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EZ-Drive FAQ Sheet
Western Digital Technical Support (http://www.wdc.com/support)
This document was last modified on Saturday, 01-Mar-97 14:06:56 PDT
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1: How can I install OS/2 Warp on my system with EZ-Drive? 
2: Is EZ-Drive compatible with Local Bus IDE controller cards? 
3: My keyboard or mouse does not function normally after exiting Windows on a drive 
installed using EZ-Drive. Are there any known issues? 
4: QEMM 7.5 will not load in Stealth Mode. What can I do? 
5: Windows crashes with EZ-Drive installed on my drive. My system ROM BIOS is the 
Award BIOS version 4.50G. Are there any updates? 
6: How do I remove the EZ-Drive Master Boot Record(MBR)?
7: My system displays the message: "No IDE Drive Installed Messages." What does this 
mean? 
8: How do I Remove EZ-Drive in a system with LBA option available in the 
ROM BIOS? 
9: I keep getting the message "Hold down the CTRL key...". What is causing this? 
10: My system hangs after booting directly from non-system disk. What can I do? 
11: What is the message "Unrecognized DBR"  from EZ-Drive? 
12: Does MH32BIT.386 support DMA type "f" or Block mode? 
13: How do I install Mh32bit.386 (Microhouse Fastdisk driver)? 
14: Where does EZ-Drive write its code on the hard drive? 
15: Why should I use EZ-Drive? 
16: How much memory does EZ-Drive use? 
17: How many hard drives does EZ-Drive support? 
18: Does EZ-Drive work on IBM PS/1 and PS/2 machines? 
19: Does EZ-Drive load in High or Conventional memory? 
20: Will EZ-Drive allow me to partition my 3.1GB drive as one large partition? 
21: Does MH32Bit.386 work with Windows 95? 
22: What happens to the drive letters if I use EZ-Drive on an extended partition? 
23: Does EZ-Drive work with other operating system such as OS/2, UNIX etc.? 
24: How does EZ-Drive work with a drive using Disk Manager? 
25: Does EZ-Drive overwrite a hard drive with Disk Manager already installed? 
26: Will I lose my data if I uninstall EZ-Drive? 
27: How do I set the CMOS for my hard drive with EZ-Drive? 
28: Is it necessary to have a driver in Config.sys to run a slave drive formatted with EZ-
Drive? 
29: What is the Ezfix.bin file and how does it work? Is this a device driver which loads in 
Config.sys? 
30: When using Disk Manager, if a person was told to Alt-T (clear the first sectors on 
their drive) and they did not back-up first, it was possible to recover the data using the 
DDO recovery procedure. Will it be possible under EZ-Drive to do the same thing 
after using the command "Ezwipe.exe"?
31: Can I boot from a diskette or boot with EZ-Drive installed on my drive while running 
Windows 95? 32: Should I remove EZ-Drive from my drive after upgrading to Windows 
95? 
33: Is EZ-Drive necessary on systems running Windows 95? 
34: What happens if the drive configuration in the CMOS is changed after a drive is 
installed with EZ-Drive and Windows 95? 
35: When trying to make an EZ Recovery Diskette, I get the error message: "EZ needs to 
have EZFIX.BIN in current directory to create Recovery Disk." What does this mean? 
36: EZ-Drive hangs on my newly installed Caviar 2.5GB. I can not boot from the drive or 
floppy disk.    What could be wrong?
37: I use your EZ-drive disk to create a new rescue disk. After I was instructed to insert a 
blank diskette it gave me a message: "INVALID DISK CHANGE READING DRIVE 
"A" Please Insert Volume Serial" What is wrong?
38: What steps should I take when I move my hard drive from my current (non-translating 
BIOS) system (which requires EZ-Drive) to a new system that has a translating 
BIOS? Also how do I un install EZ Drive?
39:  I ran a program that hung my machine. Now my machine boots and displays "EZ-
Drive initializing..." and hangs there. How can I reinstall EZ-Drive without loosing 
my data?
40: After installing EZ to support my large drive, I have the following problem: The boot 
sector is modified by EZ. As a result the drive is indicated as having a possible virus. 
How can this be fixed?

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1: How can I install OS/2 Warp on my system with EZ-Drive?

