Conference nesbit::modular

184.0. "Non Problem with EIDE" by CIMCAD::PIERSON () Mon Mar 10 1997 21:07

	Short Version:
    
    Attached EIDE problem Does NOT affect ebm3x-aa ('shark')
    OR ebm3x-PA ('rushmore').
    
    	regards
    	dwp
    ===========================================================
    
             <<< NOTED::NOTES$10:[NOTES$LIBRARY]IBMPC-95.NOTE;1 >>>
                        -< IBM PCs, clones, DOS, etc. >-
================================================================================
Note 2796.13        Large harddisks and BIOS support question           13 of 15
ODIXIE::SIMPSONT "PC = world's biggest con job!"    263 lines  24-FEB-1997 19:48
                         -< additional consideration >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Just to stir things up a little...here is something else you may want to 
    check into further before plunking down your hard-earned cash for a big
    EIDE disk drive...
    
    PCI EIDE Controller Flaws Discovered
    
    BY ROEDY GREEN 
    
    Introduction
    
    There are serious flaws affecting about one-third of all PCI
    motherboards. The flaws affect any motherboard or EIDE controller
    paddleboard containing the PC-Tech RZ-1000 PCI EIDE controller chip or
    the CMD PCIO 640 PCI EIDE controller chip.
    
    The flaws affect motherboards from ASUSTeK, AT&T, DEC, Dell, Gateway,
    Intel, Micron, NEC, Zeos and others. Since Intel makes so many of the
    motherboards sold under other brand names, the flaws affect many
    machines, both 486 and Pentium PCI.
    
    The flaws show up most frequently when you run a true multitasking
    operating system such as OS/2 Warp or NT. They also show up under
    Windows For WorkGroups in 32-bit mode during tape or floppy backup and
    restore. In theory, the flaws could do damage under DOS, DESQview,
    Windows and Windows For WorkGroups in 16-bit mode, but so far there
    have been no damage reports. Windows-95 contains code to bypass the
    flaws.
    
    The RZ-1000 has two flaws. The CMD-640 has those same two flaws, plus
    three others. To make matters worse, most motherboard manufacturers
    using these two flawed chips connected them up incorrectly. There are
    software bypasses for these flaws. However, the Warp fix for the
    CMD-640 reduces performance by 50 percent.
    
    	[stuffe deleted.  You can read it int eh original entry in its own
    file....}