Solve : Need help trying to start old IBM computer running DOS?

1.	Solve : Need help trying to start old IBM computer running DOS?
Answer» I'll keep it short: I have in IBM computer from the 90's running on DOS driver 2.77 with data I would like to access and ideally move to a current computer. When I turn it on, with the original hardware, I only GET "161" and "163" and a error picture telling me to check the manual, which says a dead battery on the motherboard (likely due to sitting in a garage since 2006). When I connect the HDD to current hardware (like 2010) via female IDE to male SATA adapter, I instead get stuck on the attached pic (cropped to be <700KB). I don't know what to try so any help would be appreciated.This probably isn't relevant, but the originally this is an IBM Personal System/2, model 35 SX.There is no attached picture so we can't see what you are encountering with the drive attached to another PC. However, just to be SURE, you attached 2 cables to the drive, right? One is the IDE ribbon cable and the other a power cable. When everything is attached, can you hear the drive spinning? Does it make any noise or have any VIBRATION? Yes, all cables and ribbons are attached, and the drive is spinning. I had a picture attached when I clicked post, but the screen I'm stuck on is all text so: HIMEN: DOS XMS Driver, Version 2.77 - 02/27/91 XMS Specification Version 2.0 Copyright 1988-1991 IBM Corp. Installed A20 handler number 2. 64K High Memory Area is available. IBM Expanded Memory Manager 386 Version 4.20.06X (C) Copyright IBM Corporation 1986, 1991 _Replace the battery...part # Cr2032I think those PS/2 models used a Dallas Clock chip. But more so than that, they require the IBM Reference diskette. Quote When I connect the HDD to current hardware (like 2010) via female IDE to male SATA adapter, I instead get stuck on the attached pic I'm not quite sure I understand, but are you trying to boot from that drive on new hardware? Typically you connect the drive you want data from to another PC as an additional drive, then you can copy or image the drive as desired from Windows or Linux. I'd guess it is crashing because of how much memory the modern system has. From the picture it looks like you are trying to boot from that disk, you don't want to boot from that disk. You should boot from the normal C: drive and then the attached drive should show up in File Explorer as maybe the D: or E: drive (It might even appear as a different drive letter depending on how many drives the system has). That way you can copy the data files you want from the attached drive to the C: (or wherever) drive in your current PC. Quote from: BC_Programmer on January 29, 2021, 06:16:44 PM I think those PS/2 models used a Dallas Clock chip. But more so than that, they require the IBM Reference diskette. ... That's one reason why I haven't suggested he try booting from the ps/2 system itself. ACCORDING to this website: https://www.ardent-tool.com/disks/disks.html, the model 35 requires a Starter Disk for setup as opposed to a Reference Disk (I'm not sure what the difference is). The Starter Disk image can be downloaded from the site above but you will need a computer with a 3.5" floppy drive and image writing software like WinImage to create the Starter Disk.You probably know this already, but those pictures (approval must've been pending) is what I got when trying to boot from the drive. And when I connect it to another computer, the drive doesn't come up in "this pc" but it does in disk management. Disc 3, Unknown, Not Initialized. Would the data get wiped if I initialized the drive? Because similar to searching if it's safe to open a hard drive, some results say yes while others say no.Initialize is another word for format so, no, you don't want to initialize the disk. Doing so will make it difficult to recover the data you are trying to save.So initializing/formatting is off the table, what are my options? It doesn't show up with my other drives in "this pc" but does in disk management and DEVICE manager.Hi A couple of things 1. the drive is unlikely to auto detect, when the IBM system 35 was made you needed to get the drive geometry off the drive label and then load the hd's, cdy's, Sectors into the cmos setup. There being 46 standard drive settings and a 47th where you could load the settings in manually. The setup disk did this for you. What is the make and model of drive ? 2. As the drive is booting with the SATA to IDE adapter you should be able to access it if you get the correct parameters in the cmos. The serial number is UL00075698, according to the bios. Probably not relevant, but there is a barcode 180 degrees opposite the power and data connections: B1 QG5 022654. The (hopefully) attached pic is of the top of the drive. And on the back of the drive, I found: IBM PN64F8560 MODEL DT531B-8I

Answer»

