Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!apple!altos!gumby!jerry From: jerry@gumby.Altos.COM (Jerry Gardner) Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms Subject: Re: 386 Enhanced Problem. Message-ID: <4737@gumby.Altos.COM> Date: 26 Mar 91 18:53:40 GMT References: <77.27DF83E0@bohemia.metronet.org> <13479@helios.TAMU.EDU> Reply-To: jerry@altos.COM (Jerry Gardner) Organization: Altos Computer Systems, San Jose, CA Lines: 29 BE> Why is it that I can run Windows in Real and Standard Mode, but not 386 BE> Enhanced? My system is a 25MHz 386, 84MB SCSI HD, 2 MB Ram, QEMM 5.11. BE> Every time I try to run in Enhanced Mode, I get Disk Read Error, Abort BE> Ignore Retry Fail. The other modes work just fine! Also, anybody out BE> there have docs on the Seagate ST-01 card? Mine didn't come with them. The problem is probably your SCSI controller. If it's a DMA bus master, it will thoroughly confuse Windows when it tries to start up in 386 mode. The reason for the confusion is as follows: when the 386 is remapping memory to different physical addresses, it doesn't correctly pass this information along to bus masters. The SCSI controller will take a virtual address and use it to do DMA. Unfortunately, this address may not point to the correct address in physical memory. The solution is to use a device driver with your SCSI board that supports the VDS standard (Virtual DMA Services). Both Windows 3.0 and QEMM 5.1 support VDS directly. Adaptec has a driver for its controllers called aspi4dos.sys. If you can't get an appropriate driver, try using smartdrv with the /B parameter. -- Jerry Gardner, NJ6A Altos Computer Systems UUCP: {sun|pyramid|sco|amdahl|uunet}!altos!jerry 2641 Orchard Parkway Internet: jerry@altos.com San Jose, CA 95134 Help stamp out vi in our lifetime. (408) 432-6200