

                  EIDEPRO


          TABLE OF CONTENTS


I.) FEATURE SUMMARY

     Controller Functionality 
     Driver Summary 


II.) GENERAL INSTALLATION

     Installation of Hard Disk Drives 


III.) CDROM INSTALLATION

     Setup and Configuration of CDROM Drives 


IV.) SPECIAL SITUATIONS

     IBM PS1/Valuepoint 
     Co-exist with SCSI controllers 


V.) WINDOWS 95 INSTALLATION/FACTS

     EidePRO drivers 


VI.) OTHER PARTITIONING INSTALLATION/REMOVAL PROCEDURES

     Drive Translation Software 
          DOS Utility 
          Disk Manager 
          EZ Drive 
          Debug Script 
     Standard Disk Partitioning Procedures 


VII.) TROUBLESHOOTING

     Bootup Problems and Bios Recognition 
     CDROM Problems 
     "Error Messages" 
     COM Port/Game Port Issues 
     Parallel Port Issues 
     Other Issues 





FEATURE SUMMARY


The EIDEPRO controller card's Key Features and Benefits: 

OnBoard BIOS - enhances Mainboards to support LBA drive translation for >528MB capacity drives, IDE Block Mode [multi-sector read/writes] for up to 80% increase in the IDE data transfer rates and boost overall system performance, and up to four EIDE hard disk drives. 

ATAPI ready Secondary IDE controller - for additional IDE device support. 
Two 16550 UART serial ports with 16 byte FIFO buffer for high speed data communications. 
One IEEE 1284 compliant Enhanced bi-directional Parallel Port (ECP/EPP) for up to 2MB/s transfer rate. 
Supports two floppy drives of up to 2.88MB* density; 1MBit/sec floppy data transfer. Increased data transfer rates for newer QIC-80 / QIC-Wide / Travan floppy tape drives.

*with motherboard BIOS support.

The EIDEPRO advanced BIOS technology provides enhancements to the Mainboard BIOS so that up to four disk drives will have the support for LBA drive translation and that drives attached to both ports of the EIDEPRO can be >528MB in capacity.

The EIDEPRO is a far better choice over Motherboard BIOS Upgrades. Motherboard BIOS upgrades cost on the average of $80. The EIDEPRO costs far below this. The EIDEPRO also provides the benefit of a secondary controller for an additional two devices, where a BIOS upgrade does not. This secondary port feature allows for such devices as CDROMs, where a CDROM on the primary port may impair performance.

Driver Summary 

WINDOWS 3.x (WFWG) - Windows 32 Bit Disk Access driver (*WDCTRL) has a limitation of 528MB, whether or not LBA is activated and in use in any given system. The EIDEPRO Windows drivers
are needed ONLY when a drive GREATER than 528mb is installed and being actively used.

NOTE: Windows for Workgroups 32Bit File Access feature will not work on drives connected to a
secondary controller.

The EIDEPRO does not require special drivers for the following OPERATING SYSTEMS: [In such
cases, its default drivers can be installed and used.]

     a.) IBM OS/2 2.x and OS/2 3.0 WARP [default driver- IBM1S506.ADD].
     b.) Microsoft WINDOWS NT 3.1, 3.5x [default driver- ATDISK.SYS].
     c.) NETWARE 3.xx & 4.x [default drivers- IDE.DSK and ISADISK.DSK].
     d.) UNIX \ LINUX [default driver- use the same drivers used for ST506 controllers].

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

IBM's HPFS and NT's NTFS partitions do not require LBA translation. In order to access DRIVES
larger than 528MB, the operating system must be installed in the first 1024 cylinders [roughly the first 528MB of disk space]. This information is specially important in cases where the EIDEPRO's BIOS needs to be DISABLED, thus rendering the LBA feature inactive.

The EIDEPRO's external BIOS must be DISABLED when operating under UNIX or NETWARE. The
LBA translation IS NOT compatible with these platforms nor is it necessary.

WINDOWS 95 - The EIDEPRO does not require special drivers under Windows 95. This is a standard
controller which works correctly with the STANDARD IDE/ESDI Windows 95 drivers. All performance
of this controller is handled by the external BIOS.



GENERAL INSTALLATION

There are various ways to setup the EIDEPRO depending on the USER'S needs and fancy. We will first attempt to provide you the most basic and simpliest installation possible for the AVERAGE USER and afterwards offer several OPTIONS for the more ADVANCED USERS.

We've found that the most common reason for purchasing the EIDEPRO was to support the addition of a HARD DISK DRIVE LARGER THAN 528MB. Usually, there is already an existing DISK CONTROLLER and A DISK DRIVE installed and that works on the system. Under this scenario, where the existing disk controller has a device or devices connected to its PRIMARY PORT and NOTHING attached on the SECONDARY port, follow the procedure as outlined below. 

