Western Digital AC21000, AC31000, AC11200, AC21200, AC31200 Quick Installation

Western Digital Quick Installation

(A C2540-A C 34000)

WD Caviar Series 3.5-Inch EIDE Hard Drives (EZ-Drive 8.0W)

DRIVE AC2540 AC2635 AC2700 AC2850 AC21000 AC31000 AC11200 AC21200 AC31200 AC21600

Capacity (MB) 540.8 639.9 730.8 853.6 1083.8 1083.8 1281.9 1281.9 1281.9 1624.6

DRIVE AC31600 AC22000 AC32100 AC32100 AC22500 AC32500 AC33100 AC33200 AC34000

Capacity (MB) 1624.6 2000.3 2111.8 2111.8 2559.8 2559.8 3166.7 3249.3 4000.7

This document is for use with EZ-Drive 8.0 or below. Check the version number on the EZ-Drive diskette. If you have version 9.0W or abov e, refer to Docu­ment 79-850086-000 S0225, 8/97.

HARDWARE INSTALLATION

Before you begin, gather these supplies:

Computer system manual
DOS and other operating system installation disks or

Windows 95 startup disk
Operating sys te m manu al
Small Phillips screwdriver and flat-blade screwdriver

Create a Bootabl e DOS Disk

For Windows 3.1x and DOS users, you must have a bootable DOS
disk to install your new hard drive. Disk 1 of your standard DOS
installation disks is a bootable disk. If you don’t have DOS
installation disks, you can create a bootable disk if you have a
bootable C: drive.

1. Insert a blank disk into drive A.

2. Type format a:/s and press

Create a Windows 95 Startup Disk

For Wi nd o ws 95 u s ers , yo u mus t ha ve a boo table operating disk
before you install the new hard drive. If you don’t have a Windows
95 Startup disk, you can create one if you have a bootable C: drive.

1. Insert a blank disk into drive A.

2. From Windows 95, click My Computer, and then click Control
Panel.

3. Click Add/Remove Programs.

4. Select the Startu p Disk tab.

5. Click Create Disk. Follow the onscreen prompts to create a
Windows 95 startup disk.

Back Up Existi ng Drives

Back up the data on your existing hard drive before installing your
new Western Digital hard drive. Save the data to flo p p y di sks , tape

or other media. Most DOS versions include a backup utility. Consult
your operating system or utilit ie s d ocumentatio n f o r backup
procedures.

ENTER.

Handling Precautions

W estern Digital products are designed to withstand normal handling
during unpacking and installat ion. Hard drives are typically damaged
because of electrostatic di scharg e (ESD), rough handling, or sho c k
and vibration. Be aware of the following precautions when
unpacking and installing your Western Digital hard drive.

Save you r pack ing materials for the un li kel y event that you need
to return the hard drive. Shipping your hard drive in anything
other than the original packa gi ng materials may void y o u r
warranty.

To avoid ESD problems, ground yourself by touching the metal
chassis of the comput er before ha ndling the hard d r ive. Articles of
clothing generate static electricity. Do not allow clothing to come
in direc t co n tact wit h the hard dr iv e o r circuit board com p o n ents.

Handle the hard drive b y t he sides only. Avoi d t ou ching th e
circuit board components.

Do not drop the hard drive.
W e recommend that you do not unpack the hard drive until you

are ready to install it . O nce your Western D igital hard drive is
unpacked, place the drive on its antistatic bag on a clean, level
work area. D o not stack hard drives or stand the Western Digi tal
hard drive on its edge.

Do not remove the tape seal or any labels from the drive; the
warranty will be void.

Open Your Computer

1. Tur n off your system.

2. Discharge static electrici ty by to u ch ing the met al cha ssis of the
compute r.

3. Unplug your computer.

4. Remove the compute r’s outside cover. Consult your computer
system manual for details. Be sure to keep all screws and other
parts together fo r re as s embly.

Remove Existi ng Hard Drives

If replacing an existing drive, follow these instructions.

1. Disconn ec t the p ower cable and interface cable.

2. Rem o ve screws and s li de the hard drive out of the drive bay.
Handle the drive with care. You might need this drive if you have
difficulty installing the new drive.

Note: Do not scratch th e si de s of the hard dr iv e ; th is w ill voi d y our
warranty.