To install OS/2 Warp on your machine, you must setup the drive with EZ-Drive 
4.02 or later. You must also correctly boot from the OS/2 installation disk. To 
boot correctly from the floppy diskette, boot from the hard drive, Hold down the 
Control Key when the message "Hold down Ctrl-key to boot from floppy..." appears 
on the screen. Insert the OS/2 installation diskette into the floppy drive and 
press Enter. EZ-Drive must also be installed with Floppy Boot Protection disabled. 
To do this, run EZ-Drive and from the main menu select Other Options, then select 
Change Installed Features.

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2: Is EZ-Drive compatible with Local Bus IDE controller cards?

Extensive testing has revealed the following compatibility issues for various 
Local Bus IDE controllers: 

If your controller uses one of the chips listed below, then follow the directions 
provided:

Appian ADI2 - Fully Compatible. HVLIDE.SYS is fully compatible with EZ-Drive. 
ADI2C143.SYS is also fully compatible with EZ-Drive. Install your drive with 
EZ-Drive and then install one of these drivers into your CONFIG.SYS. 

CMD640x - Fully Compatible. CMD640X.SYS is fully compatible with EZ-Drive. 
Install your drive with EZ-Drive and then install the driver into your CONFIG.SYS. 

PC Tech RZ1000 - Not Supported. ZEOS/Phoenix BIOS does not need EZ-Drive as it 
natively supports large drives. If EZ-Drive sets up a large drive, it will take 
over from the BIOS and the drive will be slower than BIOS support. Recommend 
setting up drive through BIOS and not EZ-Drive. 

Opti 611A & 621A - Not Supported by any product or hardware. OPTIVIC.SYS 
(dated 5-11-94) is incompatible with large drives both with and without EZ-Drive. 
An updated driver is under development by Opti.

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3: My keyboard or mouse does not function normally after exiting 
Windows on a drive installed using EZ-Drive. Are there any 
known issues?

We have determined this to be caused by the installation of a mouse driver. This 
changes a line in the System.ini file to Keyboard=C:\MOUSE\mousevkd.386. To remedy 
the problem, change the line in the SYSTEM.INI file back to Keyboard=*vkd.

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4: QEMM 7.5 will not load in Stealth Mode. What can I do?

Add the switch XSTI=76 to the QEMM line in the Config.sys file.

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5: Windows crashes with EZ-Drive installed on my drive. My 
system ROM BIOS is the Award BIOS version 4.50G. Are there 
any updates?

Download EZPCH502.EXE from Microhouse BBS at (303) 443-9957. This file is a self 
extracting file that contains instructions to update the EZ-Drive MBR.

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6: How do I remove the EZ-Drive Master Boot Record(MBR)?

The MBR cannot be altered if the computer boots from the EZ-Drive MBR. Insert the 
bootable floppy disk into drive A: and restart the computer. Ensure the BIOS does 
not have MBR virus protection enabled and the boot sequence searches for the floppy 
drive first. Run the command FDISK /MBR. 

WARNING: If the hard drive was setup with a Custom Drive Type, access to the data 
on the drive will be lost. Thus, backup the data before performing these procedures.

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7: My system displays the message: "No IDE Drive Installed 
Messages." What does this mean?

Normally, EZ-Drive identifies an IDE drive with nothing set in the BIOS (CMOS). 
Occasionally, EZ-Drive reports No IDE Drives Installed when a drive is present. If 
CMOS has no values for the drive, it may inhibit the EZ-Drive setup. In most cases, 
select the user defined drive type in the BIOS and set the cylinders, heads, and 
sectors per track at 1024 x 16 x 63. Even though these are not the actual parameters 
of the hard drive, EZ-Drive will be able to detect the drive and configure it correctly. 
If no user defined drive type is available, select drive type 1. 

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8: How do I Remove EZ-Drive in a system with LBA option 
available in the ROM BIOS?

