I need an image of the retail version BIOS for an Adaptec 3944AUWD.
Background: Card purchased on ebay. I didn't think I needed to ask
"Is this a retail card supported by Adaptec?" I should have, so kick
me. It's got a custom BIOS, OEM for EMC, and won't go into SCSISelect
at boot time.
(Extra-special thanks to the seller who told me "It worked on my
disks!" and "I didn't sell it as a RAID card!" This device is a 9-
channel magtape, sly boy.)
EMC doesn't support it. Adaptec's response was "We don't support OEM
products, we won't send you the latest BIOS, and it's out of warranty
since 2003 too."
If somebody with a retail 3944 could take a few minutes to read out
the BIOS, I'd greatly appreciate it. The 2944 utility diskette can
read out the BIOS, and I'll be glad to send a diskette image to
anybody who can help.
In article <26a59a5c-980c-4c3b-a15f-371247f766fc@c58g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>, ecddiver@yahoo.com wrote:
>I need an image of the retail version BIOS for an Adaptec 3944AUWD.
>
>Background: Card purchased on ebay. I didn't think I needed to ask
>"Is this a retail card supported by Adaptec?" I should have, so kick
>me. It's got a custom BIOS, OEM for EMC, and won't go into SCSISelect
>at boot time.
>
Go into your motherboards bios and see if there is a setting to "capture
Interrupt 19" at boot time or something like that. Its what enables your
system to set aside the bios address space so that you can access your scsi
cards CTL-A setup.
>(Extra-special thanks to the seller who told me "It worked on my
>disks!" and "I didn't sell it as a RAID card!" This device is a 9-
>channel magtape, sly boy.)
>
>EMC doesn't support it. Adaptec's response was "We don't support OEM
>products, we won't send you the latest BIOS, and it's out of warranty
>since 2003 too."
>
>If somebody with a retail 3944 could take a few minutes to read out
>the BIOS, I'd greatly appreciate it. The 2944 utility diskette can
>read out the BIOS, and I'll be glad to send a diskette image to
>anybody who can help.
Sorry, I should have made this more clear. The 3944's BIOS does
execute
at POST; it prints the expected status lines. However, SCSISelect
doesn't
run after typing control-A. I've checked this on several different
systems.
Since the 3944 BIOS passes self-test, I conjecture that SCSISelect was
disabled in this OEM BIOS.
On Aug 18, 9:26*pm, glenz...@nospam.xmission.com (GMAN) wrote:
> Go into your motherboards bios and see if there is a setting to "capture
> Interrupt 19" at boot time or something like that. Its what enables your
> system to set aside the bios address space so that you can access your scsi
> cards CTL-A setup.
In article <1566c05b-1d43-42aa-83d0-b081457266a4@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>, ecddiver@yahoo.com wrote:
>Sorry, I should have made this more clear. The 3944's BIOS does
>execute
>at POST; it prints the expected status lines. However, SCSISelect
>doesn't
>run after typing control-A. I've checked this on several different
>systems.
>Since the 3944 BIOS passes self-test, I conjecture that SCSISelect was
>disabled in this OEM BIOS.
>
>On Aug 18, 9:26=A0pm, glenz...@nospam.xmission.com (GMAN) wrote:
>
>> Go into your motherboards bios and see if there is a setting to "capture
>> Interrupt 19" at boot time or something like that. Its what enables your
>> system to set aside the bios address space so that you can access your sc=
>si
>> cards CTL-A setup.
Which is why i said on modern motherboards you must go into the bios and
reserve space for the add on cards bios to be able to execute. Older cards
like scsi cards use this interrupt to execute its bios.
i had to do this with my Asus Commando motherboard and a Adaptec 29140 card.
I just checked my Asus Commandomanual and the actual screen in my AMI bios is
under the section where you can setup stuff like quick boot and full screen
logo and other items. Its called "INTERRUPT 19 CAPTURE"
INTERRUPT 19 CAPTURE [Disabled]
When set to [Enabled], this function allows option ROMs to trap Interrupt 19.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
I also have this enabled "ADDON ROM DISPLAY MODE"
ADDON ROM DISPLAY MODE [Force BIOS]
Sets the display mode for option ROM.
Configuration options: [Force BIOS] [Keep Current]
In article <1566c05b-1d43-42aa-83d0-b081457266a4@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>, ecddiver@yahoo.com wrote:
>Sorry, I should have made this more clear. The 3944's BIOS does
>execute
>at POST; it prints the expected status lines. However, SCSISelect
>doesn't
>run after typing control-A. I've checked this on several different
>systems.
>Since the 3944 BIOS passes self-test, I conjecture that SCSISelect was
>disabled in this OEM BIOS.
>
>On Aug 18, 9:26=A0pm, glenz...@nospam.xmission.com (GMAN) wrote:
>
>> Go into your motherboards bios and see if there is a setting to "capture
>> Interrupt 19" at boot time or something like that. Its what enables your
>> system to set aside the bios address space so that you can access your sc=
>si
>> cards CTL-A setup.
On Aug 18, 10:40*pm, glenz...@nospam.xmission.com (GMAN) wrote:
> Which is why i said on modern motherboards you must go into the bios and
> reserve space for the add on cards bios to be able to execute. Older cards
> like scsi cards use this interrupt to execute its bios.
>
> i had to do this with my Asus Commando motherboard and a Adaptec 29140 card.
I think perhaps I've explained poorly again.
The Adaptec BIOS does execute at startup. The monitor displays
the card ident, BIOS revision and "scanning for devices" lines. It
wouldn't and couldn't do this if the Adaptec BIOS didn't execute.
