Does anyone know how to find documentation for the "drive parameter table". I found this when I was reading Ralf Brown's Interrupt List entry for INT 13h/AH=08h (read drive params)
In the return section, es:di being a pointer to a drive parameter table is mentioned, but I don't know how to find it and what format it uses.
The most promising piece of info on that page is
(Table 00242)
Values for diskette drive type:
01h 360K
02h 1.2M
03h 720K
04h 1.44M
05h ??? (reportedly an obscure drive type shipped on some IBM machines).
2.88M on some machines (at least AMI 486 BIOS)
06h 2.88M
10h ATAPI Removable Media Device
But that just says "table 00242", which may not be the drive parameter table, although that table is for floppy disks.
Floppy Disk Drive Parameter Table
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Skeletonz33
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Octocontrabass
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Re: Floppy Disk Drive Parameter Table
Why do you want it?Skeletonz33 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2026 2:38 pmDoes anyone know how to find documentation for the "drive parameter table".
Anyway, since floppy disks are ancient, a good place to check is IBM's BIOS Interface Technical Reference. (Newer BIOS functions are usually standardized elsewhere.)
If you're looking in RBIL, you want table 01264.Skeletonz33 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2026 2:38 pmBut that just says "table 00242", which may not be the drive parameter table, although that table is for floppy disks.