🚀 go-pugleaf

mancini1@ix.netcom.com (Sandro Mancini) wrote:

>My Quantum LPS 540 Meg SCSI-2 HD, my Iomega ZIP drive and my Plextor
>4x CD-ROM at running at lower-than-usual speeds under Windows 95
>because they are using something called "MS-DOS Compatibility Mode".
>Windows 95 tells me that this slows down the devices, as I figured
>out. <g>

>The problem is: I need to have SCSIDRVR.SYS running because otherwise
>the ZIP drive will be wrongly detected as a HD and Windows 95 will not
>start. Because SCSIDRVR.SYS requires an ASPI driver, I have to load
>ASPICAM.SYS as well (my controller is a NCR 53c810 PCI SCSI-2 board).
>Because ASPICAM.SYS cannot communicate directly with the controller
>without either MINICAM.SYS ou DOSCAM.SYS, I had to install MINICAM.SYS
>as well. <g>

>I also have CDROM.SYS (NCR controller CD-ROM driver) and MSCDEX.EXE
>loaded.

>My questions are: 

>	- Are drives C:, D: and E: in this "MS-DOS Compatibility Mode"
> 	  because of these drivers? If not, what might be creating the
>	  problem, and how can I solve this?

Yes, these are 16 bit drivers which cannot run in protected mode and that
is blocking the 32 bit access you want...

>	- Can I safely remove at least both CD-ROM drivers, and will this
>	  still let me have access to a CD-ROM in a DOS window under Windows
>	  95 without having to configure a specific CONFIG.SYS and
>	  AUTOEXEC.BAT? Will this at least speed-up the CD-ROM (no more
>	  "MS-DOS Compatibility Mode"?)

MS's FTP site has a list of compatible drives, I do believe the NEC's are
supported, REM out the drivers and if it doesn't autodetect on bootup, run
the install new hardware wizard, if it still doesn't autodetect, select CD
and see if it IS listed...


>	- Will Iomega come up with Windows 95 drivers any time soon? That
>	  should allow me to use a driverless CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT
>	  combination...


Iomega has been less than responsive...sorry to tell you that the Syquest
EZ IDE drive comes with complete, native support as a removable HD, more
and more folks will see that the advantages of the SCSI and, aprticularly
the serial Zip, have a major downside too...

>Thanks in adavnce for your help! Any information, even speculation, is
>welcome! Right now anything that doesn't destroy the OS is valid...

>---
> Sandro Mancini          : "Idealism is fine, but as it approaches
> mancini1@ix.netcom.com  :  reality, the costs become prohibitive."
> San Francisco, CA       :                 - William F. Buckley


---------------
Jeff Weiss          Voice: (603) 352-8004
weisslaw@sover.net