Reply 20 of 63, by GL1zdA
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wrote:if the "WD" means WESTERN DIGITAL as its the only WD computer acronym that I know. then you can just ignore that. Some (early) western digital scsi adapters would only work with western digital hard drives. But this was bios only, if you update the bios any restrictions like this are removed. The Western digital ST01 & ST02 are most notable for this.
read more about windows and how it works with disk caching and smart drive here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/83325
WD is Western Digital and it means exactly what the KB article says:
wrote:The 32-Bit Disk Access system is composed of the following 386 enhanced mode virtual devices: […]
The 32-Bit Disk Access system is composed of the following 386
enhanced mode virtual devices:- WDCTRL, which is the 32-Bit Disk Access device that talks to
standard Western Digital 1003 or ST506 hard disk controllers
(about 90 percent of the installed base). WDCTRL is only
installed if Setup detects a compatible hard disk controller.- ...
Because WDCTRL is the only 32-Bit Disk Access device included in the
Windows box, the standard Windows components only support 32-Bit Disk
Access for Western Digital-standard controllers. When you run Setup,
it automatically detects these controllers and adds the following
lines to the [386Enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI file:device=*int13
device=*wdctrl
...THIRD-PARTY 32-BIT DISK ACCESS DEVICES
======================================Windows 3.1 ships with only one 32-Bit Disk Access device--WDCTRL.
However, Microsoft is working with most of the major hardware and
software vendors to help them design 32-Bit Disk Access devices for
their products. Concerns regarding distribution and quality of testing
for these third-party devices are currently being addressed.
I just downloaded dosdrv.exe from Adaptec and there's no VXDs inside - are there any drivers for Adaptec controllers which give 32-bit Disk Access?