dan@rna.UUCP (Dan Ts'o) (01/11/90)
I'm trying to use Windows 386 on a new Gateway 386/33 Mhz with a 320Mb Micropolis disk and Adaptec ESDI controller. I find a strange (annoying) symptom when running a standard DOS app. such as trying to open a DOS COMMAND.COM window. For some reason Windows tries to default the process to the A: drive (the floppy). Of course it should default that window to the current drive (and directory). I have run Windows 386 successfully on another Gateway machine, a 20Mhz 386 with the same (Phoenix) BIOS, so I don't really suspect the Gateway machine itself (but I could be wrong...). I thought it might be the Adaptec ESDI controller. Indeed Microsoft mentions problems with some ESDI controllers. Yes, I've set COMSPEC and SHELL to be reasonable. Microsoft suggested setting virtualhdirq=OFF which doesn't help. Any ideas ? Please email. Thanks. Cheers, Dan Ts'o 212-570-7671 Dept. Neurobiology dan@rna.rockefeller.edu Rockefeller Univ. ...cmcl2!rna!dan 1230 York Ave. rna!dan@nyu.edu NY, NY 10021 tso@rockefeller.arpa tso@rockvax.bitnet
brian@premise.ZONE1.COM (Brian Moran) (01/12/90)
A friend of mine has a Gateway 386/20 -- Under Windows 386, one version of
the motherboard has exactly the behavior that you describe. It turns out that
the motherboard (NOT a Micronix) was at fault -- something really weird with
the DMA arrangement or something. Also, another manifestation of this problem
is if you run a Microsoft Windows program that uses the Math emulation library
(win87em.exe) and then try to bring up a chart in Excel without exiting windows
first, the machine locks up TIGHT. We gave up trying to software patch the
Excel hang, and he swapped for a Micronix motherboard. Gateway is apparently
aware of problems, since they offer such a swap.
--
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