79-850078-001 S0210 9-97

1

Figure 1. Jumper Settings for Western Digital Hard Drives

Set the Drive Jumpers

Western Dig ital is currentl y ship p ing hard drive s w ith two ty p e s of
connectors. Your hard drive may have either a 6-pin or a 10-pin
connector. The first 6 pins on each of the jumper blocks are identical.
The additional four pins on the 10- pin connector are res erved for
future enha n cements.

The Western Digital hard drive is factory set for single drive
installatio n w ith a ju mp e r in the neutral storag e po si tion (across pi ns
5-3). For standard jumper settings, see Figure 1 on page 2.

Single Hard Drive Installation

If installing the Western Digital hard drive as the only hard drive in
your system, leave the jumper in the neutral storage position for
possible future use. Jumpers are not required for single hard drive

installations.

Dual Ha rd Drive Inst a llation

If installing the Western Digital hard drive with an existing drive,
you must use a ju mper to designate wh ich drive is the master (C:) ,

79-850078-001 S0210 9-97

and which is the slave (D:). We recommend using th e new
Western Digi tal har d d rive as the maste r.

If installing the Western Digital har d drive wi th a no n- Western
Digital hard drive, obtain jumper configuration information from
your or ig in al drive ma n u f acturer. Refer to the Troubleshooting section
for the phone numbers of non-Western Digital hard drive
manufacturers.

To designate the Western Digital hard drive as the master drive in
a two-drive system, place the jumper on pins 5-6.

To designate the Western Digital hard drive as the slave drive in a
two-drive system, place the jumper on pins 3-4.

To Install a Jumper

Carefully place the shu nt o ver the two pins sp ecified in Figure 1.
Push the s hu nt into place until it is firmly seated against the base of
the jump er block .

Note: The master/slave setting is determined by the jumper configura­tion, not by the order of the drive on the IDE cable .

2

Mounting Hardware

Inspect the bay to se e whether it is a 3.5- i n ch o r 5. 25- inch bay. The
Western Dig ital hard drive fi ts into a 3.5-inch bay. If installing the
Western Digital hard drive in a 5. 25- inch bay, you must install the

5.25-inch mounting hardware that is provided. You might also need
to install the s ystem ma n ufacturer’s drive rails. Consult your
operating system manual for i nstallation into a 3. 5- inch bay.

Installing the 5.25 Mounting Hardw are

This step is not required for hard drive installations into a 3.5-inch
drive bay.

1. Gently place the har d driv e horizont ally (circuit board s i de down) on
top of the ESD bag placed on a flat, padded surface.

2. Attach the mounting brack e ts to the hard driv e using the screws
provided. For proper grounding, be sure to use ALL FOUR
screws.

Install Your New Hard Drive

1. Thread the cable through the empty drive bay and slide in the
Western Digital hard drive.

2. Attach the end of the 40-pin interface cable to the 40-pin
connector on the back of t he Western Digi ta l hard drive. Match
pin socket 1 on the IDE cable (indicated by a color stripe on the
cable) t o pin 1 on the Western Digital hard d rive. See Fi gure 3.

3. Attach the computer system power supply cable to the 4-pin power
connector on t he b a ck of the Western Digita l ha rd driv e. The
4-pin connector is keyed to ensure proper insertion.

Figur e 2. 5.25 -inch Mounti ng H ardware

Drive Rails (Optional)

Some computer syst em s ha v e 5.25 -inch drive bays that requi re
unique sliding driv e rails to comp l ete the hard d rive installation.
Because each system manufacturer has a different type of drive rail,
rails are not included with Western Dig i tal hard drives.

If your system requires drive rails, contact the computer system
manufacturer. The following list provides phone num bers for
common system manufacturers.

System Manufacturers:

AST 817-232-9824
Compaq 713-518-2000
Dell 512-338-4400
Digital 603-884-5111
Gateway 2000 605-232-2000
HP 208-323-2551
IBM 800-IBM4YOU
NEC 415-528-6000
Pac kard Bell 801-579-0161

Figure 3. Attaching IDE Cable to the Hard Drive

4. Single Installations: Attach the end of the 40-pin IDE cable from
the Western D ig ital hard drive to th e IDE co nnector on the
motherboard o r controller card. Match pin sock et 1 o n t he IDE
cable (indi cat ed by a co l o r st rip e on the cabl e ) to p in 1 on the

motherboard o r co ntroller card.
Dual Installations: Connect the two hard drives by us ing a

three- connect o r I DE interface cable. A t hree-con nector I DE
interface cable is included in this package. Match the orientation
of pin socket 1 on the 40 -pi n th re e- co nne ct or IDE cable to pi n 1

on the drive connect or. See Figure 3.

