cnav11@vaxa.strath.ac.uk (05/20/91)
Recently I bought a 386 25MHz IBM compatible.After a few weeks the computer wouldn't start up and kept giving very "strange" messages including Cannot find operating system CMOS battery state low When I took the computer back to the dealer he said that the latest range of IBM compatibles have IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) disk controllers and since I had been using Norton Utilities and PCtools this had probably corrupted the reserved sectors on the hard disk resulting in the system crahing. He couldn't however find the exact fault so he gave me a computer with a new motherboard and advised me to avoid using utility programs. Does anyone have any more information on IDE's and was the dealer correct in telling me to avoid using utility programs.?
rommel@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Kai-Uwe Rommel) (05/21/91)
In article <1991May20.151010.11704@vaxa.strath.ac.uk> cnav11@vaxa.strath.ac.uk writes: >When I took the computer back to the dealer he said that the >latest range of IBM compatibles have IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) >disk controllers and since I had been using Norton Utilities and >PCtools this had probably corrupted the reserved sectors on the >hard disk resulting in the system crahing. > >He couldn't however find the exact fault so he gave me a computer >with a new motherboard and advised me to avoid using utility >programs. > >Does anyone have any more information on IDE's and was the dealer >correct in telling me to avoid using utility programs.? The only utilities you should avoid are programs that low-level format the drive such as SpinRite or Norton's Calibrate. Not only that lowlevel formatting is not required for IDE drives, it will destroy bad sector information. (They use some spare tracks to remap defective sectors, so they appear to be error-free to the OS). Kai Uwe Rommel /* Kai Uwe Rommel, Munich ----- rommel@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de */ DOS ... is still a real mode only non-reentrant interrupt handler, and always will be. -Russell Williams
danr@bcsfse.boeing.com (Dan Richardson) (05/21/91)
If memory serves, there was a very good article about IDE and other drive types in the March (or was it February?) issue of PC Sources magazine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dan Richardson | "If there's anything more important than my Analysts International Corp. | ego around here, I want it caught and shot for Boeing Computer Services | now!" --Zaphod Beeblebrox ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "My opinions are not necessarily those of either my clients or my employers." ==============================================================================
sdawalt@cs.wright.edu (Shane Dawalt) (05/26/91)
From article <1991May20.151010.11704@vaxa.strath.ac.uk>, by cnav11@vaxa.strath.ac.uk: > Recently I bought a 386 25MHz IBM compatible.After a few weeks > the computer wouldn't start up and kept giving very "strange" > messages including > > Cannot find operating system > > CMOS battery state low > > When I took the computer back to the dealer he said that the > latest range of IBM compatibles have IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) > disk controllers and since I had been using Norton Utilities and > PCtools this had probably corrupted the reserved sectors on the > hard disk resulting in the system crahing. > > He couldn't however find the exact fault so he gave me a computer > with a new motherboard and advised me to avoid using utility > programs. > > Does anyone have any more information on IDE's and was the dealer > correct in telling me to avoid using utility programs.? If the dealer thinks that the CMOS battery state is stored in the IDE special sector then he had better sell his business and start hauling garbage. Although the reserved sectors could be corrupted by the utility programs, it would certainly not cause the "CMOS battery state" message. More than likely, something died on your motherboard. Detecting the operating system and low voltage on the battery is two physically separate circuits. Shane(); -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the keyboard of: email: sdawalt@cs.wright.edu Shane A. Dawalt --------------------------------------------------------------------------