Jim Meagher wrote:
>
> Larry Atlow wrote:
> >
> > I've run into a couple of machines where I can't access the floppy
> > drives.
>
> Larry,
>
> What happens when you try?  Is there an error message?
> What does it say?
. . .
Okay.  These are NCR 3225 PCs.  80386 machines in pizza box cases that
were originally used in a travel agency, I think.  They will boot fine
off the hard drives, but will not boot off of the floppy drives, even
with known good boot floppies.  The effect is the same as if there were
no disk in the drive.  They are set up with networking software.  There
is an option in the menus that will disable the networking on the
following boot, but it doesn't work on all of them.

After boot, any attempt to read from, or write to the FD gives an access
error as if there were no disk in the drive.  On some machines,
disabling the networking option in the startup menu will allow the boot
from floppy as advertised.  On some machines, reformatting the HD will
solve the problem.  On some machines, repartitioning the HD will do the
trick, on others, none of this works.

This is why I assumed that changes were made to the boot sector of the
HD, but as someone pointed out, the boot sequence calls for the floppy
to be checked first.  UnLESS, the change to the boot sector somehow
allows for changing the boot order and disabling access to the floppy
drive.  On the machines where I can gain access, no hardware changes are
made, only in software.

We are not able to contact the company that originally used the machines
so every machine we can't get into is a hard drive we will have to throw
away.  I hope this makes things a bit clearer.  I should have included
more detail in the original post.  Any illumination would be greatly
appreciated.  TIA
--
Larry Atlow                          Internet:[log in to unmask]
Microcomputer Analyst                Phonenet: (601) 264-9639