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