Com 226 comp trouble shooting II theory book
Hdd-Controller Bios Error Codes
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- Troubleshooting DOS Compatibility Mode Problems
| Hdd-Controller Bios Error Codes There might betimes when your hard-drive controller fails or cannot communicate properly with the hard drive. When this occurs, you’ll often find that the controller returns an error code. Table 17-9 lists a selection of HDD controller error codes that are Troubleshooting DOS Compatibility Mode Problems One of the great advantages enjoyed by Windows 95 is that it operates in the “protectedmode”— that is, drivers and software can be executed beyond the traditional “real-mode” RAM limit of MB. By comparison, DOS is a real-mode environment. DOS programs and drivers can only be executed within the first KB of RAM (the conventional memory area. If Windows 95 cannot establish protected-mode operation fora drive, it will fallback to real-mode driver support. This is known as DOS compatibility mode. Unfortunately, real mode support often impairs system performance. If you notice that one or more of the hard drives in a system is using DOS compatibility mode there might bean error message such as Compatibility mode paging reduces overall system performance, you’ll need to track down and correct the cause. In general, Windows 95 might invoke the DOS compatibility mode for any of the following reasons - A questionable device driver, TSR, or computer virus has hooked the INT h or INT h chain before Windows 95 loaded. - The hard-disk controller in your computer was not detected by Windows 95. - The hard-disk controller was removed from the current configuration in Device manager. - There is a resource conflict between the hard-disk controller and another hardware device. - The Windows 95 protected-mode driver is missing or damaged. - The Windows 95 protected-mode driver detected incompatible or unsupportable hardware. You can use the following procedure to isolate and correct the cause of DOS compatibility mode problems 1. Open the Control panel, double-click the System icon, then choose the Performance tab in the System properties dialog. You can identify which drive is using DOS compatibility mode and why. 2. If the driver name listed as causing the DOS compatibility mode is MBRINT13.SYS, your computer might be infected with a boot-sector virus or you are running real-mode disk overlay software (for an IDE hard disk with more than 1024 cylinders) that is not compatible with Windows 95 protected-mode disk drivers. • Run a recent antivirus program to detect and remove boot-sector viruses (such as Norton Anti-Virus, NAV). You might need to rewrite your boot sector using a DOS command, such as FDISK /MBR. • If you cannot detect any virus activity, check the disk-management software. Be sure that you’re using Disk Manager 7.0 or later (use Disk Manager 7.04 if you’re running DriveSpace 3, included with the Microsoft Plus pack. 3. If the driver name that is listed is in the CONFIG.SYS file, contact the driver’s manufacturer to determine whether there is a more recent version of the driver that allows protected-mode operation in Windows 95. You might be able to download the latest driver version from the driver manufacturer’s Website. If no driver is listed on the Performance tab, check that the hard-disk controller is listed in the Device manager. If not, install it through the Add new hardware wizard. If the wizard cannot detect the controller automatically, run the wizard again, but do not let it attempt to detect the hardware in your computer—instead, select the controller specifically from the hardware list. If your particular controller is not listed, contact the manufacturer of the disk controller to obtain a Windows 95 protected-mode disk driver (or a Windows x bit disk access (FastDisk) driver, if available. 5. If the hard-disk controller is listed in the Device manager, but has a yellow “!” over it, there is a resource conflict (IRQ, IO, DMA, or BIOS address range) with another device, the protected-mode driver is missing or damaged, or the Disable all 32-bit protected- mode disk drivers check box has been selected in File system properties. • Doubleclick the System icon in the Control panel, click the Performance tab, then click File system. Select the Troubleshooting tab and see that the Disable all 32-bit protected- mode disk drivers check box has not been selected. • Resolve any resource conflicts with other devices in the system (refer to Chapter 10). • Check that the protected-mode driver is in the Windows\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS directory and is loading properly. To find which driver is providing bit disk access, click Properties for the disk controller in Device manager and click the Driver tab to see which driver files are associated with the controller. For most IDE, EIDE, and ESDI disk controllers, bit disk access is provided by the ESDI_506.PDR driver. For SCSI controllers, Windows 95 often uses SCSIPORT.PDR and a mini port (or .MPD) driver. Restart Windows 95, press 6. Load SYSTEM.INI into a text editor and check to see if the MH2BIT.386 driver is being loaded (check fora line that reads “device=mh32bit.386”). This driver is installed by MicroHouse EZ-Drive software, and is not compatible with the Windows 95 protected mode disk drivers. Unfortunately, this driver is not removed by Windows 95 Setup, so you’ll need to disable the line manually, save your changes, and reboot the PC. 7. If all else fails, you might be able to achieve protected-mode support from the disk controller by disabling any of the controller’s advanced features (i.e., caching, fast or turbo modes, or reducing data-transfer rates. You might also try systematically disabling advanced IDE controller features in the CMOS setup. 8. If problems persist, you might have to replace the drive controller with a model that better supports protected-mode operation. Download 1.89 Mb. Share with your friends:
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