Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!husc6!cmcl2!rna!amms4!hjg
From: hjg@amms4.UUCP (Harry Gross)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Device drivers damaging HW
Message-ID: <601@amms4.UUCP>
Date: 25 Jul 89 20:12:05 GMT
References: <13679@ea.ecn.purdue.edu>
Reply-To: hjg@amms4.UUCP (Harry Gross)
Organization: Eagle Clothes, Inc., New York, NY
Lines: 23

In article <13679@ea.ecn.purdue.edu> jel@ecn.purdue.edu (Jim Lumpp) writes:
>
>I am not very familiar with IBM peripheral hardware and was 
>told it is possible that the drives and monitor of a PC could 
>be damaged by incorrectly written device drivers (i.e., by 
>having students write them).  Is this true?  How susceptible 
>is the IBM hardware to such damage?

I am not sure of the specifics, but I do know that it is quite possible to burn
out the keyboard driver by incorrect driver programming.  If memory serves,
there is a driver chip that is insufficiently protected, and if the wrong signal
is placed onto some line (I never did know which one, but I can find out if you
want), the driver chip will be irrevocably fried.  Yuck - what a design.

If further details are desired, send me e-mail and I will try to get the
specifics from a friend of mine who knows ALL about this stuff.

Cheers,
-- 
		Harry Gross				 |  reserved for
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