victor2
asked on
low-level formatting
I'm trying to low-level format a Seagate Model ST5660A hard disk. I tried using their low-level format utility
SGATFMT4.exe v4.0 but get a hard disk controller failure error. Power is o.k., the hard disk lights up when
I try to access it. Tried changing jumpers and switching the cable (which works o.k. on my regular hard
disk. Can you help me?
Vic Schaefer schaefer@home.com
SGATFMT4.exe v4.0 but get a hard disk controller failure error. Power is o.k., the hard disk lights up when
I try to access it. Tried changing jumpers and switching the cable (which works o.k. on my regular hard
disk. Can you help me?
Vic Schaefer schaefer@home.com
Lee W, MVP
How old is you're computer? Some systems can't recognize drives larger than 500 MB. Others won't go higher than 2GB. (I had this problem with a Pentium 100 from Gateway about 3 years ago. It wouldn't work with a 2.5 GB drive because it would only see up to 2GB. And when I attempted to boot I had numerous errors. The eventual solution was a bios upgrade.
victor2,
Why do you want to low-level format the drive?
If the drive has power, and the data cable is installed correctly, check the jumper configuration carefully.
Some drives have a different jumper setting for single operation than they do as master with a slave present.
If all the above is correct, and the drive is recognized and reported correctly by the BIOS at power-on, sgatfmt4 should work okay.
If not, I'd say you have a bad drive.
Regards,
Ralph
Why do you want to low-level format the drive?
If the drive has power, and the data cable is installed correctly, check the jumper configuration carefully.
Some drives have a different jumper setting for single operation than they do as master with a slave present.
If all the above is correct, and the drive is recognized and reported correctly by the BIOS at power-on, sgatfmt4 should work okay.
If not, I'd say you have a bad drive.
Regards,
Ralph
LEEW,
the page at: http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/st5660a.shtml
for the ST5660A Dedication 545 family drive
lists as 528 cylinders, 32 heads, and 63 sectors,
(http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/specs/st5660a.shtml
claims 3420 cylinders, 4 heads, 2 discs)
giving a capacity of 545.5 MB, spinning at 4500 RPM.
So, almost any BIOS should handle this "small" drive.
Your Gateway Pentium 100 probably would have booted,
if you had partitioned the drive into "first 2GB" and "remainder" partitions.
the page at: http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/st5660a.shtml
for the ST5660A Dedication 545 family drive
lists as 528 cylinders, 32 heads, and 63 sectors,
(http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/specs/st5660a.shtml
claims 3420 cylinders, 4 heads, 2 discs)
giving a capacity of 545.5 MB, spinning at 4500 RPM.
So, almost any BIOS should handle this "small" drive.
Your Gateway Pentium 100 probably would have booted,
if you had partitioned the drive into "first 2GB" and "remainder" partitions.
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Otta,
I couldn't get the computer to boot. It would at as BIOS tried to recognize the drives, unless I used "compatible" jumper settings that Western Digital included for such situations. These jumper settings make the 2.5GB drive seem like a 2.0GB drive. FDISK Could be used because you couldn't get that far.
I couldn't get the computer to boot. It would at as BIOS tried to recognize the drives, unless I used "compatible" jumper settings that Western Digital included for such situations. These jumper settings make the 2.5GB drive seem like a 2.0GB drive. FDISK Could be used because you couldn't get that far.
ASKER
To: edxujj, leew, rmarotta, otta
Experts;
Thank you for your prompt reply to my question. As soon as I have tried each fix I'll comment on it's value. I expect
to do that today. I'm also expecting some input from Seagate. I'll keep you informed on my progress.
Vic Schaefer schaefer@home.com
Experts;
Thank you for your prompt reply to my question. As soon as I have tried each fix I'll comment on it's value. I expect
to do that today. I'm also expecting some input from Seagate. I'll keep you informed on my progress.
Vic Schaefer schaefer@home.com
> get a hard disk controller failure error
Where is the controller for the hard-disk, and why is it failing?
Well, if you have an I.D.E. (Integrated Drive Electronics) unit,
then the HDC is part of the IDE.
Enter BIOS-setup mode, and execute the "auto-detect IDE drive" function.
Mechanically, check that the ribbon-cable is securely
and correctly fastened to the drive, and to the motherboard.
Where is the controller for the hard-disk, and why is it failing?
Well, if you have an I.D.E. (Integrated Drive Electronics) unit,
then the HDC is part of the IDE.
Enter BIOS-setup mode, and execute the "auto-detect IDE drive" function.
Mechanically, check that the ribbon-cable is securely
and correctly fastened to the drive, and to the motherboard.
........and reject that answer to re-open the question, if it hasn't solved your problem.
Ralph
Ralph