Western Digital Caviar Series Operating and maintenance instructions

EZ-DRIVE SOFTWARE OVERVIEW
If you did not receive the EZ-Drive software, you can download it
from our web site at www.wdc.com.
EZ-Drive software is included with the Western Digital hard drive to
help you:
Quickly and easily partition and format your new hard drive.
Overcome the 528 MB barrier.
Overcome the 2.1 GB barrier.
Partitioning and Formatting
Your WD Caviar drive has been low-level formatted at the factory.
The hard drive is defect-free and ready to set up. You must partition
and high-level format the drive so it can accept files.
There are two ways to format and partition your hard drive.
1. Use the EZ-Drive software that you received with the hard drive.
2. Use the DOSutilities FDISK and FORMAT.
We recommend using EZ-Drive. It is a safe, fast, and an easy way to
partition and format the hard drive. See the section Using EZ-Drive
Software on page 2 for instructions.
For instructions on using FDISK and FORMAT, see your DOS user
manual.
Note: DOS has a 2.1 GB partition limit. If you have a 2.5 GB or larger
hard drive,you must create at least two partitions to access the full
capacity.
Partition and Format
If your system supports the full capacity of the hard drive, EZ-Drive
will only partition 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 software such as EZ-Drive is installed.
2.1 GB Barrier
Some computer systems built before 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 installed.
EZ-Drive Help Files
To access EZ-Drive help files on the installation disk, select
Installation Help from the EZ-Drive main menu.
Compatibility
You 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
Products that use their own hard disk device drivers,such as
third-party disk controllers, may not be compatible with EZ-Drive.
Memory Managers
EZ-Drive is fully compatible with the standard memory managers
that come with DOS and Windows. However, EZ-Drive loads in
conventional memory and may not be compatible with some
third-partymemory managers.
Ontrack Disk Manager and EZ-Drive
Ontrack Disk Manager andEZ-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 using Ontrack Disk Manager to set up the new hard
drive.
If your existing drive has Ontrack Disk Manager installed and only
one partition, you can either use EZ-Drive to convert the Ontrack
Disk Manager partition or use Ontrack Disk Manager to set up the
new drive. During installation, EZ-Drive detects Ontrack Disk
Manager and prompts you to convert the partition to an EZ-Drive
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-Drive can convert single Ontrack Disk Manager partitions
only. It cannot convert multiple Ontrack Disk Manager Partitions.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Back up the data on your existing hard drive.
Make sure you have a bootable DOS system disk or Windows 95
Startup disk, EZ-Drive, DOS, and operating system software, and
your system manual.
Write down the hard drive type and parameters (cylinders/
heads/sectors) for the existing drive. Do NOT change the
parameters of your existing hard drive.
EZ-Drive Quick Installation
WD Caviar Series 3.5-Inch EIDE Hard Drives
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CMOS SETUP
Most computer systems provide a CMOS setup program that gives
you access to information regarding your system configuration. Refer
to your system manual for CMOS setup instructions.
Note: Each BIOS is different. The information supplied here is not
meant to be followed step-by-step; it is provided as a guideline. Consult
your system manual for details.
Before installing EZ-Drive, go into your CMOS setup and select the
hard drive type option.
The following hard drive types are usually offered in CMOS: auto
config,predefined, and user defined.
Auto Config Drive Type
Western Digital recommends selecting the auto config drive type. The
auto config drive type automatically sets up the Western Digital hard
drive parameters. If you encounter problems using auto config, try
selecting Type 01.
If you select auto config and have a translating BIOS, EZ-Drive will
not install. You can, however, use EZ-Drive to partition and format
your hard drive.
Note: Even if your BIOS correctly detects the parameters, this doesn’t
mean that the BIOS can translate those parameters. If you are in doubt,
we recommend contacting your system or BIOS manufacturer.
Predefined Drive Type
If you do not have the auto config drive type or if you encounter
problems after selecting auto config, select the Type 01 drive type.
Selecting Type 01 ensures that EZ-Drive will install on your hard
drive.
User Defined Drive Type
Select user defined if your CMOS Setup does not offer auto config or
Type 01. If you select user defined, you must enter 1023x16x63 for
your drive parameters.
USING EZ-DRIVE SOFTWARE
Follow these instructions to partition and format the new hard drive.
If your system does not support the full capacity of your hard drive,
EZ-Drive installs special code in the boot sector of the harddrive to
overcome the BIOS limitations.
Note: The steps outlined in this section represent a typical installation.
You installation may vary.
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.
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.
1. After you complete CMOS setup, insert a bootable DOS disk 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
press ENTER.
4. The Micro House EZ-Drive license agreement displays.
Press ENTER to start the installation.
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
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5. At the EZ-Drive Main Menu, select Fully Automatic Installation.
Press ENTER.
6. AfterEZ-Drive detects the drive, the following screen displays if
your system does not support the full capacity of your hard drive.
Press Y to continue installation.
7. EZ-Drive formats the drive now. If your drive is 2.5 GB or larger,
the following screen displays. Press ENTER to accept the default
partition sizes.
Note: DOS has a 2.1 GB partition limit. If you have a 2.5 GB or larger
hard drive,you must createat least two partitions.Do not createa
partition largerthan 2.1 GB.
8. Follow the instructions onscreen, and when prompted insert a
bootable DOS disk.
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9. EZ-Drive has successfully set up your hard drive. Remove any disk
from your floppy drive. Press ESC to exit and restart your system.
Your hard drive is now partitioned and formatted.
