Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!mit-amt!mit-caf!goldberg
From: goldberg@mit-caf.UUCP (Andrew F. Goldberg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: INTEL PC 386 Inboard
Message-ID: <977@mit-caf.UUCP>
Date: 10 May 88 15:43:32 GMT
References: <2826@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Reply-To: goldberg@mit-caf.UUCP (Andrew F. Goldberg)
Organization: Microsystems Technology Laboratory, MIT
Lines: 44
Keywords: 386, Inboard, disk cache
Summary: Glowing report on Intel Inboard with caveat on disk cache software

In article <2826@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> radon@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Radon Research) writes:
>I recently installed an Intel Inboard PC 386 board in a real XT and
>encountered some problems.  I want to know who (if anyone) else has seen
>similar things.
>First, my 20 meg Seagate drive generates seek errors (it NEVER did this
>before)  It is so bad I'm going to replace it as soon as I complete a
>"women and children first" backup.  These seek errors persist for
>certain files even when the speed is bumped down or extra wait states
>added to hard disk requests.  Also, the machine now fails on occasion to
>boot up.  The disk whirrs, but no video (not even a cursor) comes on.
>This means no memory count, no boot, - just a big desk heater.
>  has anyone else got similar negative reports to make, or glowing
>positive reports?  Is it going to nuke my new disk as well? (at least
>this one will be nuked under warranty)

I installed Intel inboards in 2 genuine IBM XT's and have only
glowing praise.  Norton index of 16.7.
At the same time I replaced the original 10MB hard
disk with a 40MB Seagate drive (from PC Connection - came with OnTrack
Disk Manager) and have had no problems, EXCEPT....

Sometimes executable programs would not run off the hard disk unless recopied
from the distribution floppy. CHKDSK was happy, and so was norton's disktest
utility in "check data" mode, but not "check file" mode, for which it reported
errors on the files I was having trouble with.

I believe the problem was with the disk cache software (ICACHE.COM)
that came with the
Inboard.  In the manual it mentions that the default mode is to read not
just the sector you need, but the entire track in which the requested sector
resides. The manual mentions that if there is a bad sector in the track the
cache software may fail. This apparently includes even known bad sectors that
DOS would otherwise tolerate.  So unless you have a disk with absolutely NO
bad sectors (I don't) this default mode will, if I am correct,
bring you guaranteed trouble.
Fortunately there is a way to turn off this "feature" (/T-) and read only
the sector that is requested.  Using the /T- switch has made this repeatable
problem go away from both XT's.

Andy Goldberg
MIT Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems
Cambridge, Mass.

internet: goldberg@lees.mit.edu