It's still running the standard driver.
Int13 = Bios mode

ie "hi bios, I want to read some stuff"

Not, "Hi hdd, I want to read some stuff"

Apply the driver to the ide CONTROLLER

myne wrote on 2025-05-30, 10:40:

It's still running the standard driver. Int13 = Bios mode […]
Show full quote

It's still running the standard driver.
Int13 = Bios mode

ie "hi bios, I want to read some stuff"

Not, "Hi hdd, I want to read some stuff"

Apply the driver to the ide CONTROLLER

I had already installed the chipset drivers (6.3.0.1007). If I understand, these should install the ATA drivers as well. Below is the storage devices in device manager:

Tried searching but I was unable to find any IDE controller drivers. Anything else is missing out here?

No that like right.
I recall 95 had to have a reg key to enable it. Maybe that could help?

it may well be already running DMA. see here: https://web.archive.org/web/20020814172252/ht … ets/IAA/ec2.htm

IIRC somewhere else on intel's page it explicitly said that under win9x, the DMA checkbox in device manager will be missing and the DMA status will be indicated in some applet that the driver comes with instead, might have been for the earlier "ultra ATA storage driver". i guess limitations with win9x and the higher UDMA modes forced this, because the checkbox was back again with XP.

just use something like hdtach or adaptec threadmark to check CPU load, which should be in the single digits with DMA enabled.

auron wrote on 2025-05-30, 22:14:

it may well be already running DMA. see here: https://web.archive.org/web/20020814172252/ht … ets/IAA/ec2.htm

IIRC somewhere else on intel's page it explicitly said that under win9x, the DMA checkbox in device manager will be missing and the DMA status will be indicated in some applet that the driver comes with instead, might have been for the earlier "ultra ATA storage driver". i guess limitations with win9x and the higher UDMA modes forced this, because the checkbox was back again with XP.

just use something like hdtach or adaptec threadmark to check CPU load, which should be in the single digits with DMA enabled.

Interesting. I noticed earlier that when playing Midtown Madness without DMA enabled, there used to be stuttering. With DMA on, the gameplay was smooth. I tried this game yesterday and it was smooth and fluid. So it looks like DMA is indeed working in the background.

The above poster is correct, you can verify with the app IAA installs.

found the official source mentioned here, which is paragraph 8.8 of the "Common System Configuration Issues Using the Intel® Ultra ATA Storage Driver and Intel® Chipset Software Installation Utility" document: https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/just-upg … ger-why.544814/

interestingly, that document also mentions that at least version 5.0 of that driver had an issue where the DMA checkbox wouldn't return upon uninstalling the driver. really does reinforce the idea that this was a hacky solution to get >UDMA2 support under 9x.

myne wrote on 2025-05-30, 10:40:

It's still running the standard driver. Int13 = Bios mode […]
Show full quote

It's still running the standard driver.
Int13 = Bios mode

ie "hi bios, I want to read some stuff"

Not, "Hi hdd, I want to read some stuff"

Apply the driver to the ide CONTROLLER

While "16-bit disk access" aka real mode driver is a thing and is displayed elsewhere in My Computer->Properties, I don't believe you are correct here.
"Int 13h Unit" means that that there is some drive number (80h, 81h, and so on) for which this drive may be accessed through the BIOS via Int 13h.
That means that Win9x needs to be careful to keep the same drive letter within Windows as within DOS, so that the drive doesn't change letters after switching from real mode to protected mode access, or when using the "restart in MS-DOS mode" feature. And when creating partitions, it needs to enforce whether your system has Int13h extensions or not when assigning the partition type.

I'd check the usual suspects for 'noide' and 'badide' in the registry.

Prior to a certain update, win9x wont ever 'try again' if it encounters data errors in higger access rate modes, and sets these flags, and a max speed flag, to preserve data integrity over speed.

See also, this thread.

[Win98SE] Drives are in MS-DOS compatibility mode, but why?