     Turn off power on the PC and open the case. 
     Unplug all the devices connected to the existing controller card. 
     Remove the existing controller card. 
     Plug the EIDEPRO to an empty ISA slot. 
     Reconnect the devices to the EIDEPRO. It will usually be much the same way it was 
     attached previously. 
     Attach the DISK DRIVE LARGER THAN 528MB to the secondary IDE [J2] port of the EIDEPRO
     using the supplied cable. Align the RED STRIPE of the cable to PIN 1 of the IDE [J2] 
     port when connecting the cable and the opposite end of the cable connector to PIN 1 of 
     the disk drive. 
     Connect one of the power supply [5V] cable to the drive. 
     Power on and boot the system up.

     NOTE: There is NO NEED to change jumper settings on the drives. NO changes necessary 
     to the CMOS settings either.


FOR THE MORE ADVANCED USERS

Is the existing controller built-in to the motherboard?

     A.) YES, but CANNOT DISABLE the built-in controller card. 
     B.) YES, and the built-in controller card CAN BE DISABLED. 
     C.) NO, the existing controller is not built-in to the motherboard. 
     D.) How to determine if a controller card is built-in to the motherboard.




OPTION A

1.) Disable the EIDEPRO's primary [JP1 pins 4/5/6 open, by removing the jumper] and [JP2 pins 8/9 close or jumpered in the down position]. In this situation, the first 2 drives will be connected to the built-in controller. The second 2 drives will be connected to the secondary port [J2] of the EIDEPRO. Drives on the ORIGINAL controller CAN be greater than 528MB with a combined total of four Eide drives larger than 528MB.

2.) Configure Drive Parameters in CMOS as follows: 

     ALL DRIVES LESS THAN 528MB should be set to the DEFAULT drive parameters [as specified by
     the drive manufacturer]. 
     ALL DRIVES GREATER THAN 528MB should be set to either TYPE 1 or NOT-INSTALLED should
     TYPE 1 fail. 
     ALL DRIVES GREATER THAN 528MB, but formatted to ONLY 528MB or less, should KEEP their
     DEFAULT parameters until reformatted with LBA [at which point, TYPE 1 must be used]. 
     FOR TWO DRIVES INSTALLATION where there is a drive LESS THAN 528MB connected to the
     EXISTING controller and an additional drive GREATER THAN 528MB connected to the secondary
     [J2] of the EIDEPRO, configure drives as follows:
     1st Drive [original] is set for its default drive parameters.
     2nd Drive [connected to the EIDEPRO] is set as NOT-INSTALLED.
     This is because the 2nd drive is no longer in the 2nd position, for now it's in 
     the 3rd drive position.
     NOTE: BOTH drives under this configuration, must be jumpered as SINGLE/MASTER stand alone
     drives [as per Manufacturer's default settings].



OPTION B

1.) Either do Option A OR DISABLE the built-in controller and plug the EIDEPRO on an empty ISA slot using its default settings. All drives in the system will be connected DIRECTLY to the EIDEPRO.
2.) Configure Drive Parameters in CMOS as follows: 

     ALL DRIVES LESS THAN 528MB should be set to the DEFAULT drive parameters [as specified by
     the drive manufacturer]. 
     ALL DRIVES GREATER THAN 528MB should be set to either TYPE 1 or NOT-INSTALLED should
     TYPE 1 fails. 
     ALL DRIVES GREATER THAN 528MB, but formatted to ONLY 528MB or less, should KEEP their
     DEFAULT parameters until reformatted with LBA [at which point, TYPE 1 must be used]. 
     FOR TWO DRIVES INSTALLATION where there is a drive LESS THAN 528MB and a drive
     GREATER THAN 528MB connected to the EIDEPRO, configure drives as follows:

     1st Drive [less than 528MB] is set for its default drive parameters.
     2nd Drive [larger than 528mb] is set as either TYPE 1 OR NOT-INSTALLED.
     OR
     1st Drive [larger than 528MB] is set for TYPE 1.
     2nd Drive [less than 528mb] is set for its default drive parameters.
     NOTE: BOTH drives under this configuration must be jumpered as MASTER/SLAVE with one 
     drive as MASTER and the other jumpered as SLAVE)



OPTION C

Choose the following options:

Plug the EIDEPRO to an empty ISA slot [removing previous controller from the system].  Configure Drive Parameters in CMOS as follows: 

          ALL DRIVES LESS THAN 528MB should be set to the DEFAULT drive parameters [as
          specified by the drive manufacturer]. 
          ALL DRIVES GREATER THAN 528MB should be set to either TYPE 1 or NOT-INSTALLED
          should TYPE 1 fails. 
          ALL DRIVES GREATER THAN 528MB, but formatted to ONLY 528MB or less, should KEEP
          their DEFAULT parameters until reformatted with LBA [at which point, TYPE 1 must
          be used].