Note: This process requires EZ-Drive 5.00 or later

- Boot to DOS, insert the EZ-Drive diskette, and run EZ
- Select Other Options, then select Change Installed Features
- Have EZ-Drive Release Control of the hard drive
- Exit EZ-Drive, re-start the system, and enter the BIOS Setup
- Autodetect the hard drive or enter the cylinders, heads, and sectors via the User 
  Definable Drive Type
- Enable LBA mode
- Save changes and exit the BIOS Setup
- Boot the system either to floppy or the hard drive. The BIOS is now handling the drive
- If all drives/directories on the hard drive are accessible and programs appear to run 
  correctly, re-boot to DOS, insert the EZ-Drive diskette, and run EZ. If your 
  drive/directories are not accessible, see the note below.
- Select Other Options, then select Uninstall EZ-Drive
- Exit EZ-Drive and re-boot the system. EZ-Drive is now removed, the BIOS is handling 
  the drive, and your data should be intact. However, with any operation such as this, 
  it is recommended that you backup your data prior to executing these steps

NOTE: If, after EZ-Drive releases control of the drive, your drive/directories are NOT 
accessible, then the BIOS LBA translation is different from the translation EZ-Drive 
used. In this case, enter your BIOS Setup and disable LBA translation. Leave the drive 
parameters as they are. Boot to a floppy boot diskette, then insert the EZ-Drive diskette 
and run EZ. Have EZ-Drive regain control of the drive. Backup your data. Once your data 
is backed up, re-boot to a floppy (make sure the boot sequence in your BIOS Setup looks 
to the floppy drive first), run Fdisk /MBR, re-partition and format the drive using Fdisk 
and Format, then restore your data.

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9: I keep getting the message "Hold down the CTRL key..." 
What is causing this?

Every occurrence of this has been found to be a system infected with the "Ripper" 
virus. 

Note: This process requires EZ-Drive 5.00 or later.
- Boot directly from a bootable floppy diskette
- Insert the EZ-Drive diskette
- Type EZ/MBR and press Enter
- Run EZ
- Pick Change Installed features
- ENABLE Windows NT Compatibility Mode for 5.00 

or 

- DISABLE Floppy Boot Protection for EZ 5.02 and later
- Pick Save Changes
- Run virus scan software. 

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10: My system hangs after booting directly from non-system disk. 
What can I do?

User turns on the machine with a diskette in the floppy drive that does not contain 
bootable system files. The message "NON SYSTEM DISK or DISK ERROR" is 
displayed on the screen. Noticing the error, the user removes the floppy and 
re-boots the system. Now it hangs and will not boot. All cases of this error 
have been linked to the ANTIEXE virus. 

Note: This process requires EZ-Drive 5.00 or later. 

- Boot directly from a bootable floppy diskette
- Insert the EZ-Drive diskette
- Type EZ/MBR and press Enter
- Run EZ
- Pick Change Installed features
- ENABLE Windows NT Compatibility Mode for 5.00

or 

- DISABLE Floppy Boot Protection for EZ 5.02 and later
- Pick Save Changes
- Run virus scan software 

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11: What is the message "Unrecognized DBR"  from EZ-Drive?

User receives a message that EZ-Drive has encountered an unrecognized DBR and 
prompts the user whether they want to transfer it anyway. This is a feedback 
message to prepare the user if the hard drive does not boot properly after setup. 
An unrecognized DBR message may mean that the DBR on the floppy diskette has been 
corrupted or simply is not one that is easily recognized by the program. Such as, 
a language specific version of DOS. If the DBR is on a bootable floppy someone has 
created, the first recommendation is to abort the process and re-SYS the diskette. 
If the DBR is on a DOS diskette like DOS Disk1, answer yes to complete the transfer. 
If the hard drive does not boot with an NON-SYSTEM DISK ERROR, Reset the system and 
hold down the key when prompted. Insert a bootable floppy when prompted and press 
to get to an A: prompt. Then SYS the hard drive to transfer the bootable files. At 
that point, the hard drive should be able to boot without any problems. 

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12: Does MH32BIT.386 support DMA type "f" or Block mode?

No. MH32BIT.386 does not support DMA type "f" or Block mode at this time.

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13: How do I install Mh32bit.386 (Microhouse Fastdisk driver)?

"Setup" is used to install MH32BIT.386 for Windows 3.1x only. It replaces *WDCTRL 
or WDCDRV.386 in SYSTEM.INI with MH32BIT.386.

