application, you must use MCC-compatible connectors
and mounting hardware. If the mounting holes in your
computer do not line up with the mounting holes on the
drive, your computer may not be MCC-compatible.
Configuring your computer
Before your computer can recognize a new drive, you must enter
basic information about the drive into the computer’s long-term
memory (usually a battery-powered CMOS chip). The com-
puter’s basic input/output system (BIOS) uses this information to
control the flow of data to and from the drive.
Note. Some newer computers can automatically determine your
drive type and configure themselves appropriately at startup.
Read your system manual to determine whether this applies
to your computer. If so, then skip ahead to “Formatting and
partitioning the drive,” on page 8.
If your computer cannot automatically determine your drive type,
you must run a system setup program to specify the number of
cylinders, heads and sectors for each drive in your system. This
procedure is described on the following page. The table below
lists cylinder, head and sector information for the Marathon 420sl.
No. cylinders 988
No. read/write heads 16
No. sectors per track 52
Total no. sectors 822,016
Bytes per sector 512
Capacity (Mbytes):
BIOS calculated 400
Usable 420
Marathon 420sl Installation Guide, August 1995 5
