Anonymous Coward wrote:

I would also like to point out that since you are running a VLB SCSI controller you should be careful about enabling L1 writeback cache. Writeback and VLB busmastering SCSI doesn't work.

Seriously ?
I would have won a lot of time knowing that before 🙁
Then I have a choice between WB or SCSI ... mmm 🙁

sunaiac wrote:

Seriously ? I would have won a lot of time knowing that before :( Then I have a choice between WB or SCSI ... mmm :( […]
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Anonymous Coward wrote:

I would also like to point out that since you are running a VLB SCSI controller you should be careful about enabling L1 writeback cache. Writeback and VLB busmastering SCSI doesn't work.

Seriously ?
I would have won a lot of time knowing that before 🙁
Then I have a choice between WB or SCSI ... mmm 🙁

Ok, L1 WB cache enabled (I am amazed this wasn't enabled earlier in BIOS). How do I test if this is working or not?

Everything looks fine so far in Windows98SE, Rott and Duke3D.

If pb is on bus mastering, you'll have to find a way to get VGA and SCSI to fight for resources 😁

vetz wrote:

Ok, L1 WB cache enabled (I am amazed this wasn't enabled earlier in BIOS). How do I test if this is working or not?

Everything looks fine so far in Windows98SE, Rott and Duke3D.

If your system hasn't crashed, and if your floppy drive is still working then your L1 WB cache is probably working?

Do you run busmastering SCSI on a VLB controller? This shouldn't affect busmastering SCSI controllers on ISA, or VLB SCSI controllers that DON'T busmaster. But, I believe the Adaptec controllers should indeed busmaster. Not sure if that can be toggled on or off in the SCSI BIOS....

I realize I'm a little late but that is an awesome PC vetz.

Anonymous Coward wrote:

If your system hasn't crashed, and if your floppy drive is still working then your L1 WB cache is probably working?

As I posted in another thread, it turned out that my DX4-100 was not a WB CPU 😦 When I'm done playing around with my 3D Blaster I'll put the SCSI VLB card back into the machine and test again 😀

I realize I'm a little late but that is an awesome PC vetz.

Cheers:) Very satisfied with it myself!

Btw, I have another question for the people here at Vogons. Should I place my MM-401 card in my 386DX computer I'm now putting together? Are there any games that supports the MT32 that require a 486?

In the ideal work I would have two intelligent MIDI interface cards, but with the price of the cards in todays marked I doubt that will happen soon.

Mine crashed installing DOS with WB enabled on jumpers and in BIOS, but completed the install with WB off in BIOS. My adaptec 2842A was set to be WB compliant with the adequate jumper.
So I guess it actually is not possible. Sad 🙁 I'd rather stay SCSI and go 120MHz than go IDE.

You can stay SCSI...you just have to turn off bus mastering. Also, there is a work around for the issue. If you can get a caching SCSI controller (with bus mastering disabled), it is said to give you roughly the same feeling as bus mastering.

I also read that the problem with writeback and bus mastering was fixed in the later versions of the SiS 471 chipset. Maybe if you can get something from late 95 or 96 you'll be okay.

I'll make do without write back, that's fine.
Not like 5% of perf will be important.
My chipset is OPTi 82c895.