FOR TWO DRIVES INSTALLATION where there is a drive LESS THAN 528MB connected to the
primary port (J1) and an additional drive GREATER THAN 528MB connected to the secondary port
(J2), configure drives as follows:

          1st Drive [primary/J1] is set for its default drive parameters.
          2nd Drive [secondary/J2] is set as NOT-INSTALLED.
          This is because the 2nd drive is no longer in the 2nd position, for now it's in 
          the 3rd drive position.
          NOTE: BOTH drives under this configuration, must be jumpered as SINGLE/MASTER 
          stand alone drives [as per Manufacturer's default settings].

FOR TWO DRIVES INSTALLATION where there is a drive LESS THAN 528MB and a drive
GREATER THAN 528MB connected to the primary port (J1), configure drives as follows:

          1st Drive [less than 528MB] is set for its default drive parameters.
          2nd Drive [larger than 528mb] is set as either TYPE 1 OR NOT-INSTALLED.
          OR
          1st Drive [larger than 528MB] is set for TYPE 1.
          2nd Drive [less than 528mb] is set for its default drive parameters.
          NOTE: BOTH drives under this configuration, must be jumpered as MASTER/SLAVE.

FOR FOUR DRIVES INSTALLATION where all drives are larger than 528MB, and the system bios
only has two drive support, use TYPE 1 only for the primary drive and the rest as not-installed. 
          NOTE: All drives under this configuration, must be jumpered as MASTER/SLAVE                     combinations.




OPTION D

This option requires that the PC cover is removed to see where the disk drive was connected. 

     The disk drive operates off an IDE port physically on the motherboard [built-in\non-removable]. Choose OPTION A 
     The disk drive was connected to a REMOVABLE controller card [usually plugged into one of the slots]. Choose OPTION C 



CDROM/OTHER ATAPI DEVICE INSTALLATION


Is the device Atapi compliant?

     YES 
     NO 
     NOT SURE




ATAPI Compatible Device Installation

     Jumper the device either as MASTER or SLAVE depending on where it's positioned. Connect the CD drive to the secondary port (J2) of the EIDEPRO. If the drive is the ONLY device on the secondary port, then configure it as master [although in some cases, it will work as slave]. 

     If the Atapi device refuses to install correctly on the EIDEPRO and that there's NOT a need of *LBA* support, then the EIDEPRO bios can be DISABLED via jumper setting where applicable [JP2 pins 11/12-14/15-17/18 jumpered or closed--these are the last three jumpers on your right facing the card] or by completely removing the BIOS chip from the card altogether. 

     If the CDROM driver does not load properly, refusing to recognize the drive, then our ATAPI CDROM driver is recommended. This driver is found on our BBS [408-452-1267]. The driver is under the filename, MULTICD.ZIP. To obtain this file, logged on the BBS and proceed to the Main Menu. Once on the Main Menu, press "A". Follow instructions from there. A password will be provided to obtain file.



NON-ATAPI Compatible Device

The device is limited to the interface card it came with and MUST be operated from this card. IT WILL NOT operate on the EIDEPRO being that the EIDEPRO ONLY understand the ATAPI language.




Information to Determine Compatibility

First thing to do is to examine the CDROM's manual. It should state clearly whether the CDROM drive is Atapi compatible. Otherwise, check with the distributor or the manufacturer. 

Other clues: 

     If the CDROM drive came with its own interface card, it is more than likely to be NON-ATAPI, meaning that it must operate off its own card. 
     If it came with a soundcard (where applicable), there's also a chance that it's NON-ATAPI. 
     As a general rule of thumb, Atapi devices include MASTER/SLAVE jumper settings.

Note: There is NO advantage whatsoever to running an ATAPI device on the EIDEPRO versus the soundcard, etc., that it was running to before. There are NO improvements to ATAPI devices via hardware.

Under the DOS environment, a device driver is provided by the CDROM manufacturer that is to be installed. The EIDEPRO BIOS plays NO role into supporting the CDROM device. For that matter, for better compatibility, the EIDEPRO BIOS can be disabled as long as there's NO need for LBA [Logical Block Addressing scheme used to allow the system to recognize drives beyond 504MB] support.



SPECIAL SITUATIONS


     IBM VALUEPOINT/PS1 
     CO-EXISTS WITH A SCSI ADAPTER




IBM VALUEPOINT/PS1

     No IDE devices can be attached to the EIDEPRO if it is in a Valuepoint or PS/1 system. The primary, secondary, and floppy controllers of the EIDEPRO must be disabled. The EIDEPRO's BIOS will do LBA translation on drives attached to the Valuepoint or PS/1 and the high speed serial and parallel ports of the EIDEPRO can be used.