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14: Where does EZ-Drive write its code on the hard drive? 

Sector 1 : Boot Loader MBR..
Sector 2 : Regular MBR which is executed after EZ-Drive loads.
Sector 3-17 : EZ-Drive Int 13 Handler. 

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15: Why should I use EZ-Drive?

EZ-Drive provides large drive support for older BIOS. It makes drive installation 
a quick and effortless process. It also works around problems with BIOS that hang 
on drives larger than 2.1GB. 

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16: How much memory does EZ-Drive use?

EZ-Drive uses 5K from your conventional memory.

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17: How many hard drives does EZ-Drive support?

EZ-Drive supports up to 4 drives on two channels.

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18: Does EZ-Drive work on IBM PS/1 and PS/2 machines?

Yes, it works on some. It will not work on Microchannel systems. 

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19: Does EZ-Drive load in High or Conventional memory?

Neither, It is physically loaded at the top of conventional memory but is not 
included in either the Conventional or Upper Memory Control Block chains. 

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20: Will EZ-Drive allow me to partition my 3.1GB drive as one 
large partition?

No. This is a limitation of the FAT-16 file system (DOS and Windows File System). 

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21: Does MH32Bit.386 work with Windows 95?

It could but it should be removed (commented out) of System.ini if upgrading from 
Windows 3.11 to Windows 95. Windows 95 contains built-in support for all EZ-Drive 
enhancements. 

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22: What happens to the drive letters if I use EZ-Drive on an 
extended partition?

You would encounter the same behavior as DOS Fdisk. 

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23: Does EZ-Drive work with other operating system such as 
OS/2, UNIX etc.?

Yes, EZ-Drive works with OS/2 and Windows NT, however its behavior in UNIX 
environment is unknown. 

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24: How does EZ-Drive work with a drive using Disk Manager?

EZ-Drive converts the Disk Manager partition to an EZ-Drive partition provided 
there is only one (1) partition on the hard drive. 

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25: Does EZ-Drive overwrite a hard drive with Disk Manager 
already installed?

No, it converts a Disk Manager partition to an EZ-Drive partition and maintains the 
data provided there is only one (1) partition on the drive. 

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26: Will I lose my data if I uninstall EZ-Drive?

If EZ-Drive is uninstalled and the BIOS does not support large drives, the data on 
the drive will not be properly accessible. If the BIOS does support large drives and 
it is set to the same parameters that EZ-Drive used to set up the drive, then the 
data should be accessible. 

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27: How do I set the CMOS for my hard drive with EZ-Drive?

It does not matter with the exception that Drive 0 must be set to some CMOS type 
other than "None". However, Windows 95 will not take over primary adapter drives 
in protected mode if they are not set in the CMOS. 

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28: Is it necessary to have a driver in Config.sys to run a slave 
drive formatted with EZ-Drive?

No, there is no need to load a driver in the Config.sys to access your drive in 
the slave position. 

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29: What is the Ezfix.bin file and how does it work? Is this a 
device driver which loads in Config.sys?

This file is used by EZ-Drive to create the recovery floppy. It is the program 
copied onto the recovery floppy which actually restores the data onto track 0. 
It is not loaded in Config.sys. 

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30: In Disk Manager, if the Alt-T (clear the first sectors on their 
drive) function was mistakenly envoked, it was possible to recover 
the data using the DDO recovery procedure. Will it be possible 
under EZ-Drive to recover data after using the command 
"Ezwipe.exe"?

No, EZwipe will wipe the entire first cylinder and the all data will be totally destroyed. 

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31: Can I boot from a diskette or boot with EZ-Drive installed on my drive while 
running Windows 95?

If the user boots a Windows 95 bootable diskette without loading the EZ-Drive BIOS 
extension drivers, the hard drive will not be accessible. Yes, the function of the 
EZ-Drive driver is to add to the BIOS that functionality which it lacks for 
supporting greater than 528 MB hard drives. Part of the job of the BIOS, or a driver 
such as EZ-Drive, is to report information about the hard drives to the operating 
system. This information (which is detailed in the Western Digital "Enhanced IDE 
Implementation Guide", the "Microsoft Interrupt 13h Extensions" document by Navine 
Jaine, and a document from Phoenix Technologies which combines the two called the 
"Enhanced Disk Drive Specification") must be available to the operating system, or 
it will not be able to access a greater than 528 MB drive correctly. 