Tips:

Install single drives at the end of the 40-pin IDE cable. The
40-pin IDE cable should be no longer than 18 inches.

The master/slave is determ ine d by jump e r confi gu rat ion, no t
by the order of the driv e o n the ca b l e.

5. Mount the Western Digital hard drive in the drive bay using the
four mounting screws provided. For proper grounding, be sure to
use ALL FOUR screws.

If an extra power connector is not av ail able, purchase a Y-adapter
from your computer dealer.

6. Check all ca ble conne ctions. Replace the system cover, but don’t
screw it on yet. If you can’t get the new drive to work, you may
need to check the connections.

7. Plug in your computer. See the Software Installation section for
hard d r ive setup instructions.

79-850078-001 S0210 9-97

3

DRIVE AC2540 AC2635 AC2700 AC2850 AC21000 AC31000 AC11200 AC21200 AC31200 AC21600

Capacity (MB) 540.8 639.9 730.8 853.6 1083.8 1083.8 1281.9 1281.9 1281.9 1624.6
CMOS (MB) 515 610 696 814 1033 1033 1222 1222 1222 1549
CHKDSK (MB) 540.8 639.9 730.8 853.6 1083.8 1083.8 1281.9 1281.9 1281.9 1624.6

DRIVE AC31600 AC22000 AC22100 AC32100 AC22500 AC32500 AC33100 AC33200 AC34000

Capacity (MB) 1624.6 2000.3 2111.8 2111.8 2559.8 2559.8 3166.7 3249.3 4000.7
CMOS (MB) 1549 1907 2035 2035 2441 2441 3020 3098 3815
CHKDSK (MB) 1624.6 2000.3 2111.8 2111.8 2559.8 2559.8 3166.7 3249.3 4000.7

Table 1. CMOS and CHKDSK Megabytes

SOFTWARE INST A L LATION

Before using the new hard drive, you need to configure your system
BIOS (CMOS S etup pro gram) and partition and form at the hard
drive.

CMOS Setup

The co mputer system provides an initial set u p utilit y (CM O S Setup)
that allows you to tell the system what type of hardware you are
using. You access CMOS Setup with a series of keystrokes or run it
from a disk or CD-ROM. CMOS setup procedures vary from system
to system. Follow the setup instructions in your computer system
manual.

To configure your system for LBA mode:

1. Enter your CMOS Setup program (sometimes called the Setup
program). Re fer to you r s y st em ma nu al for ins tru ctions.

Important: If you are installing the 2.5 GB or larger drive and are not
able to acces s y our CM OS Setup, r e fe r to the 2.5 GB or Large r Hard
Drives section on p ag e 5.

2. Select an auto config drive type. The full capacity of your drive
should display. See Table 1 for the full capacity of your drive in
CMOS.

Tips:

If your CMOS setup does not have an auto config drive type,
try selecting Type 01. Then install EZ-Drive.

If your system does not have auto config or Type 01 drive
types, try user defined and en ter 1023x16x63 for the drive
parameters . Then inst all EZ-D rive.

Note: Western Digital de fi ne s a decimal megab y te a s 1,000,000 (10
bytes. CMOS defines a binary meg aby te a s 1, 04 8, 576 ( 2

20

) bytes.

6

This is why different utilities rep ort diff e r e nt hard dri ve c a pacities.

3. Enable options such as LBA or Translation Mode. If you don’t have
either options, you need to upgrade the BIOS or install EZ-Drive.
See Troubleshooting for a list of BIOS sou rc es and phone nu mbers.

Partitioning and Formatting

Your Western Digital hard drive has been low-level formatted at the
factory. The hard drive is ready to set up and is defect-free. You must
partition and high-level format the hard drive so it can accept files.

There are two ways to format and partiti on the har d drive.

1. Us e t he EZ-Dr ive software that you re ceived wi th t he hard dr ive.

2. Us e t he DOS util ities FD I SK a nd FORM AT.
We recommend usi ng E Z- Drive. It is a safe , fast, and an e as y way to

partition an d form at th e ha rd d rive. See the sect io n Using EZ-Drive
Software for ins tru ctions.

