Upgrading to 'large' hard disk drives in Bonsai LS Pro's

These bios releases are special release only, and are only to be supplied with a copy of IDE Enhancer software specifically for upgrading to a 'large' hard drive, ie greater than 1024 cylinders. If a bios upgrade is needed, but not for upgrading the hard disk, the previous release must be used, ver 1.07.02 or 2.04.01. If there is any doubt, please contact Apricot Technical Support.

Installation

The installation process is the same on either revision motherboard, for this IPB, I will assume a Bonsai rev C board is fitted.

Assuming standard anti-static precautions, and that the machine is unplugged from the mains, remove the cover from the LS Pro. Then remove the hinged cover that holds the floppy drive in place, exposing the motherboard. Unplug the floppy drive connectors, and remove the panel. Next remove the power supply cover. Once that has been done, unplug the hard drive connectors and remove it by undoing the four retaining screws underneath it.

Insert the replacement hard disk, replace the four screws, make sure that the drive is reconnected to it's power and data cables, then replace the power supply cover.

Using a small flat bladed screwdriver, CAREFULLY work the old bios out of it's holder. Take care not to damage the board underneath by excessive levering, as this may render the board unuseable. Once the old chip is removed, insert the new one. Take care that it is orientated the right way round and that none of the legs bend as the chip is pushed home.

Replace the metal cover in it's fixing slots, reconnect the floppy drive cables, and any other that were removed during the installation, and close the cover down. Make sure that it does close properly, then replace the casing cover.

Reconnect the computer to the mains and any other peripherals (ie, keyboard, monitor, etc) insert the IDE Enhancer diskette into the floppy drive, and switch on the LS Pro. Full installation instructions for the IDE Enhancer software can be found in the manual supplied with it, but you really only need to accept the default settings that it offers you. It will then install, when it has finished, you will have the option to restart the machine and install an operating system onto it. Choose that setting, and insert a DOS disk into the floppy, and let it boot. You will need to format the hard disk, but the final installation will depend which operating system you want to install.

These bioses have been tested with MS-DOS 6.22, MS Windows for Workgroups, and Windows 95. They were also networked while testing, with no problems being found.

They have been tested with a variety of Quantum drives, ranging from a Lightning 730Mb to a Fireball 1.7Gb.

One Limitation found with a Bonsai rev C is that once the upgraded bios is fitted, it will not recognise the original drive. To reinstall the original hard disk, the bios must be downgraded to the previous version - 1.07.02.

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