386 W/win 3.1 C:drive error (fossil)

[galvo]

I have a 386 W/ win 3.1 ,I know it is a dinosaur. I use 386 fossil in the shop. Well here is my problem ...... I relocated the P/C and now when I start it pops up with a C: drive error. Enter bios and can't seem to find C : drive ( auto detect hard disc ). Any advice would be appreciated.
thanks,
fg

 

[reitz]

Bad drive?

Double check your connections inside the computer. Make sure everything is plugged in tight. Is the battery dying? Might also want to try manually entering the hard drive parameters (can be found on the top of the drive itself) and see if it can boot up. If that doesn't work, try a known good drive.

 

[galvo]

I open the case and check the connections , disconnect & reconnect still the same problem. I aslo check the voltage of the cmos battery still good 4.12 volts . But it worked before, all I did was move the computer. The parameters off the harddrive ...cyl/hd/bfi ......... I dont know which ones to use ? It has many ###### to choose from?

 

[Techwhore]

You mean your bios gives you multiple choices for cyl/hd/sec? There's got to be a way to manually enter these numbers in. The numbers can be found on the label on the top of your hdd... should be x number of cyl/ 16 heads / 63 sectors... could be different though

 

[Viztech]

Actually, on many older drives from that era, the C/H/S parameters are not on the drive, and the auto-detection idea was in it's infancy. So get the model number off the drive, and go to the manufacturer's website to find those parameters.
Another way, is to plug the drive in question into a modern machine, do an auto detection, and write down the numbers if it detects it.
Lastly, is that battery a 4.5 volt?
Some older boards came with a 7.2 volt originally, so your battery at 4.12 may not be enough to hold the CMOS if this is the case. A fully charged 4.5 volt usually works on one of these though.

Best of luck with your dinosaur Galvo!

viz

 

[galvo]

Well, finally got around to get a used drive for my 386. I need to load Win 3.1 in the new drive. I have enter the specs in bios for the drive . I inserted a boot disc in the A- drive .........but nothing seems to happen , it just says insert boot disc and hit a key. Are there any jumper settings in my motherboard?

 

[saint2608]

Upgrades are soooooooo cheap these days. You should buy a Socket 7 board and CPU for $50 and move everything over. Then you would have a decent machine and it would solve all your problems.