Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!jarthur!ucivax!ucla-cs!ucla-seas!seashell!jsin From: jsin@seashell.seas.ucla.edu (Just Another John) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: Help identify hard disk controller Message-ID: <1023@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU> Date: 2 Sep 90 08:21:37 GMT Sender: news@SEAS.UCLA.EDU Distribution: na Organization: SEASnet, University of California, Los Angeles Lines: 41 I have a 25MHz 386 clone (No name), and I'm curious about its hard disk speed/performance. When I ran coretest 2.92, I get 180kb disk transfer rate, 35ms average seek time, and 5.7ms Track-to-track. This is just slightly better than an original IBM AT, according to the coretest program. Is this normal for a 25MHz 386 system? I get about 26 si ratings (for whatever that's worth), and I have no complain about the system as a whole, but I can't understand why the hard disk performace is so lousy. I have a Miniscribe 6085 which formats to 70 MB, and has 1024 cylinders, 8 heads, 17 sectors - but I don't have the seek/access time on this drive. It was formatted with SpeedStor utility at 1:1 interleave. The controller is from Western Digital. It supports 2 floppies (both 3.5 high density and 5.25 high density) and 2 MFM hard disks. It seems to have a 16-bit connector edge, and is in fact in one of my 16-bit slot. There is a marking on the bottom that reads "WA6V", and in smaller letters "K2200028". There are no jumpers on this board, and it is a half-card (on the large side). The largest chip on the board reads: WDC '87 WD42C22A-JU 10-02 8849 05789190502 PROTO 03 What is the rated access time for 6085 Miniscribe drive? What kind of disk controller do I have? Why is my disk so slow? Is this normal? What can I do to speed it up? Currently I use smartdrv.sys and sometimes pc-cache.exe (from PC-TOOLS 6.0) which makes it bearable, but I can always use some help. Thanks for any help you can give, -- John (Jonghoon) Sin (Above opinions are my own etc, etc, etc...) UCLA SEASnet Facilities InterNet: jsin@seas.ucla.edu 2567 Boelter Hall UUCP: ...!(uunet,ucbvax,rutgers)!seas.ucla.edu!jsin Los Angeles, CA. 90024 Phone: (213) 825-3556