edit: The drive is a 660MB ESDI by HP. The controller is a DPT "DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY" ESDI varaint of DPT PM3011/75 Controller w/o scsi header.
For controller this manual may help: http://www.franken-online.de/ymmv/files/DPT3011E.pdf
see pages 122/123 of the pdf for layout. They have jumpers info also in the appendixs
added: layout picture from appendix F

Horun wrote on 2024-10-16, 21:49:

edit: The drive is a 660MB ESDI by HP. The controller is a DPT "DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY" ESDI varaint of DPT PM3011/7 […]
Show full quote

edit: The drive is a 660MB ESDI by HP. The controller is a DPT "DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY" ESDI varaint of DPT PM3011/75 Controller w/o scsi header.
For controller this manual may help: http://www.franken-online.de/ymmv/files/DPT3011E.pdf
see pages 122/123 of the pdf for layout. They have jumpers info also in the appendixs
added: layout picture from appendix F

Thank you very much. Manual for the controller helped me a lot. Now I've connected properly hdd to the controller, set random heads, cylinders etc numbers in bios and it is recognized, starts to boot ms-dos and hangs. Probably the reason is that I dont know proper heads, cylinders etc values? Where can I find those?

For the seven segment display watch this excellent video. Bu be careful to not short the 5V to the ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNkg-e47Ex8&t=161s

moulder wrote on 2024-10-17, 10:03:

Horun wrote on 2024-10-16, 21:49:

edit: The drive is a 660MB ESDI by HP. The controller is a DPT "DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY" ESDI varaint of DPT PM3011/7 […]
Show full quote

edit: The drive is a 660MB ESDI by HP. The controller is a DPT "DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY" ESDI varaint of DPT PM3011/75 Controller w/o scsi header.
For controller this manual may help: http://www.franken-online.de/ymmv/files/DPT3011E.pdf
see pages 122/123 of the pdf for layout. They have jumpers info also in the appendixs
added: layout picture from appendix F

Thank you very much. Manual for the controller helped me a lot. Now I've connected properly hdd to the controller, set random heads, cylinders etc numbers in bios and it is recognized, starts to boot ms-dos and hangs. Probably the reason is that I dont know proper heads, cylinders etc values? Where can I find those?

"random" CHS is most certainly incorrect.

With a drive that size, there might be an issue setting the drive larger than 504mb though, given the era of the system.

(edit, no-- that's a SCSI drive. Found this on a dumpster dive, and found in a log from a vintage system. Caveat Emptor.)

<HP-97548EF cyl 1455 alt 2 hd 16 sec 56>

So, looks like C/H/S of
1455/16/56

wierd_w wrote on 2024-10-17, 10:21:

"random" CHS is most certainly incorrect. […]
Show full quote

moulder wrote on 2024-10-17, 10:03:

Horun wrote on 2024-10-16, 21:49:

edit: The drive is a 660MB ESDI by HP. The controller is a DPT "DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY" ESDI varaint of DPT PM3011/7 […]
Show full quote

edit: The drive is a 660MB ESDI by HP. The controller is a DPT "DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY" ESDI varaint of DPT PM3011/75 Controller w/o scsi header.
For controller this manual may help: http://www.franken-online.de/ymmv/files/DPT3011E.pdf
see pages 122/123 of the pdf for layout. They have jumpers info also in the appendixs
added: layout picture from appendix F

Thank you very much. Manual for the controller helped me a lot. Now I've connected properly hdd to the controller, set random heads, cylinders etc numbers in bios and it is recognized, starts to boot ms-dos and hangs. Probably the reason is that I dont know proper heads, cylinders etc values? Where can I find those?

"random" CHS is most certainly incorrect.

With a drive that size, there might be an issue setting the drive larger than 504mb though, given the era of the system.

(edit, no-- that's a SCSI drive. Found this on a dumpster dive, and found in a log from a vintage system. Caveat Emptor.)

<HP-97548EF cyl 1455 alt 2 hd 16 sec 56>

So, looks like C/H/S of
1455/16/56

Thanks. I used values you have given for heads, cyl etc and now during post there is message drive c: error and then it writes in the screen booting msdos and hangs. Dont know know if the hdd is broken or maybe I need to install fresh ms dos. I only have fdd and no floppy disk for it. Maybe I will.buy gotek to boot.from.it and install ms dos...

Personally I've never seen a 386 that could handle more than 512MB hard drive. Your larger one might be confusing it.

So I still cant get hdd to work properly. I've tried many diffrent cylinders, sectors values and sometimes it post with partition c error information and then it shows loading ms.dos.and hangs. Sometimes when I provide diffrent values in the bios.there is no partition c error present but.it hangs on loading msdos. I've also tried to use esdi controller own bios (set the appriopiate jumper), then the controller at the begining is performing self test and on one of the tests there is failed status -.something regarding to cache test. Really want to.have this set running, I almost fully refubrished beatiful Tower case.