     REASON 1
     IBM PS1 and VALUEPOINT systems has a built-in controller card which CANNOT be disabled.

     REASON 2
     IBM PS1 and VALUEPOINT systems use IRQ 15 internally and IRQ 12 for the BusMouse. For           these reasons, any device should not be connected to the EIDEPRO's IDE ports.

To use the EIDEPRO's LBA feature, disable both of its [IDE] ports and keep the disk drives connected to the built-in controller. The CMOS of the IBM system will AUTODETECT the drive parameters. Type 1 is not applicable on these systems. OR, to put it much simplier, after disabling the EIDEPRO's [IDE] ports, plug the card in an empty ISA slot and keep current setup and just boot the system up.

     NOTE: Disable the com and parallel ports on the motherboard to avoid conflict with the EIDEPRO.

     To DISABLE the [IDE] ports of the EIDEPRO, follow these steps:

     JUMPER JP1 -- REMOVE ALL jumpers [open position].
     JUMPER JP2 -- Move jumpers [close position] to pins 5/6 and 8/9.




EIDEPRO and a SCSI Host Adapter

These are the considerations when installing the EIDEPRO controller with an IDE disk drive to co-exists with a SCSI controller card and a SCSI disk drive. If the EIDEPRO is the only IDE controller in the system, keep its default settings.

However, it does not necessarily need to be the bootable [drive] controller.

     BOOT TO SCSI

     This installation will allow the system to boot to the SCSI drive and with the EIDEPRO installed with up to four IDE drives. This scenario would be common for systems where the IDE drive is to be used as the data drive while the SCSI drive as the bootable and primary drive.

     Requirements:
     a.) EIDEPRO BIOS must load at a higher address than the SCSI BIOS so the SCSI HD will be
     recognized first.
     b.) EIDEPRO must be set in its default jumper settings.
     c.) The Mainboard Standard Setup should have both C: and D: set to "NOT-INSTALLED" or      "NONE".

     BOOT TO THE IDE DRIVE

     This installation will allow the system to boot to the IDE drive on the EIDEPRO with a SCSI disk drive as a secondary drive on the system.
     This scenario would be common for systems where the SCSI drive is to be used as the data drive while the IDE drive as the bootable and primary drive.

     Requirements:
     a.) EIDEPRO must be set in its default jumper settings.
     b.) The Mainboard Standard Setup should have both C: and D: set to "TYPE 1" for drives      larger than 528MB and "Type 47- User Defined" for drives less than 528MB.
     c.) If there was one IDE drive connected to the EIDEPRO, "NOT INSTALLED" can be used in      the CMOS setup. In order for this to work, the BIOS address used by the EIDEPRO must be           set at a lower address than the SCSI BIOS.

     Rule of thumb: If "NOT-INSTALLED" was specified in the CMOS setup, the controller which
     have the BIOS address that comes first in the boot sequence GETS TO BOOT first.




WINDOWS 95 Installation/Facts


     The EIDEPRO Windows 3.x drivers MUST be REMOVED or DISABLED from the system.ini as
     follows:

     [386enh]

     ;device=c:\windows\system\pro13.386
     ;device=c:\windows\system\proctrl.386
     32bitdiskaccess=off
     device=*int13

     Note: The semi-colon preceding the line disables that line. In the above example, only the device line, *int13 shows as enabled.

     Being that all performance of the EIDEPRO is handled by the BIOS of the card, and Windows 95 does not have a 528MB limitation, NO SPECIAL DRIVER is required for the EIDEPRO.

     The STANDARD IDE/ESDI HARD DISK CONTROLLER driver should be assigned to the card for the
correct BASIC CONFIGURATION simply to allow Windows 95 to alert the user if there should be a
conflict in the future.

     BASIC CONFIGURATION 0 = IRQ 14 [01F0-O1F7] for the primary controller.
     BASIC CONFIGURATION 1 = IRQ 15 [0170-O177] for the secondary controller.




OTHER PARTITIONING INSTALLATION/REMOVAL PROCEDURES


     Drive Translation Software [includes Debug Routine] 
     Standard Disk Partitioning Procedures




Disk Manager and Other Drive Translation Software

Disk drive softwares are usually shipped on a diskette with LARGE CAPACITY DISK DRIVES [EIDE
Drives]. They are called Dynamic Drive Overlay [DDO]. These overlays are not compatible with the EIDEPRO LBA Drive translation. Some of these disk softwares are called Disk Manager, EZ Drive, or MaxBlast.