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32: Should EZ-Drive be removed from the system after Windows 
95 is installed?

No, EZ-Drive must remain on the drive unless the drive is moved to a system with a 
translating or LBA BIOS. 

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33: Is EZ-Drive necessary on systems running Windows 95? 

No, but EZ-Drive will be needed on any system without a translating BIOS regardless 
of the operating system. 

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34: What happens if the drive configuration (in the CMOS) is 
changed after a drive is installed with EZ-Drive using Windows 
95?

There will be no impact at all on a drive greater than 528 MB, unless the CMOS drive 
type is set to "Not Installed." EZ-Drive builds its own parameter table, which overrides 
the one provided by the BIOS. 

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35: When trying to make an EZ Recovery Diskette, I get the error 
message: "EZ needs to have EZFIX.BIN in current directory to 
create Recovery Disk." What does this mean?

EZ.EXE was launched from somewhere other than the A prompt (A:), for example, by 
typing "A:\EZ.EXE" from the C prompt. To overcome this, simply re-launch EZ.EXE 
*from* A: and the error goes away. 

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36: EZ-Drive hangs on my newly installed Caviar 2.5GB. I can not 
boot from the drive or floppy disk. What could be wrong?

During installation of EZ-Drive on a drive greater than 2.1GB, user is prompted that 
the drive must be partitioned into at least 2 partitions. The default values of these 
partition are 2.1GB and 400MB. If you select to specify the sizes of these partitions, 
you must specify partitions smaller than 2.1GB. If you choose to make one partition, 
EZ-Drive allows to do so, however, due to the limitations of the FAT-16 file system, 
you will not be able to boot. Some customers have reported that they were able to boot 
from this large partition a few times, but then they experienced serious problems later. 
The fix is to simply re-install EZ-Drive and accept the default values or specify 
partition sizes smaller than 2.1GB.

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37: I used the EZ-drive install disk to create a new rescue disk. 
After I was instructed to insert a blank diskette it gave me a 
message: "INVALID DISK CHANGE READING DRIVE "A" 
Please Insert Volume Serial" What is wrong?

 
EZ.EXE was launched from somewhere other than the A prompt (A:), for example, by 
typing "A:\EZ.EXE" from the C prompt. To overcome this, simply re-launch EZ.EXE 
*from* the A: drive and the error should go away.
       
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38: What steps should I take when I move my hard drive from my 
current (non-translating BIOS) system (which requires EZ-Drive) 
to a new system that has a translating BIOS? Also how do I 
uninstall EZ Drive?

Set CMOS on the new BIOS/motherboard to AUTO DETECT and enable LBA. Save and 
exit. Boot the system to DOS. Insert the EZ Drive diskette into drive A:. At  the A:\ 
prompt type EZ and press Enter. Select Other Options from the EZ Drive main menu, 
then select Changed Installed Features. Move the cursor to Controlled by EZ Drive. 
Press Enter to toggle the selection to enabled. Go back to the EZ Drive Main Menu. 
Select Disable EZ Drive. Select Uninstall EZ Drive. 

The BIOS should now be controlling the partition. All data should be intact.

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39: I ran a program that hung my machine. Now my machine boots 
and displays "EZ-Drive initializing..." and hangs there. How can I 
reinstall EZ-Drive without loosing my data?
 
Boot the system to DOS off a bootable floppy disk. Insert the EZ Drive program 
disk in drive A. Type ez/mbr at the A:\ prompt and press Enter. This will rewrite 
the EZ Drive code and keep all data intact. 


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40: After installing EZ to support my large drive, I have the 
following problem: The boot sector is modified by EZ. As a result 
the drive is indicated as having a possible virus. How can this be 
fixed?

EZ Drive needs to have its code on the boot sector of the drive for support. 
EZ-Drives code cannot be modified. Therefore, the virus protection program will 
have to update itself to accept the presence of EZ Drive. Please contact the virus 
protection software manufacture for information, or remove the virus program 
software from the system (not all virus protection software packages will do this).
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