💾 Archived View for uscoffings.net › retro-computing › systems › Tandy › oldskool › 20meg.txt captured on 2024-02-05 at 11:25:30.
⬅️ Previous capture (2023-07-10)
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I found a program over in DL1 of the IBM Hardware Forum (GO IBMHW) called INTRLV.ARC. It contained two test programs for testing the interleaving on your hard disk. I found that with my SX running a Tandy 20 meg hardcard at an interleave of 3 (what the auto-install program used), it took 17 revolutions to read a track. Rather that use one of the rewrite programs I read about here (since everyone said they took about 12 hours to run), I made a complete backup using PC Tools, and then I modified the auto-install program to interleave at 4 instead of 3, re-formatted the drive, and used PC Tools Restore to load everything back onto the hardcard, followed by running the PC Tools Compress program. The test program now says that it reads a track in 4 revolutions instead of 17. And PFS: Professional Write loads in 7 seconds as opposed to the 18 seconds it used to take. And the PC Tools Compress program took about 8 minutes instead of one hour. A tremendous improvement. I modified the auto-install program by preparing the blank floppy as described in the manual but instead of running the install batch file, I used my word processor to remove the last line of the autoexec.bat file, that says STAGE1. I then ran the INSTALL program, but now it stops after making the three batch files, and gives you a prompt. I used my word processor to modify the file STAGE1.BAT so that the line that normally reads: LLFORMAT C: <\LLFORMAT.RSP now reads: LLFORMAT C:4 <\LLFORMAT.RSP. I restarted the installation by typing STAGE1, and the auto- install went through all of the motions except it set the interleave to 4 instead of 3. And the whole process took about 1 1/2 hours for 14 meg worth of programs and data. Rich