Need Help on an old SCSI card

[ghoststool]

If any one can help great.
Problem is that I have this adaptech AHA-1542CF SCSI host adapter card. and I can't get my linux box to use it. I have tried using the boot cd of of mandrake 7.2 and letting DrakConf do the work but of course the card is not PNP. I can manualy set the I/O on the card it self via dip's the irq and the dma I can configure via the bios on the SCSI card. Where I am running into the problem is the dma channels that the card can be set to does not match what the DrakConf tries to set them to which locks up the machine. Although DrakConf will let me put in options for the kernel mod, I have tried diffrent options, but to no avail what ever I put in for the options it disregards what I type in and continues with the defaults which lock up my machine. Maybe I am aproaching it wrong, is there another way to set it up? If so please advise your help would very welcome!

 

[SAWB]

I am having a similar problem with the same card in a new PIII - 800 that I just built running Windows ME. I can get windows to find the card and install the drivers, but when the computer restarts, it hangs.

 

[Guest_imported]

Does your card hang just after the it says to press ctrl a to enter bios or at some other time during the boot process?

 

[SAWB]

During the boot process...the bios finds the card, but windows hangs. I have left it running for hours hoping it will find it, but it doesn't

 

[edfair]

This isn't an answer, but a comment.
I've build systems and install SCO unix on them. I've run across several combinations of cards and hard drives that will not boot after a perfect installation. Card id'd, drivers loaded , system loaded all the way to completion, everything looks good to the very end, which is the shutdown for reboot. And then the sucker hangs at boot. My conclusion is that there are timing loops built into the operating system, and that there are combinations of drives and controllers that just won't work together with those timing loops. The controllers work with other drives and the drives work with other controllers. And the same combination that won't work with 3.2v4.2 will work with 3.2v5.0.
My first step with this problem would be to try it with an older SCSI HD. But then again, it helps that I have a lifetime supply of small SCSI dirves and a near lifetime supply of controllers from various manufacturers. So I have had some experience in mix and match in similar situations. It isn't fun, and after the tenth or eleventh reload it can get downright boring and a royal PITA.
Hang tough and good luck. Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com

Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.

Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[Guest_imported]

if you can boot into single user mode try to disable your other drivers in that profile such as vid sound and any other you might have dont disable you system drivers or ide just disable the nice to have things first not the required ones. Once you have disabled them enable them one at a time to find out which drivers a conflicting with eachother once you have figured that out you might find an update or a fix at the manufactures website. Maybe?!?!?

Although not to discurage you mine works with win98, but beleve me it was a war room for about six hours with fighting with win98 and their wise plug and pray i finaly figured out the correct sequence to install the drivers for all of my hardware and if you haven't guessed the SCSI card comes first also in your BIOS on your mother board you might want to reserve an irq for legacy isa probably irq 11

 

[rfeenie]

to my knowledge the 1542 had an onboard floppy controller ? am i right ? disable this with the DIP/jumper settings to see if it makes any difference.