Seagate ST31270A Computer Drive User Manual


 
try values allowed by the BIOS, which limits the capacity of
each logical drive to 528 Mbytes.
Configuring the computer
Configuring the computer involves updating the computer’s Sys-
tem Setup records with the new drive’s translation geometry
(cylinder, head and sector information) and partitioning and for-
matting the drive. The translation geometry is kept on the CMOS
chip and is used by the BIOS to assign locations for the data on
the drive. Many older BIOSs place limits on the translation
geometry parameter values that do not allow it to assign locations
beyond 528 Mbytes when DOS is used. If your computer uses
such a BIOS, it cannot access the full capacity of your new drive.
In this section we describe three methods you can use to config-
ure your computer for DOS: EZ-Drive installation software, stand-
ard setup and dual-drive emulation setup.
Using the installation software
Note. The EZ-Drive software is authorized for installation only
with the drive on which it is shipped.
The EZ-Drive installation software allows your computer to ac-
cess your Seagate drive’s full format capacity. It bypasses the
BIOS during the boot sequence and uses the information it
creates on Drive C to identify the drive before DOS is loaded.
During the installation, EZ-Drive:
Determines how many drives are installed
Enters a drive type in System Setup for the new drive
Modifies the Drive C boot record with the new drive’s transla-
tion geometry
Partitions and formats the new drive
Copies the boot files to the new drive if it is Drive C
Enables Maximum Overdrive, which enables read/write mul-
tiple in drives that have this feature. The Change Installed
14 Medalist 1270 Installation Guide, July 1995