EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-02, 23:33:

I just acquired a Mitsubishi MP286L laptop in overall great condition but it was missing all of the disks it would have come with, including the very important Setup disk. Without it I can't go into Setup at all, as far as I'm aware. I did find another disk on the Vogons Drivers site but it was not the Setup disk, it was some kind of utilities. Does anyone have an image of the Setup disk?

Not an image, but this maybe?...

Listing (dead) - https://www.mpoli.fi/files/hardware/SETUP/MITSU/index.html

Actual File - https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/files.mpoli … re/SETUP/MITSU/

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2022-11-03, 01:14:

Not an image, but this maybe?... […]
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EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-02, 23:33:

I just acquired a Mitsubishi MP286L laptop in overall great condition but it was missing all of the disks it would have come with, including the very important Setup disk. Without it I can't go into Setup at all, as far as I'm aware. I did find another disk on the Vogons Drivers site but it was not the Setup disk, it was some kind of utilities. Does anyone have an image of the Setup disk?

Not an image, but this maybe?...

Listing (dead) - https://www.mpoli.fi/files/hardware/SETUP/MITSU/index.html

Actual File - https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/files.mpoli … re/SETUP/MITSU/

Thanks! I tried it and it worked perfectly! Now if only the hard drive worked instead of just...doing nothing.

EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-03, 01:37:

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2022-11-03, 01:14:

Not an image, but this maybe?... […]
Show full quote

EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-02, 23:33:

I just acquired a Mitsubishi MP286L laptop in overall great condition but it was missing all of the disks it would have come with, including the very important Setup disk. Without it I can't go into Setup at all, as far as I'm aware. I did find another disk on the Vogons Drivers site but it was not the Setup disk, it was some kind of utilities. Does anyone have an image of the Setup disk?

Not an image, but this maybe?...

Listing (dead) - https://www.mpoli.fi/files/hardware/SETUP/MITSU/index.html

Actual File - https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/files.mpoli … re/SETUP/MITSU/

Thanks! I tried it and it worked perfectly! Now if only the hard drive worked instead of just...doing nothing.

PXL_20221103_011322576.jpg

Progress at least...maybe @Horun could add the setup zip to his utilities entry on Vogons Drivers!

I managed to get the drive to do...something but I'm currently trapped by an issue. The drive apparently has lost track of COMMAND.COM, and if I try booting off a DOS 3.3 floppy to copy COMMAND.COM to the hard disk, the computer can't do it. So I can't boot off the hard drive but I seemingly can't fix it either...is there even a way around this?

EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-05, 17:13:

I managed to get the drive to do...something but I'm currently trapped by an issue. The drive apparently has lost track of COMMAND.COM, and if I try booting off a DOS 3.3 floppy to copy COMMAND.COM to the hard disk, the computer can't do it. So I can't boot off the hard drive but I seemingly can't fix it either...is there even a way around this?

PXL_20221105_003206915.jpg

What do the SET PATH & SET COMSPEC variables return at the C> prompt?

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2022-11-05, 18:05:

EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-05, 17:13:

I managed to get the drive to do...something but I'm currently trapped by an issue. The drive apparently has lost track of COMMAND.COM, and if I try booting off a DOS 3.3 floppy to copy COMMAND.COM to the hard disk, the computer can't do it. So I can't boot off the hard drive but I seemingly can't fix it either...is there even a way around this?

PXL_20221105_003206915.jpg

What do the SET PATH & SET COMSPEC variables return at the C> prompt?

That's the thing, the C prompt doesn't let me do anything except try and enter the path of COMMAND.COM, I can't figure out how to break out of that.

EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-05, 18:23:

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2022-11-05, 18:05:

EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-05, 17:13:

I managed to get the drive to do...something but I'm currently trapped by an issue. The drive apparently has lost track of COMMAND.COM, and if I try booting off a DOS 3.3 floppy to copy COMMAND.COM to the hard disk, the computer can't do it. So I can't boot off the hard drive but I seemingly can't fix it either...is there even a way around this?

PXL_20221105_003206915.jpg

What do the SET PATH & SET COMSPEC variables return at the C> prompt?

That's the thing, the C prompt doesn't let me do anything except try and enter the path of COMMAND.COM, I can't figure out how to break out of that.

Do you have any access at all to the C drive from a floppy boot, to at least TYPE or COPY the config / autoexec files on that drive or to do a full directory listing?

EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-05, 17:13:

...if I try booting off a DOS 3.3 floppy to copy COMMAND.COM to the hard disk, the computer can't do it.

What happens when you try to boot from a floppy? If you get that same 'Bad or missing...' message then check that COMMAND.COM is on the floppy and try entering "A:\COMMAND.COM".

snufkin wrote on 2022-11-05, 18:47:

EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-05, 17:13:

...if I try booting off a DOS 3.3 floppy to copy COMMAND.COM to the hard disk, the computer can't do it.

What happens when you try to boot from a floppy? If you get that same 'Bad or missing...' message then check that COMMAND.COM is on the floppy and try entering "A:\COMMAND.COM".

So, I tried booting from a floppy and copying COMMAND.COM to C: (I know it's on the floppy) and every time it would just say "error writing drive C:".