I'll keep it short: I have in IBM computer from the 90's running on DOS driver 2.77 with data I would like to access and ideally move to a current computer. When I turn it on, with the original hardware, I only GET "161" and "163" and a error picture telling me to check the manual, which says a dead battery on the motherboard (likely due to sitting in a garage since 2006). When I connect the HDD to current hardware (like 2010) via female IDE to male SATA adapter, I instead get stuck on the attached pic (cropped to be <700KB). I don't know what to try so any help would be appreciated.This probably isn't relevant, but the originally this is an IBM Personal System/2, model 35 SX.There is no attached picture so we can't see what you are encountering with the drive attached to another PC. However, just to be SURE, you attached 2 cables to the drive, right? One is the IDE ribbon cable and the other a power cable. When everything is attached, can you hear the drive spinning? Does it make any noise or have any VIBRATION?
Yes, all cables and ribbons are attached, and the drive is spinning. I had a picture attached when I clicked post, but the screen I'm stuck on is all text so:

HIMEN: DOS XMS Driver, Version 2.77 - 02/27/91
XMS Specification Version 2.0
Copyright 1988-1991 IBM Corp.

Installed A20 handler number 2.
64K High Memory Area is available.

IBM Expanded Memory Manager 386 Version 4.20.06X
(C) Copyright IBM Corporation 1986, 1991

_Replace the battery...part # Cr2032I think those PS/2 models used a Dallas Clock chip.

But more so than that, they require the IBM Reference diskette.

Quote

When I connect the HDD to current hardware (like 2010) via female IDE to male SATA adapter, I instead get stuck on the attached pic

I'm not quite sure I understand, but are you trying to *boot* from that drive on new hardware?

Typically you connect the drive you want data from to another PC as an additional drive, then you can copy or image the drive as desired from Windows or Linux.

I'd guess it is crashing because of how much memory the modern system has.

From the picture it looks like you are trying to boot from that disk, you don't want to boot from that disk. You should boot from the normal C: drive and then the attached drive should show up in File Explorer as maybe the D: or E: drive (It might even appear as a different drive letter depending on how many drives the system has). That way you can copy the data files you want from the attached drive to the C: (or wherever) drive in your current PC.

Quote from: BC_Programmer on January 29, 2021, 06:16:44 PM

I think those PS/2 models used a Dallas Clock chip.

But more so than that, they require the IBM Reference diskette. ...

That's one reason why I haven't suggested he try booting from the ps/2 system itself. ACCORDING to this website: https://www.ardent-tool.com/disks/disks.html, the model 35 requires a Starter Disk for setup as opposed to a Reference Disk (I'm not sure what the difference is). The Starter Disk image can be downloaded from the site above but you will need a computer with a 3.5" floppy drive and image writing software like WinImage to create the Starter Disk.You probably know this already, but those pictures (approval must've been pending) is what I got when trying to boot from the drive. And when I connect it to another computer, the drive doesn't come up in "this pc" but it does in disk management. Disc 3, Unknown, Not Initialized. Would the data get wiped if I initialized the drive? Because similar to searching if it's safe to open a hard drive, some results say yes while others say no.Initialize is another word for format so, no, you don't want to initialize the disk. Doing so will make it difficult to recover the data you are trying to save.So initializing/formatting is off the table, what are my options? It doesn't show up with my other drives in "this pc" but does in disk management and DEVICE manager.Hi

A couple of things
1. the drive is unlikely to auto detect, when the IBM system 35 was made you needed to get the drive geometry off the drive label and then load the hd's, cdy's, Sectors into the cmos setup. There being 46 standard drive settings and a 47th where you could load the settings in manually. The setup disk did this for you.
What is the make and model of drive ?

2. As the drive is booting with the SATA to IDE adapter you should be able to access it if you get the correct parameters in the cmos.
The serial number is UL00075698, according to the bios. Probably not relevant, but there is a barcode 180 degrees opposite the power and data connections: B1 QG5 022654. The (hopefully) attached pic is of the top of the drive.
And on the back of the drive, I found:
IBM PN64F8560
MODEL DT531B-8I

Solve : Need help trying to start old IBM computer running DOS?

Discussion

No Comment Found

Related InterviewSolutions

Reply to Comment