Iyonix IDE problems

I’m trying to get my Iyonix back in service (after a while).

It has a fresh flash, and fresh install on a new SSD.

However it has had a long standing intermittent issue with the disk interface. On some transfers it just locks up, with the access LED illuminated, and only a power down from the switch recovers it.

It has had this issue despite trying alternative PSUs and with all drive\interface combinations I have tried.

What is different is that I have now found a reliable trigger for the lock-up.

!Store triggers it every time.

I remember my old Storm SCSI had a similar issue and stopping DMA solved it. (until I removed a component from the MB.

Does the Iyo have the option of disabling DMA, or any other configuration options that can be tried?

Thanks

Did you try to replace the cable? I remember strange issues when upgrading my IYONIX’ harddisc, which vanished when I replaced the original cable with a new one.

“SSD” also sounds like if an SATA-IDE-bridge is involved. When experimenting on how to connect that S-ATA Blu-Ray writer to the IYONIX, I had quite a few of them not working properly – back then, I thought that maybe they only work with HDs and not with ATAPI devices.

I have tried a couple of cables. And I have actually replaced a SATA drive (plus adaptor), which it was using previously with a PATA SSD.

I’m not sure if the current situation is less stable, or it is just that I have identified a reliable way of triggering the fault.

When I was hving disc problems on my Iyo some years ago – caused by failing PSU – they were mitigated by just killing DMAManager module. This slowed disc accesses down, but gave the PSU a fighting chance to supply the reduced current needed!

Thanks, I just tried that, it changed the behaviour or the fault. It still locked up, just at a different point and no hour glass. I tried additionally reducing adfs buffers to 0, and that changed the fault again. The machine didn’t lock, but reported a bad disk map.

Please be extra careful when trying to disable UltraDMA access. Data integrity via UltraDMA is much better cared for than via PIO. So it might be that PIO seems to work, but you just get unrecognized data corruption.