Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!srhqla!nrcvax!rick
From: rick@NRC.COM (Rick Wagner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: slow starter
Keywords: booting, hard disk
Message-ID: <483@nrcvax.NRC.COM>
Date: 28 Feb 90 18:24:44 GMT
References: <1990Feb27.190614.13619@seri.gov>
Reply-To: rick@nrcvax.UUCP (Rick Wagner)
Organization: Network Research Corp., Oxnard CA
Lines: 32

>Elbereth@moncam.co.uk (Dave Emmerson) writes:
>>Far more likely is that your controller thinks it's got another drive
>>(hard or floppy) which is not there, but it waits around in case it's
>>one of the old ones which did take up to a minute to spin up before it
>>can finally be sure that it really doesn't exist.
>

I have seen this happen.  I was working on someones XT clone,
installing an EMS board, and I noticed that it took a long time to
boot.  It would "probe" the hard disk (the LED would blink, and the
drive would recalibrate), then the machine would sit and think for
about 15 seconds.  Finally, the controller reported "1 hard disk
found".

This seemed to be an unreasonable amount of time, so I poked around.
What I found was whoever installed the controller in the system had
not removed the static protectors from the unused driver connector.
This protector is a conductive black foam "worm" which is inserted
between the rows of pins on the drive connectors during manufacture.

I removed the "worm", rebooted, and the system came up much faster.
Apparently, the "worm" was allowing some control line to be driven to
a state, making the controller think there was another drive present.
The controller then waited for the drive to come ready, and after 15
seconds gave up.

-- 
===============================================================================
Rick Wagner						Network Research Corp.
rick@nrc.com						2380 North Rose Ave.
(805) 485-2700	FAX: (805) 485-8204			Oxnard, CA 93030
Don't hate yourself in the morning; sleep 'til noon.