INSTALLING AN OPERATING SYSTEM FROM DISK
If you installed EZ-Drive on the hard drive, you must follow the
steps below to install DOS 5.0 and above, Windows 3.1x, Windows
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 format your hard drive, see your DOS manual for
installation instructions.
Caution: If you do not install DOS exactly as described below, the
DOS setup routine will reformat 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. . .
EZ-Drive: Hold the CTRL key down for Status Screen or to boot
from a floppy...
3. Press and hold down the CTRL key. A status screen displays.
4. Read the screen prompt and type A.
5. Insert the DOS installation disk 1 into drive A. Press ENTER.
Follow the prompts tocomplete the installation.
UNINSTALLING EZ-DRIVE
This option removes EZ-Drive, and returns control of the drive to
your system BIOS.
Note: Before uninstalling EZ-Drive, make sure that you have properly
configured theBIOS to recognize the full drive capacity.
1. Insert the EZ-Drive disk into drive A.
2. From the A: prompt, type ez and press ENTER.
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 the Change Installed Features screen, selectControlled by
EZ-Drive. Press ENTER to toggle the selection to Disabled.
6. From the Change Installed Features screen, select Save Changes.
7. Press ESC to return to the Installation Options screen, and select
Uninstall EZ-Drive.
8. A warning message displays. Type Yto remove EZ-Drive.
EZ-Drive is now uninstalled and the BIOS controls this drive.
FREQUENTLY ASKEDQUESTIONS
A short list follows with common questions and solutions.
Q: Do I need to run FDISKand FORMAT?
A: No. EZ-Drive is a faster, easier way to partition and format your
hard drive.
Q: I don’tsee the full capacityof my hard drive when installing
DOS.
A: Two issues affect the installation of your hard drive: 1) some
systems do not properly recognize hard drives that have more than
4095 cylinders (drives larger than 2.1 GB); 2) most system BIOS
dated before 1994 don’t recognize drives greater 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.
-OR
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 your
DOS partitions and then re-install EZ-Drive. Be sure to follow the
instructions outlined in the preceding section Installing an Operating
System from Disk.
The following list provides the phone numbers for several BIOS
sources.
BIOS Sources:
Micro Firmware
(Phoenix BIOS only) [phone]
Phoenix [phone]
Unicore [phone]
Tips
Refer to your operating system manual to install operating
systems other than DOS.
See EZ-Drive online help for more information.
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Q: Will mysystem BIOS support the Western Digital 2.5 GB or
larger hard drive?
A: With some systems, the BIOS cannot recognize drive capacities
greater than 2.1 GB. Use the EZ-Drive software to overcome this
BIOS limitation.
Q: The reported capacity of my hard drive is MUCH smaller than
Table 1 shows it should be.
A: Your system BIOS improperly handles hard drives that report
greater than 1024 cylinders. Use the EZ-Drive softwareto access the
full capacity of your drive.
Q: What will happen if I install EZ-Drive on a hard drive that has
Ontrack Disk Manager?
A: EZ-Drive and Ontrack Disk Manager cannot coexist in the same
system.If the existing harddrive has onlyone partition and Ontrack
Disk Manager already installed, EZ-Drive converts the Ontrack Disk
Manager partition to an EZ-Drive 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 install. Use OntrackDisk Manager to set up the new hard
drive.
Q: How much memory does EZ-Drive use?
A: 5 KB.
Q: How can I get 32-bit disk access in Windows?
A: Use the 32-bit disk access driver included on the EZ-Drive disk.
Install the driver by running the EZ-Drive SETUP.EXE program.
Q: I have a 2.5 GB or larger 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.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
North America only: 714-932-4900 or 800-832-4778
Outside North America: 714-932-5000
Europe only: [phone]
If you need additional information or help during installation or
normal use of our products, contact Western Digital Technical
Support.Our customer support staff will answer your installation
questions by phone. When calling for support, please have your
Western Digital hard drive serial number and system hardware
versions available.
BULLETIN BOARD SERVICE (BBS) (24 HOUR)
North America only: 714-753-1234
Germany: [phone]
U.K.: [phone]
You may access the Technical Support Bulletin Board if you have a
Hayes-compatible modem witha 2,400 to28,800 baud rate.The
required format is: 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity.
DocuFAX (24 Hour)
North America only: 714-932-4300
The Netherlands only: 020-4467650
Outside The Netherlands: [phone]
Use the automated FAX system to have product information sent
directly to your FAX machine.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
To obtain these reference documents, call Western Digital at
714-932-5000 or download them from the Western Digital web site.
BIOS Barriers Information Sheet (79-880099-000)
The FAT Dilemma Information Sheet (79-880098-000)
WD Caviar 1.2 GB to 4.0 GB Installation Guide
(79-870027-002)
Western Digital Quick Installation (AC2540-AC34000)
(79-850078-000)
Western Digital Quick Installation (AC280-AC1425)
(79-850079-000)
ONLINE SERVICES
Online services include general product and contact information,
installation guides, downloadable drivers, and frequently asked
questions.
Internet:
www.wdc.com
FTP Site:
ftp.wdc.com
America Online:
Keyword: WDC
Western Digital
8105 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, California 92618
Western Digital and Caviar are registered trademarks and WD Caviar, CacheFlow, FIT Lab, and The World’s Most Recommended Hard Drive are trademarks of Western DigitalCorporation.
Other marks may be mentioned herein that belong to othercompanies. Product specifications subject to change without notice. © 1997 Western Digital Corporation. Allrights reserved.
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