New beta Abit bios to fix via 686b timing bug

[The PIT]

Abit have released a beta bios for the kt7a raid on there ftp site.
This hopefully fixes data corruption copying files too and from hard disks when soundcards are present or possibly other devices that use dma.

[Wombat]

Not as a competitive thing, but to make this thread more informative: Epox also has a beta BIOS out for the 8KTA3(+). I haven't tried it yet, since the software driver is working great for me.


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Epox 8KTA3 w/ Duron 850@7.5*133 with Alpha 6035, 256MB Crucial 7E, G400MAX,SBLive!-MP3,Pioneer 10x DVD, Plextor 12/10/32A, IBM 45GB 75gxp, and a Sony 420GS. Running RH7.0 (2.4.0-final), and Win98 (when I have to).

[The PIT]

I managed to create the exact symptons of the problems with the via chipset yesterday.
1) Started wintv.
2) Started defrag
3) Went to the event viewer to see if any errors popped up and the machine froze solid.

Rebooted the machine. Switched off pci master setting (can't remember the exact naming) and then loaded the patch from viahardware.
Noticed a slight whistle from the creative. Loaded wintv again and then defrag and it didn't lockup.
I'll try the latest abit bios.

Another thing I noticed is that the two ibm drives don't like being on the same ide channel either with via controller old promise controller or the highpoint. The highpoint seems the more unstable of the two. I presume that this is due to the ata66 verus ata100.

[The PIT]

Loaded the beta bios after removing the software patch and so far no data corruption.
Things to note.
Sblive noisy under win2k. Yet silent under win98 which suggests a driver issue or acpi issue. It was silent before the patches.
Machine seems faster for some reason.
Now is it worth transferring back to the high point controller.

[dZeus]

SBLive! noisy?

try this:
remove the analogue audio cable that goes from your CDROM/DVDROM drive to your soundcard, and enable 'digital audio playback' in the Win2k drive properties.

See if that helps (the analogue cable gave me a lot of noise in win2k on my system)

[ALBPM]

Don't you guys get tired of constantly fixing and patching Via's screw ups with their chipsets????

Paul

[Wombat]

Paul:
Nope. I haven't spent too much time with these bugs. And since intel doesn't make an Athlon chipset, I'll stick with this combo. The way I see it, I still have 10hrs of labor that I can devote to VIA, and still come out ahead of the $200 extra I would have had to spend on an intel "solution".

[Technoid]

About time spent with "patches"

I spent more time with all the separate INF updates and IDE drivers with my I815 motherboard than on my VIA KT133A motherboards single "Via 4 in 1"

I haven't patched my bios and i have never had any problems with my VIA motherboard.

I did have some crackling noise from my SBlive BUT that vent away when i changed my GF-MX to a GF1 DDR!

[ALBPM]

HEHEHEHEH....I thought I'd get you guys going with that remark

Paul

[The PIT]

Technoid. If you don't belief theres a problem take a look at old viahardware forums. It's full of people having the same problem. Although I've seen comments that Via and Creative have stated that there is a problem hunting round there web site reveals nothing. However jetaway and epox have released bios fixes and Abit have released a beta bios to address the issue. They wouldn't if there wasn't a problem.
Never had a problem with an Intel chipset yet not even the new 850 where the hardest bit was getting on there web site to download the drivers. I had to do that since the prof hadn't given me the drivers disk.
Can't remember much about the probs I had with the vp3 chipset. The Mvp3 on the earlier releases didn't understand zip ide drives tape drives Cd writers. Via reconised this but said the devices were new.
Out of interest I decided to get another 2nd machine last year and chose the super socket seven chipset made by Tyan. Out of the box the board couldn't detect any floppy drives even though they worked fine on the BX. Out of frustration I loaded the Bios defaults and although none off the visable settings changed the drive suddenly worked. Recently the hard drive in the machine died so I reinstalled win2k and this refused to load causing me to yet again load the Bios defaults although nothing had changed. To be honest the machine worked well but then it didn't have much to confuse it.
I fancied more off a challenged so I went for 1 gig athlon and a KT7133a raid and it was indeed a challenge and still maybe. If I had a simple system Soundcard one hard drive, Video card I think it would have worked striaght off the blocks.
I once said on these forums Via chipsets are allright if you've just got a videocard and soundcard and nothing else. it looks like this is still the truth.

[cbman]

From Technoid

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">
I spent more time with all the separate INF updates and IDE drivers with my I815 motherboard than on my VIA KT133A motherboards single "Via 4 in 1"
</font>

I have an 815 and with winME you don't have to install the INF, In 98 there is just the INF file to install... What else are you having to include?

You aren't required to use the Intel ATA Drivers... its just personal preferance. The IDE still works just fine without it.

Plus I don't even know if you would call the INF file a "Patch" per say because it doesn't really fix anything that is broken... it just lets your older OS identify some newer hardware properly.

Just my thoughts.

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Canadian... Hell Ya!!!

[cbman]

Hey Paul...

Do I hear a sales pitch coming on...



LOL

You guys don't get commission do you?



Smurfs are blue... do they work for intel too?



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Canadian... Hell Ya!!!

[The PIT]

I've just returned partly the via fold after leaving after the vp3 mvp3 crappness. I'm sad to say Via haven't improved very much.
I just like the way my old bx motherboard chugs away overclocked taking any card that I install in it without a problem. Something I can't say about the KT7A.
Hopefully now with the beta bios the problem is solved. We can't start taking odds that I'll trash win2k again when I try and transfer back to the high point controller.

[Rags]

Agreed on the 815, no patches needed, just plop in the inf and that's all there is to it.

Rags

[The PIT]

Abit have released another beta bios. However last night I was running a virus check while watching wintv and this caused a breakup of the picture so it looks like the timing issue is still there. Still I've got a lot to play with yet. Last resort is to swap my reliable bx back in and put the dodgy kt7a in the other machine where it's only got a soundcard and network card to worry about. It might manage that.