Date   : Sun, 30 Mar 1986 11:07:00 EST
From   : MKATZ%UMDB.BITNET@wiscvm.ARPA
Subject: Directory

Well, I received many replies to my directory problem.  The easiest seemed
to be to change a couple of numbers (Alloc0/1, #dir. entries -1) in the
XIOS and everything should work right away.  Unfortunately, that didn't
work.  I did get 2048 directory entries (instead of 1024), but I also got
a lot of garbage in the directory after the MPM system files.  I decided to
give it another try.  I looked at the XIOS files again.  The only other number
which seemed like it should have an effect was the number of directory tracks
to cache (the Altos has a 64K disk cache which speeds things up a lot).
Anyway, I got the same results.  I think the problem is that INSTMPM (an Altos
utility to install MPM on the hard disk) may have certain values such as the
# of directory entries hardcoded in some way so that even when I change them
in the XIOS, the initial installation will mess up the directory.  I don't
know what to do next.  I don't want to try multiple logical disks,
because I know that is more complicated and therefore more likely to run
into similar problems.  If anyone out there has any ideas, please let me know.
The solution might be to bypass INSTMPM, but since I have never installed a
hard disk without, I am not sure what I need to do.  I don't know how to
initialize the hard disk other than that the Altos manual says to erase
the disk to E5E5 before installing MPM.  There is a word in the XIOS that
specifies what type of disk(s) are on the system, and it appears to be changed
by INSTMPM.
                                  Manasseh Katz