#WUTIL and MS-DOS 3.10
8 messages in this thread
A month or so ago, there was a thread here about problems with WUTIL 3.12
and Suitable Solutions' MS-DOS 3.10b. Specifically, WUTIL hung when run
under DOS 3.10. The person having the problem was advised to not use
WUTIL.
I was curious about this, since the documentation explicitly says it was
modified to run under DOS 3.10. So I tried it under DEC's "Internal use
only" release, MS-DOS 3.10.17. It works great. Apparently all WUTIL's
testing and adapting to "DOS 3" was DEC's internal DOS version! For a 20
meg disk on a 100B, I initialized and partitioned with WUTIL, and installed
WUTIL's boot loaders. Then I rebooted to SS's MS-DOS 3.10b, did an MS-DOS
FORMAT, and was up and running. No problems in the intervening two weeks.
The reason this may be of practical interest is that WUTIL works well on
larger disks, it is easy to use and provides a lot of functions, and it
installs a superior boot loader menu (just hit Do, no need to arrow to OS
boot choice).
Does anyone know of a problem I've created this way that I just haven't
noticed yet? I'm planning to write the "new author" of WUTIL (Vinzenz
Esser, taking over from Tony Camas) and report the hang on SS MS-DOS 3.10,
in hopes that he'll be interested in looking to fix it.
Yes, I know of a problem you've created and haven't noticed:
The boot loaders for 3.10B are larger than for previous versions to
accommodate the new I-Drives. You will be unable to use the new I-Drives if
you don't FORMAT E: /L.
I used to use WUTIL, but when I got 40M disks and 3.10B I found I didn't
need it. But even now, I am running a 20M disk that was originally setup by
WUTIL with 3.10B (but it has an old I-Drive, and even then, I did a FORMAT
E: /L).
So I recommend doing *exactly* what Suitable Solutions suggests on page
2 of the July 1989 3.10b Release Notes:
– Initialize with DEC's utility for disk 20M and smaller; or
with a third-party utility like CHS's DISKPART for > 20M
– Partition with FDISK (from 3.10B)
– Format with FORMAT (from 3.10B)
Roy and Len –
Thanks for the advice on WUTIL and DOS 3.10B. However, I was unable to
re-initialize an ST225 (20 Meg) with DEC's Winchester utility 2.0. It
thought the disk was a 10Meg and gave me two 5 meg CP/M partitions.
What worked was a "Format and Initialize" with WUTIL (under DOS 3.10.17),
then booting DOS 3.10B, using FDISK for the partition, and using DOS's
FORMAT E:/L for the final format. It seems to work fine, and I'm still
getting WUTIL's boot menu, which is great.
Roy, you suggested that I initialize with DISKPART or another 3rd party
utility. Since I don't have CHS DISKPART, I don't have any choice for
initializing my disk other than WUTIL, right? (Expecially if I go over 20
Meg.) Do you still think I'm going to get into trouble, using WUTIL only
to initialize the disk?
CHS DISKPART hasn't been released to the public domain now that the
company has disappeared, has it?
– Willett Kempton
ps. I'm using the old, not new I-drive, but since I've done FORMAT E:/L
that shouldn't matter anyway.
As I recall, Initialization just gets your hard disk controller talking to
your hard disk. A hardware thing. So you use the initialization software
provided with the hard disk controller you put in your machine. Whatever
works, works.
I don't think you are getting *WUTIL's* boot menu. That's built into the
Rainbow. When you don't select an autoboot partition, but tell the Rainbow
to boot from W, you get a menu of partitions.
So, if you used FDISK and FORMAT, you have *not*, in effect, used WUTIL
to partition and format your drive, the functions WUTIL and 3.10B make
trouble over.
Thanks for the info. It helps me feel more secure that I've got a hard
disk setup that won't suprise me later.
The A B C D W T menu is in Rainbow firmware, but the partition boot menu
says "WUTIL version" on it, so it's pretty clearly WUTIL's. Also, when I
LDCOPY E: on the CP/M-86/80 side, the WUTIL's menu gets replaced by the DEC
one.
Anyway, from what you've said, this method seems safe. Thanks.
By your not saying otherwise, I assume you *don't* know of CHS making any
arrangements for public-domain status of their formatting software, since
they're no longer selling it.
CHS has disappeared. The program is not in the public domain.
One of my pet ideas is to make available all commercial products no
longer supported by the manufacturer. After all, they no longer sell the
things, provide help, or even admit to their existence, so why shouldn't we
spread them around?
Because it's illegal, that's why. So I certainly won't. But I can't help
thinking it's a good idea….