Windows 95 IBM 330 ActiveSync 3.1

Reading the article, I formatted the CF using MS-DOS, the one provided by the windows 95 boot disk.
So I made no mistakes on this.
However, it does not answer my question; is the adapter compliant?
I think so, but I'm not an expert.
Otherwise I'll have to take this:
https://www.ebay.it/itm/112934293618?hash=item1a4b689072:g:1~YAAOSwv2taz6sz
In the description I read:
Standard IDE interface, true-IDE mode, and support DMA-33 transfer mode


Edited by NarakuITA 2022-06-25 12:06 PM

In the meantime, I'm waiting for the seller's response.

Edited by NarakuITA 2022-06-25 12:06 PM

How do you expect me to know if the adapter is complying with the DMA transfer specification? Again, I'm not a binary telepath. I can't see what your computer is doing.

If DMA 33 is running then the burst rate of the bus is up to 33MB/s. You're graphs suggests that the max you are getting is 3.06MB/s. 10% of the theoretical maximum. I've no way to know if it's caused by the adapter, the CF card or the computer. I put a CF card adapter in a 133MHz laptop about 15 years ago and it flew along compared to the old rotational drive.

The reseller of the CF-IDE40 Converter Card Modul sent me the specifications:
https://www.reichelt.de/card-reader-intern-ide-compact-flash-delock-91620-p57406.html?CCOUNTRY=445&LANGUAGE=de&trstct=pos_1&nbc=1&&r=1
He also sent me:
https://sgcdn.startech.com/005329/media/sets/IDE2CF_Manual/IDE2CF.pdf
https://media.startech.com/cms/pdfs/ide2cf_datasheet-de.pdf


I was able to find the details of the card.
FC ebay

If I have translated correctly these are the details:

Product Details: 
 

   Storage type Compact Flash Ultra High Speed 

 

   Memory size 16GB 

 

   Manufacturer: Platnimum, C-Memory, Adata, ExtreMemoy..etc. 

   We also supply a manufacturer that is not listed here. 

 

  

speed 150x 

   

   Data transfer at up to 25 MB / s 

   Dimensions 42.8x 36.4 x 3.3mm 

 

   Voltage 3.3V

Edited by NarakuITA 2022-06-25 2:26 PM

I was thinking could it also be a memory size problem? Maybe I shouldn't go beyond 8GB or even less?


EDIT:
I discovered in the bios in Drives and Ports I/E, that there are some settings to set for the disk.
In fact, on IDE Functionality it was set to "Compatible" I changed it to "High Performance".
These are the results:


There is one other feature that I haven't touched, I have no idea if it will be useful anymore: IDE Data Preload in Reading is set to Disabled.
Do you know if it is useful if I enable it?

Edited by NarakuITA 2022-06-25 5:28 PM

Oh good job, that made quite the difference didn't it. No, size won't make any difference.

Keep in mind that the 33MB/s is shared between everything on the PCI bus, including the GPU, USB and anything else sitting on the bus. The fact that systems of that age were never really designed to run the IDE bus at full speed (the drives couldn't cope) should also be taken into account. So really, 14MB/s is not totally terrible. With the card being limited to 'up to 25MB/s', you're hitting 14MB/s and likely practically 18-20MB/s. It should feel a lot faster?

I would have liked to have seen the 4K speed be higher, but as before, whether that is the card, the controller or the computer. Who knows. It could even be the IDE cabling! Lots of things to check there really.

The CF card is 3.3v that says, is the 3.3v jumper set?

I am not sure what data preload is referring to. It sounds like pre-fetch on read, but I'm not sure how IDE could implement that. I suggest enabling it and re-run the benchmark to see!

I don't know if the jumper is set to 3.3v.
I haven't touched anything. As shown in the photo, I left everything as it is.
https://i.ibb.co/zfgGnzq/IMG-20220624-001428.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/DCfPfWM/IMG-20220624-001445.jpg
However the speed increased slightly when I changed that setting in the bios.


Edited by NarakuITA 2022-06-25 9:33 PM

JP2 should be over pin 2 and 3 for 3.3v according to the PCB graffiti.

So yes, from the photo it seems well positioned. From photo two you should see clearly.
The only thing is to understand why the speed is not higher. Although improved.
I was thinking of trying to buy a CF UDMA 7, the one you advised me to get on ebay, unfortunately it doesn't ship to Italy.
I found this is the same.
https://www.ebay.it/itm/384470135544
I was reading on the net, on other forums, that some folks who have old PCs have had problems with large memories. Infected recommend maximum 4GB, or a maximum of 8GB. Do you think that the same thing holds true in my case too? Or not?
I found this Chinese dealer. It looks like the same product I bought in germany.
https://www.ebay.it/itm/363443074410
In the description it says:
Standard IDE interface, true-IDE mode, and support DMA-33 transfer mode.
Could I try to take this? (Or it's the same one I have. Maybe it certainly is.)


Edited by NarakuITA 2022-06-25 11:29 PM

For the 3rd time, no

seems fine to me, as said, it can never get over 33MB/s - not without changing the disk controller ... besides, I highly doubt that the rest of the system bus could handle much more (and you'll probably struggle to get a bootable opROM).

Wait, to understand us, and see if I understand.
Would a pci ide ata 133 controller, which you just recommended to me, have better performance than the adapter I have, the one that plugs directly into the IDE slot?
Yes, I wouldn't go over 33MB / s, with the adapter going directly to the IDE slot, but if it went there at that speed it would be a great thing! And now he doesn't go there! (Wait previously you told me that: 33MB/s is shared between everything on the PCI bus, including the GPU, USB and anything else sitting on the bus. If I understand correctly that's why I'm now going at a speed of 14MB/s ?)
Then I didn't understand the fact of the bootable opROM. Ie with my adapter it is bootable, but with a pci ide ata 133 controller maybe not? This part is not very clear to me.

Edited by NarakuITA 2022-06-26 12:03 AM

As I've said, I have no idea what is causing a bottle neck: CF Card, CF adapter, IDE controller, IDE cabling, PC. The only way to know is to empirically test.

A new controller might improve things, but only if it is the IDE Controller causing the problem.

You need an opROM to boot from it. Good luck finding anything on eBay which clearly states it has one. Sellers are usually lazy or don't know what they are selling in the first place.

I wanted to give it a try. Don't tell me why. But I installed Windows 98se and it's much more "responsive", "fast"! The disk test is pretty much the same, slightly higher, but I see that windows 98se is faster! It is noticeable when starting and shutting down windows. Programs also start faster. It is as if windows 98 handles the speed of the CF better.

However even if I wanted to, I couldn't get a pci ide ata 133 controller. I have no room to put it. Also from what I have seen I have to connect it to an adapter which in turn must be inserted a CF card. I really don't have space.

I was thinking; can it be the 39pin adapter? I created a pin, piercing the adapter.

Edited by NarakuITA 2022-06-26 11:50 AM

It would be faster, the IDE driver is newer and probably has native support for the chipset where as 95 likely needs proper controller drivers to function optimally. You should find that Millennium and 2000 are just as snappy disk wise.

You just move the IDE cable from the motherboard and into the CF card adapter (you do not need a new CF card adapter) - you may want to replace the cable though as you will have a 33MB/s cable and the newer ones run up to 133MB/s.

My adapter is not connected with any IDE cables.
Why should i change the cable? The adapter is connected directly to the motherboard.
I don't know what you mean.

Edited by NarakuITA 2022-06-26 2:40 PM