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- README.DOC V3.35+ 01/03/89
-
- Welcome to the new SECOND NATURE(tm) Utilities Disk. It includes
- loaders that allow the SECOND NATURE(tm) ROM Utilities to be
- accessed by simple DOS commands, and without any need for DEBUG.
- It also adds the ability to mark Bad Tracks on your hard disk,
- and prevent any possibility of use by your operating system.
-
- This disk can be made bootable with DOS SYS (don't forget to copy
- on COMMAND.COM too), as a convenience to users who don't normally
- use DOS on their HD -- they can boot this disk to use the
- utilities on it.
-
- For those with 386 processors, a Device Driver called MOVEHDD.SYS
- is provided that will relocate the Hard Disk Parameter Tables to
- 90 bytes of low memory, so that the ROM space used by SECOND
- NATURE(tm) may be reclaimed by QEMM or 386Max.
-
- The specific files provided, and their use are as follows:
-
-
- TABLE.COM:
-
- Eliminates the need to use DEBUG to access the DRIVE TABLE
- SELECTOR, as described in the manual. Simply go to the directory
- where TABLE.COM is located, and type the command "TABLE".
-
-
- HDFORMAT.COM:
-
- Eliminates the need to use DEBUG to access the FIXED DISK
- FORMATTER, as described in the manual. Simply go to the directory
- where HDFORMAT.COM is located, and type the command "HDFORMAT".
-
- After the Low Level Format has been completed (or skipped by
- saying NO to "begin formatting . . .") you will be asked if you
- would like to Mark Bad Tracks. If you say YES you will be asked
- the Cylinder and Head Number for each media defect, which you
- will then be asked to confirm before actual marking is done. If a
- Media Defect Table was provided with your hard disk you will have
- the data to use this function. If not, say NO when asked if you
- wish to mark Bad Tracks now. Note that any tracks that would
- not Verify after Low Level Formatting have already been marked
- as Bad Tracks by the Low Level Format and Verify operation.
-
-
- FLOPPY.COM:
-
- Eliminates the need to use DEBUG to access the FLOPPY DRIVE
- SELECTOR, as described in the manual. Simply go to the directory
- where FLOPPY.COM is located, and type the command "FLOPPY".
-
-
- MOVEHDD.SYS:
-
- This Device Driver will move the new Parameter Tables created by
- SECOND NATURE(tm) to low memory, using just 90 bytes there. The
- entire high memory block used by SECOND NATURE(tm) may then be
- "included" in the high ram area available to QEMM or 386Max, and
- used for other purposes. This is normally the 64k E000-EFFF
- block when SECOND NATURE(tm) is installed in the motherboard ROM
- sockets; or when the I/O CHANNEL ADAPTER is used it is a 16k
- block at C800-CBFF, CC00-CFFF, D000-D3FF, D400-D7FF, D800-DBFF,
- or DC00-DFFF, depending on the setting of the switches on the
- Adapter. Note that there is NO advantage to using this Driver
- unless have a 80386 processor (rather than 80286) AND are using
- QEMM, 386Max, or an equivalent 386 extended memory manager with
- remapping capability.
-
- The driver is installed by copying it to the root directory of
- your first hard disk, and adding the following line to your
- CONFIG.SYS file BEFORE the line that loads QEMM, 386Max, or any
- other driver that wishes to use the ROM space freed by MOVEHDD.SYS:
-
- DEVICE=MOVEHDD.SYS
-
- MOVEHDD.SYS may also be usefully used with the Adaptec 2370/2372
- RLL Controller, if the Adaptec ROM is enabled. In this configuration
- the HD Parameter Tables are written into the INT 60-67H RAM area by
- the controller. If MOVEHDD senses that the original table was in
- the INT 60-67H range it will both move the tables and re-zero the
- INT's, telling other software that they are available for use.
-