Bootable Zip Drive

[HR]

Howdy,

I'm sure that I've read a zip can be booted from, without using a floppy
first. I've SYS'd the zip and as far as can see have set all Adaptec BIOS
settings according but not getting results. POST says it's HARD DISK 0 but
then get WIN98SE Start Logo and there the boot stops.

Adapter is Adaptec 2940UW and it's a SCSI Zip 100.

Anybody had success with what I'm attempting?

[Rick]

Post by HR
Howdy,
I'm sure that I've read a zip can be booted from, without using a floppy
first. I've SYS'd the zip and as far as can see have set all Adaptec BIOS
settings according but not getting results. POST says it's HARD DISK 0 but
then get WIN98SE Start Logo and there the boot stops.
Adapter is Adaptec 2940UW and it's a SCSI Zip 100.
Anybody had success with what I'm attempting?
--
Hayden

What method(s) do you have going on here? If you SYS'ed the disk should
it be producing a Start Logo at all? (I know Win 95 just drops to a DOS
prompt if you SYS a floppy disk. Can't recall if Win 98 does the same.)
Or did you create a Startup disk?

Do you have the BIOS jumpered as active? You could be running into a
conflict with the SCSI BIOS controlling the Zip drive - something the
Zip firmware won't be happy with. (The drive shouldn't be reported as a
Hard Disk by the SCSI BIOS.) Does the drive activity light stay on when
the system hangs at the Start logo or does the drive activity stop?

Also, if you are trying to use the Zip as a Startup disk, and now have
the SCSI BIOS controlling the drive, the system can be hanging when
Win98 tries to load driver support for the Zip.

Generally, booting from a Zip isn't supported all that well by Iomega.
They used to include options in Iomegaware to create a bootable disk on
format but dropped that option after Win 95 era releases of Iomegaware.
There weren't/aren't a lot of drive interface/motherboard/adapter
combinations that will boot from a Zip. And because of the Zips use of
drivers, proprietary error correction in firmware and odd "Z track"
routines and spare sector pools on the disk it isn't like booting from a
"same as a hard drive" device. Do some routines to a Zip that you would
normally do to a hard drive and the command could render the disk
useless.

Rick

[HR]

Howdy,

Eureka! I wasn't aware of it until you pointed it out, but Iomega has its
own format and make bootable options. It now boots as hard drive C: in DOS
and moves my other hard drives down one letter.


Thanks,

Hayden

Post by Rick

Post by HR
Howdy,
I'm sure that I've read a zip can be booted from, without using a floppy
first. I've SYS'd the zip and as far as can see have set all Adaptec BIOS
settings according but not getting results. POST says it's HARD DISK 0 but
then get WIN98SE Start Logo and there the boot stops.
Adapter is Adaptec 2940UW and it's a SCSI Zip 100.
Anybody had success with what I'm attempting?
--
Hayden

What method(s) do you have going on here? If you SYS'ed the disk should
it be producing a Start Logo at all? (I know Win 95 just drops to a DOS
prompt if you SYS a floppy disk. Can't recall if Win 98 does the same.)
Or did you create a Startup disk?
Do you have the BIOS jumpered as active? You could be running into a
conflict with the SCSI BIOS controlling the Zip drive - something the
Zip firmware won't be happy with. (The drive shouldn't be reported as a
Hard Disk by the SCSI BIOS.) Does the drive activity light stay on when
the system hangs at the Start logo or does the drive activity stop?
Also, if you are trying to use the Zip as a Startup disk, and now have
the SCSI BIOS controlling the drive, the system can be hanging when
Win98 tries to load driver support for the Zip.
Generally, booting from a Zip isn't supported all that well by Iomega.
They used to include options in Iomegaware to create a bootable disk on
format but dropped that option after Win 95 era releases of Iomegaware.
There weren't/aren't a lot of drive interface/motherboard/adapter
combinations that will boot from a Zip. And because of the Zips use of
drivers, proprietary error correction in firmware and odd "Z track"
routines and spare sector pools on the disk it isn't like booting from a
"same as a hard drive" device. Do some routines to a Zip that you would
normally do to a hard drive and the command could render the disk
useless.
Rick