CT.EXE -- All Controller Test v1.01 May 26, 1994 様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様様 This program runs a functionality check on the dedicated QIC drive controller cards listed below as well as the standard floppy controller. It will test initialization of and communication with your QIC tape drive controller card. It is being provided as a test for the controller card routines that are used in a forthcoming QIC diagnostics and data recovery program. This program will be released by Novatech Design, and although we have received tremendous assistance from just about every company involved with QIC tape drives, this test and the forthcoming diags program are not represented, published or sanctioned by any company whose CompuServe forum this test appears in. This means it's our product and nobody else is to be held accountable for it -- not Symantec, not Central Point, not 5th Generation, Arcada Software, or any drive maker. Whatever forum you downloaded this test from, the test is there because the forum sysop(s) allowed it; they have nothing to do with either this test or the diags program. Please note that VLB (VESA [Video Electronics Standards Association] local bus) cards are notoriously problematic with QIC drives and if you have a VLB card, don't fall over in shock if this test fails. This is a test program only. The look and feel of this program in no way reflects that of the final QIC diags program. Running this program is straightforward and simple. After pressing a key to get through the welcome screen, please double check the information displayed on the System Information screen. If any of this information is incorrect, please make a note of it and let me know. On the actual diagnostics program, the System Information section is expanded to 13 subsections giving information comparable to the entire MSD program included with MS-DOS. That's just the system info section. The second screen systematically executes an automatic search through the following list of controller cards: Colorado Memory Systems AB10 (disabled in v1.01, card not obtained) Colorado Memory Systems FC10 Colorado Memory Systems TC15 Colorado Memory Systems FC20 (disabled in v1.01, card not obtained) Conner Peripherals 20001 (same as Archive XL or Maynard controller) Iomega IHP-10a Mountain Mach2 (same as Summit Express) Standard floppy controller The Colorado cards are jumperless and the test will go through these cards faster than the display can be updated. If you do not have a CMS dedicated card in your system, it will look as if these cards were never tested for, but they were. **************************************************************************** As the test runs through, the card name will display for the card currently being tested for. When the IRQ display is flashing, the IRQ test is in progress for all allowable channels on the card simultaneously. When the IRQ display stops flashing, either the test has failed (the "continue" message displays or the next card search begins) or an IRQ line has been found for that card (the DMA channel flashes). When the DMA channel flashes, the channel flashing is currently in test. When the flashing stops, the DMA channel has been found. Only when the flash/stop-flash cycle of both IRQ and DMA channels has completed has the card been considered located and its configuration determined. Please verify that the information displayed is correct. If either the IRQ or DMA displays are flashing when the "press any key" message displays, the test was unable to locate any card. If a dedicated controller is found on test 1, test 2 will proceed to test the floppy controller only. If no dedicated card is in your system, then test 1 should have 'found' the floppy controller and there will be no test 2. **************************************************************************** There is nothing for you to report back, except whether the card(s) "found" were correct and the IRQ/DMA channels reported were correct, and if the System Information screen was correct. *************************************************************************** During all test runs, the "wheel" spinning at the right end of the screen next to the DMA channel display should always be moving, unless the program is waiting for the user to press a key. If this wheel stops and the program is not asking for a keystroke, you can safely assume your system is hung. I'll need to know this and YOU will need to reboot. Hopefully we won't see this happen. *************************************************************************** The Iomega IHp-10a controller can be set to the standard floppy controller settings of base address 3F0, IRQ 6, DMA 2. If you have an Iomega card set to these parameters, effectively replacing the standard floppy controller, this test version will locate the card but will display it as a standard floppy controller. This situation needs to be fixed, because even if the Iomega card is set to replace a standard floppy controller, the 1 meg data rate is still available on the card and the drivers should detect this condition. This issue will be fixed before final release of the diags. The Conner and Iomega cards overlap exactly on certain base address, IRQ and DMA channel settings and one may display as the other. Software methods are unable to distinguish between these two cards for the settings they overlap on. This will not affect functionality in any way. *************************************************************************** THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I NEED TO KNOW IS IF THIS TEST PROGRAM CAUSES YOUR SYSTEM TO HANG! *************************************************************************** The test will generate a coded log file containing detailed descriptions of all test results during execution of the program. The log file will be created in the current directory and will be named "CT.LOG." If you have the inclination and a huge heart, I would greatly appreciate your emailing your log file to: Chris Malcheski 71232,360 The typical size of this file is around 640 bytes. It's binary, so please don't try to edit it! I cannot say enough thanks to those taking the time out to run this test program and report the results back to me. By generating the log file I have hopefully brought your time involvement in this test down to 5 minutes or less. -- Chris Malcheski