[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] What does message "I/O card parity interrrupt at 156A:006E" mean?

qruan@viewprint.berkeley.edu ((Tom) Qi Xiong Ruan) (09/17/90)

subject: what does "I/O card parity interrupt at 156A: 006E" mean?

I have a 386 64k cache IBM compatible computer, phoenix BIOS 1.10.14,
4 meg RAM.
I use com1 for mouse, com2 for modem,
I encounter the following message many times:
"I/O card parity interrupt at 156A: 006E",
"NMI (S) to shut off, (R) for Reboot, other key to continue",
It occur sometimes when I am using Procomm Plus, or window 3, or compiling
C program with Microsoft C.
Does anyone know why this message occur?
what hardware cause this problem, memory chip, BIOS, I/O card, or hard disk 
problem? 

Please mail to me at qruan@viewprint.berkeley.edu.

swh@hpcupt1.HP.COM (Steve Harrold) (09/17/90)

>>> What does "I/O card parity interrupt at 156A: 006E" mean?
>>> "NMI (S) to shut off, (R) for Reboot, other key to continue",
>>> I have a 386 64k cache IBM compatible computer, phoenix BIOS 1.10.14,
>>> 4 meg RAM.
---------------
I have periodically experienced this with a 286 machine (HP Vectra) with
extra RAM, as well as with a 386 machine (also Vectra).  

The only way to reliably clear the problem is to power off, power on the
machine.  

I have a theory that the various managers used to control the above-1-meg
RAM are deficient and are not resetting the memory card correctly
under some conditions (e.g. when an application aborts the DOS kernel).
It seems that a system reset (ctl-alt-del) is not sufficient to reset the
memory board (perhaps a BIOS flaw?) and the alleged "I/O card parity.."
message manifests itself.

The card is definitely misbehaving, but it doesn't appear to be a hardware
problem.  The control software seems to be setting up the card for an
"impossible" scenario that the card was not designed to handle (nor was 
it required to do so).

I may be wrong (not being a hardware engineer) but perhaps my analysis will
prompt further comment.