Date   : Tue, 15 May 2012 09:57:28 +0100
From   : jim@... (Jim Hearne)
Subject: Torch discs.

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the offer.
I've plenty of old PC's, just at the moment no space to set any more of them 
up !
Once i've got the new shed in the garden insulated and lined I should have 
much more space.
I just thought this was something i could do before then.
I might just set the 5.25" drive up as drive A for the moment until i've 
done these and some Microbox 2 floppys i've got.

Many thanks,

Jim



-----Original Message----- 
From: Mike Howard
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 9:37 AM
To: bbc-micro@...
Subject: Re: [BBC-Micro] Torch discs.

On 15/05/2012 09:01, Jim Hearne wrote:
> Well....
> I took the 5.25" drive out of the BBC external housing, changed the drive
> select jumper to DS1 (as the PC likes).
> Found the correct IDC connector for the 5.25" drive and crimped it onto 
> the
> existing floppy cable before the twist.
> Fitted the drive into the PC, put it all back together.
>
> Powered up, went into the Bios to enable floppy drive B, and found no
> options for B drive !!
> It seems that most newer motherboards (this one is about 2 years old) have
> removed support for 2 floppy drives.
> Pretty sure this is just a Bios thing, i doubt if they would have removed
> the DS line from the FDC.
>
> Spent the rest of the evening trying to find hacks for the Bios or Windows 
> 7
> to let it see the second drive.
> The Award Bios on my Motherboard is V6.00PG which is too new for any 
> editors
> i could find.
>
> So far the most likely option seems to be to edit the CMOS ram directly to
> change byte 0x10 to the settings for 2 drives.
> But, changing the byte means changing the CMOS checksum otherwise you just
> get a CMOS checksum error.
> So, i've got to work that out as well.
>
> Otherwise, i may just invest in a Kyroflux USB floppy interface.
>
> Thanks for the advice,
>
> Jim
>
>

I'd be happy to image them for you. Obviously you'd need to get them to me.

Alternatively, you could pick up an old PC off ebay? Old compaq or such
like.

Cheers,
-- 
Any question is easy if you know the answer!

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