For instructions on using FDISK and FORMAT, see your DOS user
manual.

Note: DOS has a 2.1 GB partition l im it . I f y ou have a 2.5 GB or large r
hard dri ve , y ou m ust create at lea s t tw o pa r ti tions to access the fu ll
capacity.

EZ-Drive 8.x So ft ware Overview

EZ-Drive 8.x software is included with the Western Digital hard
drive to help you:

Parti ti on and form at yo u r new har d dri ve .
Overcome th e 52 8 M B ba rri er.
Overcome th e 2.1 G B barrier.

If you did not receive the EZ-Drive software, you can download it
from our web site at www.wdc.com.

Partition and Format: If your system supports the full capacity of
the hard driv e, E Z- Drive will only parti tion and format the hard
drive. It does not install code on your boot sector.

)

528 MB Barrier: Most computer systems built before August 1994
do not support hard drives larger than 528 MB, unless the BIOS is
updated or third-party softw are such as EZ-Drive is installed .

2.1 GB Barrier: Some comp u te r s y st ems bu il t be fo re early 1996 do
not support hard drives with more than 4095 cylinders (hard drives
larger than 2.1 GB), unless the BIOS is updated or third-party
software such as EZ-Drive is inst a lle d.

EZ-Drive Help Files: To access EZ-Drive help files on the
insta llation d i sk, sel ect Installation Help from the EZ-Drive main
menu.

79-850078-001 S0210 9-97

4

Compatibility: Y ou can use EZ-Drive software with DOS 5.0 and
above, Windows 3.1x, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95,
Windows NT, OS/2 2.1x, and OS/2 Warp.

You cannot use EZ-Drive with Novell NetWare or Unix.
Data Compression Software: EZ-Drive is compatible with Stacker,

Drivespace, and Doublespace disk compression utilities. Other data
compression software may not be compatible. Always back up your
data before using any data compression software.

Hard Disk Device Drivers: Prod ucts that use their own ha rd d isk
device drivers, such as third-party disk controllers, may not be
compatible with EZ-Drive .

Mem ory M anagers: EZ-Drive is fully compatible with the standard
memory managers th at come wit h DOS and Window s . H owever,
EZ-Drive loads in conventional memory and may not be compatible
with so me third- p arty memory managers.

Ontrack Disk Mana ge r an d EZ-Drive: Ontrack Disk Manager and
EZ-Drive cannot co-exist in the same system. If your existing drive
has Ontrack Disk Manager installed and multiple partitions, you
cannot install EZ-Drive . We recommend u si ng Ontrack Disk
Manager to s et u p the new hard drive.

If your existing drive has Ontrack Disk Manager installed and only
one partitio n, y ou can either use EZ- Drive to conver t th e On t rack
Disk Ma nager partition or us e Ontrack Disk M anager to set up the
new drive. During installation, EZ-Drive detects Ontrack Disk
Manager an d pr om p ts y ou to convert the partition to an EZ -D rive
partition. If you do, EZ-Drive converts the Ontrack Disk Manager
partition to an EZ -Drive partition.

Even though EZ-Drive can convert your Ontrack Disk Manager
partition to an EZ-Drive partition without data loss, Western Digital
recommends that you back up your data before selecting this option.

Note: EZ-Dri ve ca n convert single Ontr a ck Disk Manager parti ti ons
only. It cannot conv e rt mu ltip le O ntrack Disk Manager Partitions.

6. After EZ-Drive detects the drive, the following message displays if
your system does not support the full capacity of your hard drive.

EZ-Drive must control this drive to access the full capacity

Press Y to continue installation.

7. EZ-Driv e formats the drive now. Follow th e in st ruc tions onscreen,
and when pro mp ted, insert a DOS d is k .

8. EZ-Drive has successfully set up your hard drive. Remove any disk

ESC

from the floppy drive and press

to exit and restart the system.

Your hard drive is now p artitioned and formatted.

Installing an Operating System from Disk

If you installed EZ-Drive on the hard drive, you must follow the
steps below to ins tall DOS 5.0 and above , Windows 3.1x, W indows
for Workgroups, Windows 95, Windows NT, OS/2 2.1x, and OS/2
Warp from disk. If you did not install EZ-Drive, or used it only to
partition and form at y o u r har d dr ive , see yo u r DO S manu al fo r
installatio n i n s tru ctions.