The following situations will help determine whether to keep the disk overlay or to remove them completely.

Removal of the Disk Overlay is recommended:
a.) when the motherboard bios does not have LBA to support drives larger than 528MB, where the EIDEPRO external bios is necessary for such support.
b.) The EIDEPRO's Windows 3.x 32bit disk driver will be installed.

Keep the Disk Overlay:
a.) If the EIDEPRO is only used for its IDE interface where the bios was disabled, for example: for the purpose of connecting an Atapi CD drive.
b.) The EIDEPRO's Windows 3.x 32bit disk driver will NOT be utilized.

DISK OVERLAY [DDO] REMOVAL PROCEDURE

WARNING: Use of the following procedures will result in data loss. Backup any necessary data before proceeding.

1.] Using the DOS UTILITY REMOVAL:

In such cases where FDISK cannot completely delete the disk overlay [DDO] from the boot sector of the drive, the following steps will help completely wipe out that sector and reset the master boot record [MBR].
a.) Backup any necessary data first.
b.) Boot to a DOS bootable diskette on the A: drive [with the fdisk.exe and format.com files].
c.) At the DOS prompt [A: drive], type "Fdisk /MBR" then press "ENTER"; takes you back to the DOS prompt.
d.) Create a new partition and format the drive. See "Standard Disk Partitioning Procedures"

2.] Using the DISK MANAGER UTILITY REMOVAL:

a.) Backup any necessary data first.
b.) Boot to a DOS bootable diskette on the A: drive.
c.) Insert the "Disk Manager" diskette and type "DM" , to start the Disk Manager utility.
d.) At the Main Menu, press "ALT+T".
e.) Select "Disk Subsystem Overview".
f.) If prompted for "Disk 1" or "Disk 2", make the desired selection.
g.) Press "CTRL" + "F10". Answer "YES" to zero the drive and remove Disk Manager.

3.] Using the EZDRIVE SOFTWARE REMOVAL:

a.) Backup any necessary data first.
b.) Boot to a DOS bootable diskette on the A: drive.
c.) Insert the "EZDRIVE" diskette and type "EZSETUP" then press "ENTER", to start the EZDRIVE utility.
d.) Choose to DISABLE EZDRIVE.

4.] DEBUG ROUTINE:

For definite removal of anything from the "boot sector", follow this debug routine. If executed correctly, there is a 100% success rate in the removal of any Disk Partitioning software or Disk Drive Overlay [DDO]. Be sure to backup necessary data before performing this function. The DATA on the target disk drive will be ERASED. We recommend a full and complete BACKUP.

RUN DEBUG from a floppy diskette [debug.exe is in disk 1 of the DOS installation diskette] with the target HARD DISK in DRIVE C: position! The data on the PRIMARY drive will be ERASED. At the DOS prompt [A: drive], type "DEBUG" and press "ENTER". The first line on the screen will show a minus sign followed by a blinking cursor.

Note: Type the "text" [shown in bold characters] surrounded by the parentheses (__). The [CR] denotes the "ENTER" or "RETURN" key. The "xxxx" is a hexadecimal number issued by the system and is otherwise unimportant for this purpose.

----BEGIN----

A:>(debug)[CR]
- (rax)[CR]
AX xxxx
: (0301)[CR]
- (rbx)[CR]
BX xxxx
: (1000)[CR]
- (rcx)[CR]
CX 0000
: (1)[CR]
- (rdx)[CR]
DX xxxx
:(80)[CR]
-(f 1000 L200 0)[CR]
-(a)[CR]

xxxx:0100 (int13)[CR]
xxxx:0102 (int3)[CR]
xxxx:0103 [CR]
-(G)[CR]
-(Q)[CR]

----END----

Standard Disk Partitioning Procedures

The following section describes the process to manually partition and format a new high capacity IDE drive. The automatic DOS installation disk method is also recommended -- refer to the DOS User manual.

a.) In Standard CMOS setup, set "TYPE 1" for greater than 528MB IDE drive(s); set "TYPE 47" for less or equal than 528MB drive(s). If there is any further problems with using "TYPE 1", use "NOT-INSTALLED" instead.
b.) Boot to a DOS bootable diskette with FORMAT and FDISK utilities in the A: drive.
c.) Partition the drive(s): TYPE "Fdisk" then press "ENTER". Follow steps to create a PRIMARY DOS partition. Reboot.
d.) Format the drive(s): TYPE "Format C: /s" then press "ENTER" and continue to format any additional drives thereafter.

NOTE: The EIDEPRO's external bios will allow recognition of up to four devices under Fdisk even if the system bios has only two drive support.