If the Adaptec BIOS executes, then it must be mapped in the
system's high memory I/O space. I don't see how it could be
otherwise.
The systems I've used for test don't have modern motherboards.
They're systems that were current when the 3944 was current
about 2000-ish. They're not NLM, and while they have ACPI
they don't have APICs, so there -are- no interrupts above IRQ 15.
Since IRQ 19 doesn't exist, there are no system BIOS options
relating to it.
I appreciate the comments, but in this case I am pretty sure that
they don't apply to this specific situation. What I need at this
stage is a differential diagnosis. The simplest way would be by
installing a known good 3944, but since I don't have one the next
simplest way is by flashing a copy of the retail 3944 BIOS.
ecddiver@yahoo.com wrote in news:26a59a5c-980c-4c3b-a15f-371247f766fc@c58g2000hsc.googlegroups.com
> I need an image of the retail version BIOS for an Adaptec 3944AUWD.
And maybe not.
>
> Background: Card purchased on ebay. I didn't think I needed to ask
> "Is this a retail card supported by Adaptec?" I should have, so kick me.
Consider yourself kicked.
> It's got a custom BIOS, OEM for EMC,
> and won't go into SCSISelect at boot time.
Which probably has nothing to do with EMC.
>
> (Extra-special thanks to the seller who told me "It worked on my
> disks!" and "I didn't sell it as a RAID card!" This device is a 9-
> channel magtape, sly boy.)
>
> EMC doesn't support it. Adaptec's response was "We don't support OEM
> products, we won't send you the latest BIOS, and it's out of warranty
> since 2003 too."
>
> If somebody with a retail 3944 could take a few minutes to read out
> the BIOS, I'd greatly appreciate it. The 2944 utility diskette can
> read out the BIOS, and I'll be glad to send a diskette image to
> anybody who can help.
ecddiver@yahoo.com wrote in news:1566c05b-1d43-42aa-83d0-b081457266a4@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com
> Sorry, I should have made this more clear. The 3944's BIOS does execute
> at POST; it prints the expected status lines. However, SCSISelect doesn't
> run after typing control-A. I've checked this on several different systems.
> Since the 3944 BIOS passes self-test,
> I conjecture that SCSISelect was disabled in this OEM BIOS.
So you need to re-enable it.
Disabling SCSIselect banner is not supposed to be a selfdestruct option.
Type ctrl-a continuously when the BIOS banner is supposed to appear.
>
> On Aug 18, 9:26 pm, glenz...@nospam.xmission.com (GMAN) wrote:
>
> > Go into your motherboards bios and see if there is a setting to "capture
> > Interrupt 19" at boot time or something like that. Its what enables your
> > system to set aside the bios address space so that you can access your scsi
> > cards CTL-A setup.
In article <66c7425e-0084-4302-a890-141b2a73b2a0@8g2000hse.googlegroups.com>, ecddiver@yahoo.com wrote:
>On Aug 18, 10:40=A0pm, glenz...@nospam.xmission.com (GMAN) wrote:
>
>> Which is why i said on modern motherboards you must go into the bios and
>> reserve space for the add on cards bios to be able to execute. Older card=
>s
>> like scsi cards use this interrupt to execute its bios.
>>
>> i had to do this with my Asus Commando motherboard and a Adaptec 29140 ca=
>rd.
>
>I think perhaps I've explained poorly again.
>
>The Adaptec BIOS does execute at startup. The monitor displays
>the card ident, BIOS revision and "scanning for devices" lines. It
>wouldn't and couldn't do this if the Adaptec BIOS didn't execute.
>If the Adaptec BIOS executes, then it must be mapped in the
>system's high memory I/O space. I don't see how it could be
>otherwise.
>
>The systems I've used for test don't have modern motherboards.
>They're systems that were current when the 3944 was current
>about 2000-ish. They're not NLM, and while they have ACPI
>they don't have APICs, so there -are- no interrupts above IRQ 15.
>Since IRQ 19 doesn't exist, there are no system BIOS options
>relating to it.
>
>I appreciate the comments, but in this case I am pretty sure that
>they don't apply to this specific situation. What I need at this
>stage is a differential diagnosis. The simplest way would be by
>installing a known good 3944, but since I don't have one the next
>simplest way is by flashing a copy of the retail 3944 BIOS.
ecddiver@yahoo.com writes:
>On Aug 18, 10:40=A0pm, glenz...@nospam.xmission.com (GMAN) wrote:
>
>> Which is why i said on modern motherboards you must go into the bios and
>> reserve space for the add on cards bios to be able to execute. Older card=
>s
>> like scsi cards use this interrupt to execute its bios.
>>
>> i had to do this with my Asus Commando motherboard and a Adaptec 29140 ca=
>rd.
>
>I think perhaps I've explained poorly again.
>
[snip]
>The systems I've used for test don't have modern motherboards.
>They're systems that were current when the 3944 was current
>about 2000-ish. They're not NLM, and while they have ACPI
>they don't have APICs, so there -are- no interrupts above IRQ 15.
Every system since the P5 (Pentium) has had an APIC, since the
P6 (Pentium Pro) it's been part of the processor itself.
>Since IRQ 19 doesn't exist, there are no system BIOS options
>relating to it.
INT 19 is not IRQ 19. The INT 19 trap is for software interrupts
(i.e. the INT $0x19 instruction). In any case, every system built
with a PCI bus supports more than 15 IRQ's, and certainly every
system since the pentium.
that said, I suspect you are correct and the OEM bios doesn't
allow control-a.
Need BIOS for Adaptec 3944 
Linear Mode
