eichi@forty2.UUCP (Stefan Eichenberger) (06/06/90)
I've got quite a nasty compatibility problem, so may be some of you have
suggestions:
I'm running a Olivetti M24, which is better known as AT&T6300, with BIOS
version 1.43 and Olivetti DOS (or IBM PC-DOS, doesn't matter, I checked
both) version 3.3. I then installed a Sysgen Bridge File, with its own
OmniBridge controller as a secondary disk controller to have a 3 1/2 inch
1.44 MByte drive. It all works fine - quite a new feeling to have such
big diskettes.
My system now consists as far as drives are concerned of the following:
A: and B: 360 kByte Diskette
C: 20 MByte DataCard (a Tandon drive with an Omni 5510-7
controller, the Boot drive)
D: and E: 2x 20MByte paritions of a HardCard 40MByte drive
F: a RAM disk (if installed)
G: 1.44 MByte Sysgen Bridge File
Now, if I install Super-PCKWIK cache without any options, it reports, it
won't cache drives F: and G:. If I then insert a diskette in drive G:, of
which I know that it is a good DOS diskette, CHKDSK G: reports: 'Probably
non DOS-Partition, Continue (Y/N)' - media description byte bad? I answer with
NO, and can repeat the game as often as I want. Only, if I physically remove
the diskette and reinsert it, CHKDSK (and apparently other diskoperations
as well) work as advertised! After a reboot, the same game starts again - it's
not enough to insert a diskette only after the disk cache program has started,
I really have to go once through the 'Non DOS-Partition' stuff.
The problem persists even in a pure DOS environment, without RAM disk, minimal
Config.SYS (to install drives D:, E: and G: (which is now F: of course)) and
no Autoexec.BAT (apart from starting the cache. I've not checked with minimal
hardware though.
Another minor problem is that I could use Quarterdecks Buffers.COM together
with my own LoadHI program, which loads the DOS file buffers into high memory
(I've got the holes in the 1MByte address range of the 8086 filled with
additional RAM). It works all fine apart from glitches on the Sysgen drive
again: there I've read and write errors, which I only discover through a file
comparison (that is NOT through any sort of copy/DOS error message!). All
other drives have no problem with Buffers.COM.
Both problems are seen with PCKWIK cache Version 3.19 as well as with
PC-Tools cache version 5.5 (which I think is a derivate of the first).
And yet a last question concerning PCKWIK: It has the option H+ to get
advanced support, as Multisoft calls it. In the Read.Me file, they tell
you, you should use H0 if you had an Omni controller 5510-3, 5510-5 (and
I think some others) but not with 5510-2. They apparently don't mention
my 5510-7! Yet, is advanced support possible with a mixed controller
environment as I have it (DataCard + HardCard)? Multisofts Support number
is a long way from Europe...!
That's a long list of questions, and a rather strange hardware environment,
one where you arrive if you push an 8086 to its limits! Please answer by
E-Mail, I'll summarise, if there is sufficient interest.
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UUCP: ...mcvax!cernvax!forty2!eichi Stefan Eichenberger
BITNET: K807817@CZHRZU1A University of Zurich
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