TROUBLESHOOTING SECTION


     The EIDEPRO BIOS DOES NOT LOAD 
     The EIDEPRO BIOS LOADS BUT MACHINE HANGS 
     HDD OR HDC FAILURE 
     CDROM NOT RECOGNIZED 
     NON-SYSTEM DISK OR MISSING OPERATING SYSTEM 
     NO ROM BASIC - SYSTEM HALTED 
     COMM PORT/GAME PORT ISSUES 
     PARALLEL PORT ISSUES 
     OTHER ISSUES 


The EIDEPRO BIOS DOES NOT LOAD

     A possibility that the drive was pre-formatted with a disk drive overlay [DDO]. Refer to Drive Translation Software [includes Debug Routine]. 
     Try out a different BIOS address other than the default address of C8000h, through jumper JP2 pins 10 through 18. 
     Double check that the EIDEPRO BIOS is ENABLED at JP2 [jumpered to any combinations other than pins 11/12-14/15-17/18, where all three columns were in the down position-DISABLED]. 
     Ensure that the card seats solidly and firmly in its slot. Do the same for the BIOS on the card. 
     Check other cards installed on the system for a resource conflict such as network cards, sound cards, etc..
     Certain models of sound cards have an IDE port that may be using the same IRQ or port address of the EIDEPRO's secondary (J2) IDE port. DISABLE the sound card's IDE port to remedy the conflict. 
     To determine proper hardware setup, use the HDD AUTO-DETECT feature of the motherboard BIOS [some older versions does not have this feature]. If BIOS does not detect the drive, double check cable connections, jumper drive settings, etc.. Once the BIOS detects the drive, proceed with the installation. 
     Disable LBA, IDE Block Mode and on some systems, 32bit Transfer, from the motherboard BIOS. 
     Disable BIOS of the EIDEPRO to determine if the card's BIOS is defective. 
     The EIDEPRO BIOS may be defective or the card itself is defective. Seek a replacement card first from the retailer or call our Tech Support at (408) 452-1180. 



The EIDEPRO BIOS LOADS BUT MACHINE HANGS

     A possibility that the drive was pre-formatted with a disk drive overlay [DDO]. Refer to Drive Translation Software [includes Debug Routine]. 
     GREATER than 528MB = TYPE 1 and/or NOT INSTALLED - try BOTH in the motherboard BIOS
     (CMOS). 
     Formatted/ LESS than or equal to 528MB = USER DEFINED TYPE 47 using the actual drive
     parameters as provided by the drive manufacturer in the motherboard BIOS (CMOS). 
     There's a BUILT-IN controller card on the motherboard. Refer to General Installation Section Drive configuration problem. 
     Try changing the order of the drives, separating the drives, or working with
     only ONE drive. 
     Disk drives were not jumpered correctly. Refer to drive's manual for proper jumper settings [for SINGLE OR MASTER IN A STAND ALONE DRIVE OR MASTER IN A DUAL DRIVE SETUP]. 
     Defective hardware. Attempt isolation of the problem by testing the drives with another controller or DIFFERENT drives with the EIDEPRO. 
     DISABLE any LBA or IDE BLOCK MODE options in the motherboard BIOS to prevent conflict with
     the EIDEPRO BIOS. 
     Certain models of sound cards have an IDE port that may be using the same IRQ or port address of the EIDEPRO's secondary IDE port. DISABLE the sound card's IDE port. 
     Disable Shadowing in CMOS that the EIDEPRO BIOS address uses (default: C8000H). 
     The EIDEPRO BIOS may be defective or the card itself is defective. Seek a replacement card first from retailer or call our Tech Support at (408) 452-1180. 



HDD OR HDC FAILURE

     To determine proper hardware setup, use the HDD AUTO-DETECT feature of the motherboard BIOS [some older versions does not have this feature]. If BIOS does not detect the drive, double check cable connections, jumper drive settings, etc.. Once the BIOS detects the drive, proceed with the installation.

     NOTE: For proper cable connection, the RED STRIPE of the cable MUST BE ALIGNED to pin 1 of
     the controller card's IDE PORT and at pin 1 of the DISK DRIVE.
     For dual drive setup where both drives are sharing the same cable, check first that the      drives were properly jumpered as master and slave, then connect the master drive at one      end of the cable and the slave drive attached using the middle connector [this is the      usual setup although the positioning of the drives on the cable does not matter in most      cases].

