Fixing "old" (but not quite classic) IDE and MFM drives?

From: Bjorn T. Eng <bjorn_at_ktb.net>
Date: Mon Jun 15 17:44:08 1998

Hi,

 I've got a question about "borderline" classics. I've got a few old PCs
from right around 1990, maybe a bit earlier and I've got several small IDE
and MFM drives that I've scavenged from various places.

 Several of these drives seem to almost work (they make the usual sounds
at power up and can be detected by the bios of a newer PC) but they won't
format/fdisk for me.

 Anyone have any tips of things to try as far as simple troubleshooting?
Or are they doomed for the dumpster?

Thanks,

 Bjorn
Received on Mon Jun 15 1998 - 17:44:08 BST