Have you tried with slower DRAM / SRAM (Cache) timings?

Is the CDROM drive working okay ?

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-08-20, 04:31:

Is the CDROM drive working okay ?

Yes, it did work all well with my M912 setup.

Disruptor wrote on 2021-08-20, 02:20:

Have you tried with slower DRAM / SRAM (Cache) timings?

I just did, set it to slowest and played around with it. The game starts but freezes randomly when I video scenes - but as a victory I was able to copy the files to the HD within the setup.

Also as mentioned the problem is not tight to this CPU It happens also with other CPUs. I wonder if there is a problem with the IDE controller.

I still have a PCI sata here which works also flawless within DOS. I will test it and report.

Ok I just tried this now. I removed the DOM from the onboard IDE controller and installed the PCI sata controller and connected a 150GB sata drive I had here in spare.

FDISK sadly says the drive has a max of only 512MB but fine for the moment. C created, dos and drivers installed. WC3 setup started and all flawless and the game doesn't stop and any point. The CD Rom is still connected to the onboard IDE on the secondary port.

Does the primary IDE then have a problem? The DOM worked fine on my M912 and Amiga.

now I remember why I got that RevF board : LuckyStar LS486E Rev:C1 Strange Problem ...wow ... I need vacation

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-08-20, 04:31:

Is the CDROM drive working okay ?

ok. after experimenting with master and slave and combinations (DOM/CF) + cdrom : the cdrom drive is finally the problem. I had never guessed that specially since it worked fine in previous setups. I had another drive in spare and all works fine.

I had to go the hard way. sigh.

Thanks for help.

maw wrote on 2021-09-02, 02:44:

ok. after experimenting with master and slave and combinations (DOM/CF) + cdrom : the cdrom drive is finally the problem. I had […]
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Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-08-20, 04:31:

Is the CDROM drive working okay ?

ok. after experimenting with master and slave and combinations (DOM/CF) + cdrom : the cdrom drive is finally the problem. I had never guessed that specially since it worked fine in previous setups. I had another drive in spare and all works fine.

I had to go the hard way. sigh.

Thanks for help.

Get a Sony 52x CDROM drive.

Ok so finally the CDRom isn't the problem it showed up again. So a different approach. I got a Promise Ultra33 IDE PCI controller and plugged there the HD (DOM). CDRom wont work there with DOS (sadly). I kept the CDRom on the onboard secondary controller and disabled the primary.

The WC3 setup works now flawless and no breakup when the setup copies game files to the HD. But When I start the game I get the following screen.

I tried to install the game on C then tried D with the same result. Then I switched the CDRom to onboard primary and same result. BUT: when I dont copy the files to the HD and save the config and start the game it works flawless as it should.

What can be the problem? 😀

The problem does not appear with the English version of Wing Commander 3 (I always tested with the German one). I will test that later when the HD is plugged on the onboard IDE.

Try putting XT-IDE on an ethernet card and running your hard drives through that.

Maybe you have BIOS bug in the disk routines. Since it seems to work fine when you use a PCI controller.

Isolate the defect by replacing every component with a known-good one, until you found it.

Also check the PSU voltages, you seem to have almost no +12V load, only on +5V (e.g. crossloading situation).
I have seen PSUs that go down to 4.2V on +5V, far out of the safe range for stable operation. Strange things are to expect then.

maw wrote on 2021-09-16, 22:44:

The problem does not appear with the English version of Wing Commander 3 (I always tested with the German one). I will test that later when the HD is plugged on the onboard IDE.

Sounds like you have some corrupt files in the German version if the English version works OK. Have you tried that German version on another computer ?