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FIC 486-VIP-IO and 32-bit disk access on VT83C461

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First post, by ZipoBibrok

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Has anyone else been able to get 32-bit disk access working under Windows 3.11 with FIC 486-VIP-IO? I found drivers for VT83C461 controller from ftp://files.mpoli.fi/drivers_1/HD/OHJAIMET/ATID/VT83C461/, but after the driver is installed, windows startup just hangs for a while and exits complaining about disk read error.

I have tried with 4GB CF card and 2.5GB Quantum Bigfoot, both fail just the same. There has been a slightly newer driver available at https://web.archive.org/web/19970415133113/ht … .tw/drivers.htm, but it's long gone by now. There is also slightly older driver at http://ftp.mpoli.fi/pub/hardware/NET/NOVELL/AV150.ZIP, but it doesn't work either.

These VIA chipsets seem to be nothing but trouble. From reading the manual it seems that the board could have had Promise PDC20230C controller instead. Does anyone have a version of the board with that controller, and does 32-bit disk access work with it?

Reply 1 of 3, by Caluser2000

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Just looked at the Readme file. Looks like you have to have the Dos driver loaded first then install the win3.x driver and run Windows:

Windows

Before you enter the Windows system, the VIA MIO V2 DOS driver should already exist on
the memory to support the extra DOS functions.

When you select [F3], the Windows driver will be installed to your disk. The setup utility will
prompt you to type the directory where the Windows driver will be. If you enter [ENTER] then it
will take the default directory.

It also prompt you to type the file name which the original "system.ini " saves as. If you do not
type the file name then the default file name will be used. It will add one or more lines into the
"SYSTEM.INI" file, that is "device=c:\windows\system\viaide.386", "32BitDiskAccess=ON" if
you have not turn on the 32bits disk access mode. Then it will move the Windows driver from the
floppy to the destination directory. Type [ESC] to complete the installation. This Windows driver
could support the 32bits disk access mode if you want to optimize your access speed.

There's a glitch in the matrix.
A founding member of the 286 appreciation society.
Apparently 32-bit is dead and nobody likes P4s.
Of course, as always, I'm open to correction...😉

Reply 2 of 3, by ZipoBibrok

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Caluser2000 wrote:

Just looked at the Readme file. Looks like you have to have the Dos driver loaded first then install the win3.x driver and run Windows.

Yes, I have the DOS driver loaded. If it's not, windows driver gives an error, but windows at least starts with ordinary BIOS disk access.

Reply 3 of 3, by ZipoBibrok

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Hmm.. I moved "device=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\INT13.386" line from the bottom to the top of [386Enh] section, and it actually works now. I'll be damned...

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