Hi. I'm extracting data from a laptop HDD by connecting it to the IDE
Secondary Master of a regular PC. Want to get the correct detection of this
HDD before attempting data recovery. The HDD has labeled on its exterior
only a limited amount of info:

size 30.00 GB
heads 16
cyls 16383
sec/T 63
speed 4200 RPM

BIOS setup utility's autodetection got only the size and number of heads
right. It indicated 58140 cylinders in Normal mode. So I must edit that
number. However, I don't trust the values that autodetection displays for
landz and precomp (Normal mode). Can landz and precomp be calculated if the
the size, heads, and cyls are known.. If so, then after calculating them I
could then edit those values.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Knack <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:XuEhb.5024$(E-Mail Removed)...

> I'm extracting data from a laptop HDD by connecting it to the
> IDE Secondary Master of a regular PC. Want to get the correct
> detection of this HDD before attempting data recovery. The
> HDD has labeled on its exterior only a limited amount of info:

> size 30.00 GB
> heads 16
> cyls 16383
> sec/T 63
> speed 4200 RPM

> BIOS setup utility's autodetection got only the size and
> number of heads right. It indicated 58140 cylinders in
> Normal mode. So I must edit that number.

You should normally use the AUTO setting in the bios.

> However, I don't trust the values that autodetection
> displays for landz and precomp (Normal mode).

They're completely irrelevant with modern
hard drives and the values arent even used.

> Can landz and precomp be calculated if the the
> size, heads, and cyls are known.. If so, then after
> calculating them I could then edit those values.

> Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Previously Knack <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Hi. I'm extracting data from a laptop HDD by connecting it to the IDE
> Secondary Master of a regular PC. Want to get the correct detection of this
> HDD before attempting data recovery. The HDD has labeled on its exterior
> only a limited amount of info:

> size 30.00 GB
> heads 16
> cyls 16383
> sec/T 63
> speed 4200 RPM

> BIOS setup utility's autodetection got only the size and number of heads
> right. It indicated 58140 cylinders in Normal mode. So I must edit that
> number. However, I don't trust the values that autodetection displays for
> landz and precomp (Normal mode). Can landz and precomp be calculated if the
> the size, heads, and cyls are known.. If so, then after calculating them I
> could then edit those values.
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.

These values are obsolete. The disk does head-landing by itself today.
Precomp is not used since nowadays the disk uses ZBR, i.e. very
different signal rates anyway. MFM is also long gone, it is some
bizarre variant of advanced RLL today.

The capacity is the only thing the disk tells the BIOS about
itself which is actually true. Go with the detected values.

Arno
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