If you boot from floppy can you do a DIR C: or DIR C:\ from the floppy ??
If you cannot then there is something wrong maybe the HD is not set up proper (maybe wrong drive type ?)...
added: if you can do a DIR C: then you should try to SYS C: from the floppy (needs the SYS.COM file)

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2022-11-03, 02:25:

Progress at least...maybe @Horun could add the setup zip to his utilities entry on Vogons Drivers!

Nice find !! I can make a new entry but cannot edit the files in an entry. Will make a new one and point it here for reference....

Horun wrote on 2022-11-05, 21:38:

If you boot from floppy can you do a DIR C: or DIR C:\ from the floppy ?? If you cannot then there is something wrong maybe th […]
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If you boot from floppy can you do a DIR C: or DIR C:\ from the floppy ??
If you cannot then there is something wrong maybe the HD is not set up proper (maybe wrong drive type ?)...
added: if you can do a DIR C: then you should try to SYS C: from the floppy (needs the SYS.COM file)

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2022-11-03, 02:25:

Progress at least...maybe @Horun could add the setup zip to his utilities entry on Vogons Drivers!

Nice find !! I can make a new entry but cannot edit the files in an entry. Will make a new one and point it here for reference....

Can I do a Dir C? That would be a no.

It says Type 13 on the bottom of the laptop so that's what I set the drive as...it's a Miniscribe 8425.

Trying to do a SYS C: gives the message "no room for system on destination disk".

What does FDISK report ? In the MITSU286.ZIP is a FXDFMT.com which is FIXED-DISK PHYSICAL FORMATTER V 2.40
maybe you need to reformat the hard drive with it.

EvieSigma wrote on 2022-11-05, 21:53:

Can I do a Dir C? That would be a no. […]
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Horun wrote on 2022-11-05, 21:38:

If you boot from floppy can you do a DIR C: or DIR C:\ from the floppy ?? If you cannot then there is something wrong maybe th […]
Show full quote

If you boot from floppy can you do a DIR C: or DIR C:\ from the floppy ??
If you cannot then there is something wrong maybe the HD is not set up proper (maybe wrong drive type ?)...
added: if you can do a DIR C: then you should try to SYS C: from the floppy (needs the SYS.COM file)

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2022-11-03, 02:25:

Progress at least...maybe @Horun could add the setup zip to his utilities entry on Vogons Drivers!

Nice find !! I can make a new entry but cannot edit the files in an entry. Will make a new one and point it here for reference....

Can I do a Dir C? That would be a no.

It says Type 13 on the bottom of the laptop so that's what I set the drive as...it's a Miniscribe 8425.

PXL_20221105_215144855.jpg

Trying to do a SYS C: gives the message "no room for system on destination disk".

Seems oddly familiar! - https://www.reddit.com/r/computers/comments/7 … shi_mp286l_fix/ & https://imgur.com/a/nqhx5

Have you checked the CMOS battery is good and that BIOS settings are being retained once set?

Maybe try an alternate setup utility like GSETUP - https://www.minuszerodegrees.net/5170/setup/5170_gsetup.htm

According to the tech support docs the 8425 is 615 cyls / 4 heads - http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/miniscribe/Minis … anual_Sep88.pdf

Horun wrote on 2022-11-05, 23:52:

What does FDISK report ? In the MITSU286.ZIP is a FXDFMT.com which is FIXED-DISK PHYSICAL FORMATTER V 2.40
maybe you need to reformat the hard drive with it.

I get this when I run FDISK and view whatever's currently on the hard disk.

When I try to run FXDFMT.com it does try to format the disk but then after a lot of noise it just gives up.

Can you post a picture of that HD ?
From what I read the Mitsubishi MP286L has one internal floppy, one possible external floppy and a possible internal HD. Is it an external HD ?
OR Did I get that wrong ?
Maybe Check the drive to make sure the Terminator/resistor pack is installed since it is the only drive. http://bk0010.narod.ru/DRIVESPECS/MINISCRIBE/2709.txt.html
Also the HD is an old MFM drive and would not be suprised if it is failing (not many MFM HD's still work proper after 30+ years).

Horun wrote on 2022-11-06, 03:30:

Can you post a picture of that HD ? From what I read the Mitsubishi MP286L has one internal floppy, one possible external flopp […]
Show full quote

Can you post a picture of that HD ?
From what I read the Mitsubishi MP286L has one internal floppy, one possible external floppy and a possible internal HD. Is it an external HD ?
OR Did I get that wrong ?
Maybe Check the drive to make sure the Terminator/resistor pack is installed since it is the only drive. http://bk0010.narod.ru/DRIVESPECS/MINISCRIBE/2709.txt.html
Also the HD is an old MFM drive and would not be suprised if it is failing (not many MFM HD's still work proper after 30+ years).

It's an internal MFM HD, yes. There's an external floppy port but I only have the internal floppy and HD.

My problem is, if it is truly dead, I don't have a replacement, and this laptop doesn't have any real way to add a solid state hard drive solution like a XT-IDE due to the lack of standard ISA slots.

Ok. The only thing I can think of is to pull the cables off the HD and clean the HD edge contacts with Iso alcohol and check for a film or corrosion in the cable ends.
If Fdisk see's the HD then it could be something simple (or not)...