Set the correct settings, and try find some floppy utilities to calibrate or check it.

Those old things needed proper maintenance.

myne wrote on 2024-10-17, 15:20:

Set the correct settings, and try find some floppy utilities to calibrate or check it.

Those old things needed proper maintenance.

The problem is that I dont know correct hdd settings. Cant find it anywhere. I've tried different values found in the net but they are for scsi version of.this drive.

moulder,

If you can boot from a floppy drive, and have a utility like norton disk editor or ranish partition manager, then you can find out what the disk parameters are supposed to be.
You'll need incorrect settings in the bios so the drive gets seen by dos, then you look at the partition table and retrieve the correct numbers from there.

edit: at least you'll retreive the numbers with which the disk was previously set up and after that booting from it should be possible barring any hard disk failures/bad sectors.

wierd_w wrote on 2024-10-17, 10:21:

(edit, no-- that's a SCSI drive. Found this on a dumpster dive, and found in a log from a vintage system. Caveat Emptor.) […]
Show full quote

(edit, no-- that's a SCSI drive. Found this on a dumpster dive, and found in a log from a vintage system. Caveat Emptor.)

<HP-97548EF cyl 1455 alt 2 hd 16 sec 56>

So, looks like C/H/S of
1455/16/56

He already found it.

https://usenet.trashworldnews.com/?thread=569137

Which resulted in it saying loading msdos. Indicating success.

myne wrote on 2024-10-17, 15:31:

He already found it. […]
Show full quote

wierd_w wrote on 2024-10-17, 10:21:

(edit, no-- that's a SCSI drive. Found this on a dumpster dive, and found in a log from a vintage system. Caveat Emptor.) […]
Show full quote

(edit, no-- that's a SCSI drive. Found this on a dumpster dive, and found in a log from a vintage system. Caveat Emptor.)

<HP-97548EF cyl 1455 alt 2 hd 16 sec 56>

So, looks like C/H/S of
1455/16/56

He already found it.

https://usenet.trashworldnews.com/?thread=569137

Which resulted in it saying loading msdos. Indicating success.

I initially looked on tularc for just the model number, and tired-posted a link I later redacted. It was for the scsi model.

I then dumpster dived on the net, and found the very same log excerpt you linked.

Actually the manual says 1457t-16h-57s depending on formatting, those are what would be for 512B/sector
Also make sure the little switches are all off except #5 it should be on for Disk ID1 (typical default with one HD for esdi)
Ohh and make sure there is a terminator block/resistor pack where it shows in the picture....

Slick!

That old comp archive is good for finding things but I noticed the CDC Wren VI specs they used are also a bit diff than default 1632c-15h-54s for 512B/s.
Maybe because of the Xylogic controller or SunOS needs things a bit diff ? Maybe why the HP setting they used is also few less ?
Hope it works but like old rll drives it may need to be reformatted which could show some issues... there is a DPT util for their controllers for low level formatting, checking controller, etc
warning: the format tools can mess a HD up loosing all partitions, etc. Would have to then be DOS parted and formatted just like old MFM/RLL stuff afaik. attached

It's likeky moot anyway.

Being a 386, it likely hits the DOS CHS 504mb limit anyway.

wierd_w wrote on 2024-10-18, 02:23:

myne wrote on 2024-10-17, 15:31:

He already found it. […]
Show full quote

wierd_w wrote on 2024-10-17, 10:21:

(edit, no-- that's a SCSI drive. Found this on a dumpster dive, and found in a log from a vintage system. Caveat Emptor.) […]
Show full quote

(edit, no-- that's a SCSI drive. Found this on a dumpster dive, and found in a log from a vintage system. Caveat Emptor.)

<HP-97548EF cyl 1455 alt 2 hd 16 sec 56>

So, looks like C/H/S of
1455/16/56

He already found it.

https://usenet.trashworldnews.com/?thread=569137

Which resulted in it saying loading msdos. Indicating success.

I initially looked on tularc for just the model number, and tired-posted a link I later redacted. It was for the scsi model.

I then dumpster dived on the net, and found the very same log excerpt you linked.

I figured. Hence I said you found it.

Yeah we never got a picture of the computer or motherboard. No home computer would have that fancy controller and big HD in 1990. Must be a business workstation/server thing.

Thanks guys for all the info provided. I ordered usb floppy drive for my laptop and I am going to prepare boot diskette and try to reformat hdd with dpt util.

In the meantime I am trying to figure out how to set mhz display. It was modified because when I got this computer there where wires soldered to the mhz display and they were passed through little pcb board to the back of the computer and ended with paraller socket I quess. Probably mhz display was somehow set externally or displayed another info given externally. I am wondering.what purposed this computer was.used for because it has expensive hdd controller and hdd for that time... I cant set mhz display properly, no instuction I found is working with it. Can you help me with this? I am.attaching picture of.the case.front.also.