Caution: If you do not install DOS exactly as described below, the
DOS setup routine reformats the hard drive to less than the full
capacity.

1. Remove any disk from the floppy drive.

2. Press

CTRL+ALT+DEL

to reboot the system. The following message

displays if EZ-Drive is installed on your hard drive.
EZ-Drive: Initializing. . .

CTRL

EZ-Drive: Hold the

key down for Status Screen or to boot

from a floppy.

CTRL

3. Press and hold down the

key. A status scree n dis p la ys .

4. Read the screen pr om pt and ty pe A.

ENTER

5. Insert the DOS installation disk 1 into drive A. Press

.

Follow the prompt s to co mp l e te i n s tal l ation.

Using EZ-Driv e S oftware

Follow these instructi o ns to part ition and format your new har d
drive. If your system does not support the full capacity of the hard
drive, EZ -Drive in stalls spec ial code in the bo ot se ctor of the har d
drive to overcome your BIOS limitations.

If your system does support the full capacity of your hard drive,
EZ-Drive will only partition and format your hard drive. It will not
install code on your boot sector.

1. After you com ple te CMO S s etu p, insert a bootab le DO S or
Windows 95 startup disk in drive A.

2. Press

CTRL+ALT+DEL

to reboot your system.

3. Insert the EZ-Drive disk in drive A. At the A: prompt, type ez and

ENTER

press

.

4. The Micro H ou se EZ-Dr ive lice n se agreem e n t d isplays .
Press ENTER to start the instal l ation.

CAUTION: Installing EZ-Drive on any drive that contains software
and data will result in the erasure of all software and data on that
drive.

5. At the EZ-Drive Main Menu, select Fully Automatic Installation.

ENTER

Press

.

Follo w the instruc tio n s o n s creen.

USING THE DRIVE

It is extremely important to regularly back up the data on your
hard drive. In the event of data damage or loss, a backup ensures
successful recovery.

Consult your opera tin g sy st em docu me ntat io n for backup
instructions and procedures.

TROUBLESHOOTING

2.5 GB or Larger Hard Drives

If you install a 2.5 GB or larger hard drive and your system locks up
on initial boot, read the instructions in this section.

The 2.5 GB or larger hard dr ive s have mo re than 4095 cylinders.
With s ome syst ems, the BIOS CANNOT prop erly rec ognize hard
drives that hav e mo re tha n 4095 cylinders.

You know if your system BIOS has this limitation after installing the
drive. On the initial boot your system may lock up or show a much
smaller drive capacity. If your system locks up, follow the instructions
below. If your system reports a much smaller drive capacity , follow
the instructions outlined in the Software Installation section.

If your system does not respond (locks up)after two minutes, follow
these steps:

79-850078-001 S0210 9-97

5

Figure 4. Jumper Settings for 2.5 GB or Larger

Hard Drives (Used to overcome the BIOS limita tio ns described in this section. )

Note: Use these jumper settings only if you encounter the specific BIOS limitation described in this section. When using these jumper settings, you
MUST install EZ-Dr ive.

1. Turn your system po wer off, check th e ID E i nte rface and power
supply cables.

2. Check jumper settings.

3. Turn on your system power.

4. Try to enter your CMOS setup, and set the drive type to auto.

If your system still doesn’t respond, you may have a system BIOS
that doesn’t support drives with mo re than 4095 cylinder s. If th is is
the case, these solutions are available:

1. Use EZ-D ri ve.
If the system locks up before you can enter CMOS, you may need
to turn off your system power and disconnect the IDE cable from
the system to access your CMOS setup.

Enter your CMOS setup. Refer to your system manual for
instructions.

Select the Hard Disk Type option for the new Western Digital
hard drive. Select a user defined drive type and enter: 1023x16x63.

Reconnect the IDE cable to the system.

79-850078-001 S0210 9-97

The new settings allow your system to boot so that you can install
EZ-Drive to access the full driv e capacity.

– OR –

If you don’t have a user defined drive type, follow step 2 or 3 below to
change the par ameters reported to th e BI O S. In the future, if you

move this drive to another system, you must put the jumper back
to the standard position.

2. Rejumper the drive as shown in Figure 4 on page 6, and install
EZ-Drive. If you use the alternate jumper settings, you must
install EZ-D rive.

