this processor did indeed   
   have internal registers that were 16 bits wide, the data bus of the 8088   
   was only 8 bits wide.   
      
   >>Jim Nicholson   
   >>jim@gonii.com   
   >   
   > Jeff Hayes    
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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