ATTENTION ATA-66/100 BUILDERS! - URGENT ISSUE!

[stable]

An old problem has crept back into Microsoft Windows Installations!

The old setup utility (wizard) used to automatically ofdisk and oformat hard drives to maximum capabilities; however, we have discovered that the updated utilities when set to auto (meaning you let windows do this for you) DO NOT work correctly with ATA-66 and ATA-100 disk drives. The result is EXTEREMELY POOR drive performance!!!

To correct this problem ALL DRIVES MUST HAVE FDISK and FORMAT MANUALLY PERFORMED BEFORE attempting ANY Windows installation. The problem has been replicated in our laboratory on ALL versions of Windows 98 S/E, Windows ME, Windows NT and Windows 2000!!!!

Builders using GHOST will have the same problem, so again you must still manually FDISK and FORMAT the drive BEFORE attempting to ghost a pre-install over to a new drive!

For curiosity, we decided to run out and buy a couple computers to see if other OEMs were affected:

Sisoft Benchmarks: Dell computers (3 different desktop units tested) = On average, 26% below potential, Corrected by ghosting old config to a second drive, re-fdisk and re-format primary drive, ghost configuration back to primary drive! (Our lab guys were all running around imitating Mr. Burns from the Simpson’s ("Exxxxxccccellllllent Smithers!")

Gateway's 31% below potential. Same procedure corrects problem.

Compaq (yes them too) 31% below potential, same procedure fixes the problem.

We have notified all of the above manufacturers and suspect they will take immediate action to correct the problem from occurring in future releases. If you already own one of these systems, you should immediately download the freeware utilities software from Sisoft and test your system. If affected, you should either perform the above procedures (if you have the capabilities) or take the system into your local computer shop ASAP and have them perform this procedure for you!

Steve Benoit


Stable Technologies
'The way IT should be!'

 

[IntelConvert]

Steve: Thanks for the alert. How the heck did that slip by all of those major OEMs (not to mention MS)?

 

[stable]

It looks like it happened when the updated wizard utility started shipping with all of these versions effective about 3 months ago. We were never affected as we always stress test our drives before we load an O/S.

We actually discovered the problem by chance when a system builder from Massachusetts came up to check out some new 266MHz boards that just came in... Anyway, when he started the W2K OS load, one of my guys noticed that he was using an IBM drive right out of the box (one of about 20 drives down at the lab that are there to be tested before we build a new system with them)... Anyway, the guy does the load and viola... slowness. The builder pointed out that he followed the normal Wizard instructions, and sure enough he had, so we went back and checked the partitioning and head tracking of the drive and sure enough, it wasn't right. We then decided to test the "Microsoft Recommended" Wizard procedures for every O/S... and sure enough, same problem.

Then we got REAL curious and this morning had our guys "go shopping" for other systems. Two of our customers were with us at the Guinness toast last night (our whole crew had a major party) and told us that they had units still in the boxes from Dell and Gateway so they let us borrow them for the tests (in turn we gave them the results and fixed these systems so both clients were very happy indeed.. They also told us (after watching us work in the lab this morning) that they would be buying all future systems from us, but these tests and our work on their systems probably had much to do with that... Anyway, as for the Compaq's we actually had to purchase them (but no worries, we're planning on returning them! hehehe)

This ordeal also gave us a chance to peek inside at the components from these 3 manufacturers to measure quality against our systems. Needless to say, we are very pleased with what we found, which was usually "junk in a box" OEM stuff that is typical of mass volume system builders. This is actually good for us, as we can ALWAYS beat these systems in side-by-side comparisons.

As for the problem at hand, I can only assume this is another example of Microsoft "dropping the ball".

My primary concern is for the hundreds of system builders AND THEIR CUSTOMERS that may not see this problem coming. Obviously, there is potential for data corruption or drive damage from having a bad initial format. We'll have to wait and see what the long term impacts of such a serious mistake will be.


Steve Benoit


Stable Technologies
'The way IT should be!'