     Check other cards installed on the system for a resource conflict such as network cards, sound cards, etc..
     Certain models of sound cards have an IDE port that may be using the same IRQ or port address of the EIDEPRO's secondary IDE port. DISABLE the sound card's IDE port. 
     A possibility that the drive was pre-formatted with a disk drive overlay [DDO]. Refer to Drive Translation Software [includes Debug Routine] in the OTHER PARTITIONING INSTALLATION\REMOVAL PROCEDURES' section of this document. 
     Disable Power Management in CMOS. 
     Disable Shadowing in CMOS that the EIDEPRO BIOS address uses (default: C8000H). 
     There's a BUILT-IN controller card on the motherboard. Refer to General Installation Section. 
     DISABLE any LBA or IDE BLOCK MODE options in the motherboard BIOS to prevent conflict with
     the EIDEPRO BIOS. 
     The EIDEPRO BIOS may be defective or the card itself is defective. Seek a replacement card first from retailer or call our Tech Support at (408) 452-1180. 



CDROM NOT RECOGNIZED

     We recommend that any CD drives (or any other removable media devices) be installed on the secondary [J2] IDE port of the EIDEPRO. 
     If LBA is not required and the EIDEPRO is solely being used as a CD interface, DISABLE the card's BIOS (jumper JP2's pins 11/12-14/15-17/18 or, in other words, all three columns jumpered in the down position) or remove the BIOS chip from the card. 
     Download and use our ATAPI CDROM DRIVER from our BBS. The number is 408-452-1267 and setting should be at N-8-1. Once logged on the BBS, go to the Main Menu. Select the HIDDEN option "A" [by pressing the A key]. Follow prompts thereafter. 
     The EIDEPRO will only support ATAPI compatible CDROM drives. Usually, Atapi CD's have
     master/slave jumper settings. 
     Ensure that the CD drivers are installed correctly in CONFIG.SYS with its accompanying MSCDEX in the AUTOEXEC.BAT. 
     Check that the CD drive is jumpered for the correct position. MASTER = ONLY device/first device. 
     In RARE instances, some CD drives will only run when jumpered as a SLAVE drive although it is the only device on the cable. 
     Check other cards installed on the system for a resource conflict such as network cards, sound cards, etc..
     Certain models of sound cards have an IDE port that may be using the same IRQ or port address as the EIDEPRO's secondary IDE port. DISABLE the sound card's IDE port. 
     OR try connecting the CD drive to the IDE port of the sound card and temporarily removing the EIDEPRO from the system to see if the CD drive will function off the sound card. 




NON-SYSTEM DISK OR MISSING OPERATING SYSTEM

     Boot to a floppy [A: drive] and try to access the C: drive. Is the C: drive accessible?

     a.) YES - Perform the following commands from the DOS prompt on the A: drive:

     Fdisk /MBR [make sure the fdisk.exe file is on the diskette].
     SYS C: [make sure that the sys.com file is on the diskette].

     NOTE: Fdisk /MBR can be DESTRUCTIVE. BACKUP data before issuing this command.

     b.) NO - Check the partition information from the DOS prompt on the A: drive by running Fdisk [make sure that the fdisk.exe file is on the diskette]. Choose option 4. There should be a PRIMARY [DOS] partition set [status] Active.

     A Disk Drive Overlay [DDO] may have been used originally to partition the drive. The EIDEPRO's LBA feature is incompatible with the DDO. REMOVAL of the DDO is recommended. See Chapter VI for OTHER PARTITIONING INSTALLATION/REMOVAL PROCEDURES.

     DISABLE LBA, IDE Block Mode and 32Bit Transfer [featured on AMI bios] from the motherboard
     BIOS to prevent conflict with the EIDEPRO BIOS. 



ERROR MESSAGE: "NO ROM BASIC - SYSTEM HALTED"

The PRIMARY partition needs to be set ACTIVE. Boot from the A: drive [with the fdisk.exe file]. Run Fdisk and choose Option 2 [to set partition ACTIVE].



COM PORT ISSUES

     AVOIDING/RESOLVING IRQ CONFLICTS 

     The EIDEPRO comes with two serial ports. Both serial ports use the industry standard IRQ's which follow each designated com port. For example:

     COM 1 and COM 3 use IRQ 4
     COM 2 and COM 4 use IRQ 3

     Although COM 1 and COM 3 can be used alternatively [as in COM 2 and COM 4], the IRQ remains the same. It is therefore important to note this configuration specially when the EIDEPRO will co-exist with an internal modem or other devices that use these IRQ's.

     For example: Installation of the EIDEPRO together with an internal modem.
     a.) Determine the modem's configuration, whether or not it is capable of using various IRQ's. Some models allow the com port to be set at IRQ's 2 or 9 or 5, etc., besides the standard IRQ's 3 and 4. If such is the case, use any of these IRQ's other than IRQ's 3 and 4 [after making sure that the chosen IRQ is NOT BEING USED by other devices].

     b.) If the modem's configuration DOES NOT PERMIT the use of any IRQ's other than IRQ 3 or 4, it is therefore necessary to DISABLE one of the EIDEPRO's com ports.