Note: Th ese specia l jump er settings WILL NOT wor k for OS/2 Warp,
Novell NetWare, or Unix.

– OR –

3. Upgrade your BIOS.
A properly upgraded BIOS will support the drive. Contact your
system manufacturer. See page 3 for a list of common system
manufactur ers and page 7 for BIOS source s an d thei r p hone
numbers.

6

UNINSTALLING EZ-DRIVE

This option removes EZ-D ri ve, and re tu rns co ntrol of the drive to
your system BIOS.

Note: Before uninstalling EZ-Drive, make sure that you have properly
configured the B IOS to recognize the full driv e capacity.

1. Insert the EZ- D rive disk into dri ve A.

ENTER

2. From the A: prompt, type ez and press

.

3. From the EZ-Drive Main Menu, select Other Options. From the
Installation Options screen, select Change Installed Features.

4. Select the drive you want to change.

5. From th e Change Installe d Features s cr ee n, select Contr olled by

ENTER

EZ-Drive. Press

to toggle th e s el ec t i on to Disabled.

6. From th e Change Installe d Features screen, select Save Changes.

ESC

7. Press

to return to th e Installation Op tions screen , and select

Uninstall EZ-Dr ive.

8. A warning message displays. Type Y to remo ve EZ- D ri ve .
EZ-Drive is now uninstalled and the BIOS controls this drive.

Non-Wes tern Digital Drive s

If install in g the new Wester n Digital hard driv e wi th a non-Wester n
Digital hard drive, you may have to contact the other manufacturer
for master/slave jumpe r configuration informatio n.

Note: Dri ve s on the secondary IDE port conform to the same
requirements for master/slave configuration as the primary IDE port.

IBM (800) IBM4YOU
Maxtor [phone]
Quantum [phone]
Seagate/Conner [phone]

General

This section lists procedures to help resolve problems that you may
encounter when installing the Western Digital hard drive.

Refer to your sy s tem docume ntation to be sure that yo u fol lo we d
the setup procedures correctly.

Make sure that you partitioned and formatted the EIDE drive and
any additional drive with the EZ-Drive or other installation
softwa re or DOS FDISK an d FORMAT utilities. ( I f you are
making this drive bootable, remember to sp ecify th e / S
parameter.) Refer to your operating sy st em do cumentation to
check t hese pr ocedure s.

If using DOS 3.3 and abo ve, be certain to make one partition active
during formatting.

Check the physical installation of your system to make sure that:

- Jumper selections on the drive are correct for your installation.

- Cables are correctly co n n e cted and seated.

- Adapter card, if required, is properly seated, connected, and con-

figured.

- Po wer is properly connected to your system and the system is

plugged in.

Frequently As ked Questions

A short list follows with common questions along and solutions.

Q: I get the message “HDD Controller Fai lure” after installing m y
Western Digital hard driv e.

A: This common message may appear when you first boot the
system after installing the hard drive. Press

to continue. If the

F1

message continues to display, retrace the ste ps outlined for CMOS
setup, c a bl ing, and jumper configuration.

Make sure to follo w the inst al lation instructions co rrectly. Then
follow the instruc tio ns fo r using EZ-Drive or FDISK and F O RMAT
to install the op er ating sy stem.

Q: Do I need to run FDI S K and FORMAT ?

A: Not if you installed EZ-Drive software.

Q. What is a megabyt e?

A: Hard drive suppl iers define a decimal meg abyte as 1,000,000
bytes (10
(2

6

20

). Alternatively, a binary megabyte is defined as 1,048,576

). This is why different utilities will display different numbers of
megab y t es avai lable for the same d r ive. The v a l ues in Tabl e 1 use th e
following megabyte definitions:

Capacity Megabytes
CMOS (MB) binary megabytes
CHKDSK (MB) decimal megabytes

Q: Do I have to do anyt hing to my original hard drive when adding
yours to it?

A: Ye s, one hard drive must be designated as a master, and the other
as a slave. We recommend that you des ig nate the new drive as yo u r
master. For non-W estern Digital hard drives, consult your original
hard d r ive docum entation f or master /slave ju m p er settin gs . See
Non-Western Digital Dr i ve s on this page. If the original hard drive
uses disk compression software, consult the disk compression
documentatio n before adding another drive.

Q: What should I che ck if m y s ystem will not start aft er I turn on
the power?

A: Ensure that:

1. The IDE co ntroller ca rd , if installed, is prope rly seated an d

connected.

