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RAYXTMFM Tool


Description

RAYXTMFM.EXE is a DOS program that can be used in support of MFM/RLL type hard drive controllers and drives on PC or XT class computers.

Presently, RAYXTMFM does the following:

	•	Looks for a BIOS expansion ROM starting at address C8000.  (C8000 is the normal address for the ROM on an XT-class MFM/RLL type hard drive controller.)
	•	Identifies the motherboard class (PC/XT/AT).
	•	Attempts to identify the motherboard BIOS.
	•	Looks for and reports on certain problems.
	•	Performs some INT 13h functions.

An example screen output is shown at here.


Requirements

For 'Part 5 of 5 - INT 13h':

	•	An OS (operating sytem, e.g. DOS) does not need to be present on the MFM/RLL drive.
	•	However, some of the tests will require that the drive contain a low-level format that is recognised by the controller.

Problems reported on

•	Program is not being run on a PC or XT class computer.
•	Warn-then-exit if the motherboard BIOS (if identified) is known not to support BIOS expansion ROM's.   (Usually, 1981 and 1982 dated motherboard BIOS'.)
•	Warn-then-exit if unable to find a BIOS expansion ROM starting at address C8000.
•	Warn-then-exit if the declared size (third byte of BIOS expansion ROM) is zero.
•	Warn-then-exit if the declared size (third byte of BIOS expansion ROM) is not a multiple of 2 KB.
•	Warn-then-exit if the declared size (third byte of BIOS expansion ROM) is greater than 32 KB.
•	Warn (but do not exit) if the declared size (third byte of BIOS expansion ROM) is less than 4 KB.   (Very suspicious.)
•	Warn (but do not exit) if the 8-bit checksum of the declared size is not 00.
	(A warning at this stage because of what I have seen with some controllers.)
•	Warn-then-exit if the BIOS expansion ROM found at C8000 has been identified as being for a SCSI card.
•	Warn-then-exit if the BIOS expansion ROM found at C8000 has been identified as being the XTIDE Universal BIOS (XUB).
•	Warn-then-exit if the BIOS expansion ROM found at C8000 cannot be identified. (Only if the BIOS is identified as being one for an XT-class MFM/RLL type hard drive controller, are later test/checks valid.)
•	If an IBM 5150/5160 BIOS, warn-then-exit if the vector for software interrupt 0Dh (i.e. triggered by hardware IRQ5) has not been changed from the one set by the power-on self test. (That would indicate that the initialisation code in the controller's BIOS ROM has not been executed.)

Optional copy of RAYXTMFM screen output to a text file

Here, RAYXTMFM's output will be copied to a text file.  That can be useful for providing information to others.  The file created is named RAYXTMFM.TXT

To do this, use the FILE switch as follows.

A:>rayxtmfm /file


Hard drive 0 versus hard drive 1

By default, part 5 of RAYXTMFM targets hard drive 0 (normally appears as logical drive C:).
If instead, hard drive 1 (normally appears as logical drive D:) is the desired target, then use the HD1 switch as follows.

A:>rayxtmfm /hd1


Download

Click here.


Yet to do

• Identify more motherboard BIOS'
• Identify more BIOS expansion ROM's of XT class HDD controllers