Easiest solution: select the largest available HDD type in the BIOS and use a DOM with at least that size (can be bigger). The DOM won't care about the CHS addressing, it will just work, but limited to the size of the HDD type set in the BIOS.

Second solution, which is more complex: select HDD type 1 in the BIOS and install a Disk Overlay Software (e.g. EZ-Drive or OnTrack). This has some drawbacks, but will allow you to use hard disks at almost any size.

Best solution: burn the XTIDE BIOS to an EPROM and either insert it into the option ROM socket on the mainboard (if it has one) or into the boot ROM socket of a networking card. This will give you LBA addressing.

It's a 286/12 with 1mb ram maxed. Not sure I need more than 100mb anyway. Great info derSammler! So I'll probably go DOM route. Quick question. is the 44 pin going to fit in the sale IDE jack? One has power cord (40) and the other doesn't b/c it draws off the socket(44) so either works? I am considering an ISA rem expansion, but not really sure what my options are. Would love some suggestions. I've worked with newer stuff, 486, Pentium 1, so this is much older than what I'm used to.

Thanks in advance!
Tim

44-pin IDE has a different contact spacing, so you need an adapter for normal 40-pin IDE. However, ordinary IDE DOMs (like those from pqi) will plug right onto the 40-pin IDE connector. They can even take power from that, if the IDE port supports it.

As for RAM, you could get a Lo-tech 2MB EMS Board

Thanks for clearing that up on the 40/44. Thank you for letting me pick your brain and veer off topic. I'd seen the Lo-Tech 2MB EMS Board once before when it was out of stock. Looks great (and cheaper) than other older solutions. Would be awesome if I could get Windows 3.1 running on here. It has a PLLC socket, 286/12mhz and I'm considering a 386/20Mhz Kingston upgrade. I may be wrong but since my motherboard runs in 10 OR 12mhz via the bios, a 20Mhz PLLC 386 should be okay at the 'LOW' setting, and overclocked to 25mhz when it is set to 'HIGH' (12mHz).

Man, you have been a wealth of information. Thank you ever so much.