     For example:
     Internal Modem = COM 2, IRQ 3
     EIDEPRO = COM 2, IRQ 3 - DISABLED [JP3, close pins 8/9 and 11/12].

     SERIAL PORT RECOGNITION 

     Both of the EIDEPRO's serial ports use the following parameters [default]:
     COM 1, IRQ 4 at Port Address 03F8H
     COM 2, IRQ 3 at Port Address 02F8H

     When attempting to resolve com port problems, try to determine whether the system recognizes the presence of the serial ports by looking at the Port Addresses during bootup. This usually appears at the TOP of the SCREEN right before the "Starting MS-DOS" message.

    PROPER MODEM SETUP AND CONFIGURATION FOR OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE 

     The EIDEPRO's serial ports are supported by 16550 UART chipsets. To obtain high speed data
     communications and faster data throughput, use a high speed serial driver that usually comes with the modem. Windows 95's built-in COM driver is a HIGH SPEED driver and can be used as the default communications driver in lieu of the modem driver.

     For INTERNET connectivity, use the following modem settings:
     a.) Hardware Flow Control
     b.) 115,200 Maximum Speed
     c.) COM Port FIFO buffers enabled
     d.) Enable Data Compression

     EXTENDED SERIAL/GAME PORT ADAPTER 

     The EIDEPRO comes with an extended serial port/game port adapter. Connect the adapter's cable with its RED STRIPE aligned to pin 1 of J4 [game port] and do the same with the serial cable on J5 [COM 2 serial port]. If there's a sound card in the system [with a game port], DISABLE the game port on the EIDEPRO by moving jumper [JP3] from pins 1/2 to pins 2/3 [down position]. The EIDEPRO does not support dual joysticks.

     NOTE: The use of ANOTHER extended serial adapter other than the one shipped with the EIDEPRO may result in devices attached to the adapter NOT BEING RECOGNIZED.

     UNABLE TO DETECT MOUSE 

     Refer to the first two sections of this chapter to resolve the serial port recognition and IRQ conflicts.
     Ensure that the EIDEPRO sits solidly in its slot. Install the mouse drivers and contact the manufacturer for the latest version of its drivers. In cases where the mouse works in DOS but not in Windows, check the COM Port settings in CONTROL PANEL to match the appropriate COM port, IRQ and Port Address. DISABLE FIFO for that COM port



PARALLEL PORT ISSUES

     PARALLEL PORT DEFAULT CONFIGURATION 

     The EIDEPRO comes with a bi-directional/enhanced parallel port otherwise known as ECP/EPP modes.
     The default settings of the EIDEPRO's parallel port are as follows:

     ECP mode [considered as enhanced bi-directional]
     Port Address = 378H [usually associated with LPT 1]
     IRQ 7
     DMA 3 [channel used when in ECP mode]

     RESOLVING RESOURCE CONFLICT WITH OTHER DEVICES 

     The EIDEPRO's default settings can be changed to resolve or avoid conflicts with other devices that share similar resources. Notable among these conflicts is the sound card's use of the DMA channel. Another possibility is an IRQ conflict. In some cases, the device connected to the parallel port only requires the use of a uni-directional port. Here are the jumper settings to initiate these changes. Apply whenever necessary.

     From DMA 3 Switch to DMA 1 -- JP5 jumpered to pins 1/2 and pins 4/5
     From IRQ 7 Switch to IRQ 5 -- JP3 jumpered to pins 17/18
     From ECP Switch to UNI-DIRECTIONAL -- JP4 jumpered to pins 1/2 and pins 5/6
     From 378H Switch to 278H -- JP3 jumpered to pins 14/15



OTHER ISSUES

     TROUBLE SECURING CARD INTO THE ISA SLOT 

     The EIDEPRO was designed using the STANDARD ISA card specifications. We've received feedback from some of our customers that the card's faceplate does not reach the chassis in order to fasten the mounting screw. In such cases, the EIDEPRO is not securely seated in its slot. The workaround is to BEND the faceplate up in order to firmly seat the card securely in its slot foregoing the mounting screw.

     FDC FAILURE OR UNABLE TO BOOT FROM THE A: DRIVE 

     Check for proper cable connection, the RED STRIPE of the cable MUST BE ALIGNED to pin 1 of the controller card's IDE FLOPPY PORT and at pin 1 of the FLOPPY DISK DRIVE. Ensure that the floppy drive configuration was properly ENTERED in the CMOS Standard setup. Make sure that the EIDEPRO seats SOLIDLY in the slot. Double-check for BENT pins [both on the floppy drive and the IDE port] OR see if the cable connector covers the ENTIRE IDE port or floppy drive's pins.



All trademarks acknowledged 
                                c 1996 Promise Technology, Inc.
