The Cellar - computer problem

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete Zicato (Post 638056)

MB - are the hard drive controllers built into the motherboard on laptops?

Hard drive controllers disappeared when MFM disk drives were replaced with IDE drives. When the ISA bus was replaced with a PCI bus.

Each disk drive is a computer. Between the motherboard computer (PCI bus) and disk drive computer is a transceiver, bidirectonal data gate, or an interface between two asynchronous buses. The motherboard CPU literally sends and receives messages from the disk drive computer.

One of the disk drives must be a master. Something must control / arbitrate the IDE or SATA bus. That is the master drive. On IDE busses, that master drive always has an address of 80h. Therefore the motherboard CPU can send commands to both disk drives. Both drives can be doing tasks. But only one drive responds when it is ready.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete Zicato (Post 638017)

It would be interesting to know though, whether your windows install cd gives you the option to try to fix the os.

The Recovery Console is (is supposed to exist) on the Windows install CD. It does not exist on a computer manufacturer's fast restore CD that only wipes the disk drive completely clean and loads only a new OS image. That OS image is Windows after the computer manufacturer has reconfigured it unique to their machine.

Some manufacturers wanted you to burn a windows install CD when you got the machine. Too many users do not or forget to burn that CD. If you did not did not burn that windows install CD, then no Recovery Console exists on a CD. Windows install software is both on the provided or burned CD, and often on a separate partition on the hard drive. Only better systems provide the Windows install CD.

Only the best computer manufacturers also provide comprehensive hardware diagnostics on a CD, on another partition on the hard drive, and on their web site. Had Sony provided same, then most of yesterdays labors would have been completely unnecessary. From what I could see, Sony does not provide that comprehensive hardware diagnostic that Sony and all other computer manufacturer have, could, and should provide for free.

A benchmark for better computer systems. If that manufacture does not provide comprehensive hardware diagnostics, then done buy the machine. This thread demonstrates how complex problems become without it. Hard drive integrity (including SATA or IDE bidriectional interface) could have been established in minutes is Sony provided the comprehensive hardware diagnostic.