2. The con nections at bot h ends of the hard d r ive cabl e a re secure

and correctly oriented.

3. The jumper selections on your hard drive(s) are set correctly for

your installation.

4. The drive is connected t o the comp uter power supply via the 4-pin

power connector.

Q: I used FDISK an d FO R MAT to set up my new hard drive. Now, I
can’t boot DO S from my newly instal led hard drive or access the
hard drive after I’ve completed the soft ware installation.

A: Check the system to make sure:

1. You entered the correct ha rd dr iv e p ara m eters during the system

setup procedure.

79-850078-001 S0210 9-97

7

2. Some CMOS Setup utilities might have a boot sequence option. If
yours does, verify that the boot sequence is A: then C:. Not all
CMOS setup utilities ha v e th is option.

3. You correctly partitioned (via the operating system FDISK utility)
and formatted (via th e o per ating system FORMAT utility) yo ur
newly installed hard drive.

4. Y ou made your primary drive bootable (formatted with /S option).

5. During the FDISK procedure you marked your bootable partition
active.

Q: My drive will not spin up, or it spins down after a few seconds.

A: Ensure that:

1. Your power connec to r is secure and wor k ing properly.

2. The orientation of pin socket 1 on the 40-pin IDE cable matches pin
1 on the connector.

3. The drive type in your CMOS setup is correct.

Q: I don’t see the ful l capacity of my hard drive when installing
DOS.

A: Two issues affect the in stallation of y our har d drive: 1 ) some
syst ems do not properly r ecogniz e hard drives that have more than
4095 cylinders (dri ves larger than 2.1 GB); 2) mos t s y st em BIO S
dated before 1994 do n’ t recognize d ri v e s g re ate r than 528 MB. To
overcome this limitation, either install EZ-Drive or upgrade your
system BIOS. The following list provides the phone numbers for
common BIOS sources.

BIOS Sources:

Micro Firmware
(Phoenix BIOS on ly) [phone]
Phoenix [phone]
Unicore [phone]

If you installed EZ-Drive and then incorrectly booted to your DOS
installation disks, you may have accidentally used DOS to overwrite
your EZ-Drive partitions. You need to use FDISK to delete all
partitions, and th en re-install EZ-D rive. Be sure to follo w th e
instructions outlined in the section Installing an Operating System
from Disk on page 5

Q: The reported capacity of my hard driv e is MUCH smaller tha n
Table 1 shows it should be.

A: Your system BIOS improperly handles hard drives that report
greater than 1024 cylinders. Use the suppli ed installation s o ftware to
get the full capacity of y our d rive.

Q: How much memory does EZ-Drive use?

A: 5 KB.

Q: How can I get 32- bit dis k access in Windows?

A: Use the 32-bit disk access driver included on the software
installation disk. Install the driver by running the EZ-Drive’s
SETUP.EXE program, or use the DMCFIG program if you have
Ontrack Disk Manager.

Q: I am installing a ne w Western Di git al drive onto a second IDE
controller car d (s econdary port). How do I jumper it?

A: Refer to the standard jumper options shown in Figure 1. If it’s the
only drive on the cable, jumper it as sing l e. If the dr ive is paired with
another IDE device, jumper it as master or slave.

Q: Should I partition my hard drive?

Caution: Repartitioning an existing drive destroys all the data. If
repartitionin g an existing drive, be su re to create a backup first.

If your hard drive is 2.5 GB or larger, you must create multiple
partitions.

Western Digi tal does n ot have a recommen d a tion fo r t he optimal
number of partitions . The fol lo wi ng info rmation will help you make
the decision .

EZ-Drive and FDISK utilities allow you to divide your drive into
multiple pa rtitions that functi o n as separate driv es.

In DOS, every file that is stored gets at least one allocation unit
(cluster), regardless of the file size. The size of the cluster increases
with the size of th e partition. F or exampl e, if you have a 1024 MB
partition, the cluster size is 32 KB. This means that even a 62-byte
batch file consumes 32 KB of storage space. A typical mix of
application and data f il e s can inclu de tho usands of fil es. If each file
contains a few kilobytes of wasted space, this can add up to several
megabytes of wasted space.

The only way to reduce the clus te r si ze is to reduc e th e partition size.
The breakdown for DOS 5. 0 and above follows:

FDISK Partition Size * Cluster Size

0 - 127 MB 2 KB
128 - 255 MB 4 KB
256 - 511 MB 8 KB

512 - 1023 MB 16 KB

1024 - 2047 MB 32 KB

* FDISK reports binary megabytes (1,048,576 bytes), not decimal megabytes
(1,000,000 bytes). All numbers above are shown in binary megabytes.

Note: The maximum partition that can be created in DOS is 2048 MB.

Q: Will my drive work with Windows 95?

A: Yes. Your drive has been thoroughly tested in the Western Digital
FIT Lab and is compatible with Windows 95.

Q: I have a 2.5 GB or la rger drive. Can I create one partition only?

A: No. DOS has a 2.1 GB partition limitation. You must have at
least two partitions to access the full capacity of your drive.

Q: What will happen if I in st all EZ-Drive on a hard dri ve that has
Ontrack Disk Manager?

A: EZ-Drive and O ntrack Disk Manager cannot co exist in the same
syst em . If the exi sting ha r d drive has only one partition an d Ontra ck
Disk Ma nag er already installed , EZ- Drive converts the O ntrack Disk
Manager part ition to an EZ-D rive partition . Back up your hard
drive before installing EZ-Drive. If the existing hard drive has
multiple partitions and Ontrack Disk Manager installed, EZ-Drive
will not ins tal l . Use Ontrack D is k M anager to set up the new har d
drive.

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8

Q: Can I install Windows NT 3.5x, OS/2 2.1x or OS/2 Warp on my
drive that origi nally was installed wi th EZ-Drive?

A: Y es , bu t y ou mus t d is able floppy boot protecti on befor e i ns tal l ing
EZ-Drive. See EZ-Drive help files for details.

Q: I’ve read the entire Troubleshooting section and I sti ll cannot
correctly inst all my drive.

A: If none of the solutions in this section solve your problem, there
are other options available: 1) Read the README.CAV text file on
the EZ-Dri ve or O ntrack Disk M anager disk for additio nal
troubleshooting information; 2) Check Western Digital online
servic es for a mor e comprehensiv e list of f requent l y asked questio n s;

3) Contact yo ur deal er; o r 4) Have the EZ-Drive dis k available and
contact Western Digital Technical Suppo rt.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

North Ameri ca o nl y: 714-932-4900 or 800-832-47 78
Outside North America: 714-932-5000
Europe: [phone]
If you need additional information or help during installation or

normal use of our products, contact Western Digital Technical
Support. Ou r customer support s taff wi l l an sw e r y o ur ins tal l ati o n
questions by phone. When calling for support, please have your
Western Digital hard drive serial number and system hardware
versions avai l able.

ONLINE SERVICES

Online s ervices inclu de ge n er a l pr o duct and contact informatio n,
installation guides, downloadable drivers, and frequently asked
questions.

Internet:

www.wdc.com

FTP Site :

ftp.wdc.com
America Onlin e:

Keyword: WDC

Western Digital

8105 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, California 92618

BULLETIN BOARD SERVICE (BBS) (24 HOUR)

North Ameri ca o nl y: 714-753-1234
Germany: [phone]
U.K.: [phone]
You may access the Technical Support Bulletin Board if you have a

Hayes-c om patible modem with a 2,400 to 28,800 baud rat e. Th e
required format is: 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity.

DOCUFAX (24 HOUR)

North Ameri ca o nl y: 714-932-4300
Europe: [phone]
Use the auto mated FAX system to have pr o duc t information se nt

directly to your FAX machine.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

To obtain these reference documents, call Western Digital at
714-932-500 0 or dow nl o ad them fro m th e Western Digita l web site.

BIOS Barriers Information Sheet (79-8 80099-000)
The FAT Dilemma Informa tion Sheet (79-880098-000)
WD Caviar 1.2 GB to 4.0 GB Installation Guide

(79-870027 -002)
EZ-Drive Qu i ck Installation (79-850080-000)
Western Digita l Qu ick Installation ( AC280-AC142 5)

(79-850079 -0 00)

Western Digital and Ca v iar are registered trademark s and CacheFlow, FIT Lab, and The World’s Most Recommended Hard Drive are trademarks of Western Digital Corporation.
Other mark s that belong to ot her companies may be mentioned herein. Product specifications subject to chan ge w ithout notice. © 1997 Western Digit al Corporati on. All rights reserved.

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