Microsoft KB Archive/96709

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

PD0455: ADAPTEC.SYS Driver
Last reviewed: May 1, 1997

Article ID: Q96709

5.00 5.00a 6.00 6.20 6.21 6.22 MS-DOS kb3rdparty kbfile kbappnote

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft MS-DOS operating system versions 5.x, 6.0, 6.2, 6.21, 6.22

SUMMARY
Microsoft has an Application Note that contains ADAPTEC.SYS, a driver program that corrects an interrupt conflict between the Microsoft MS-DOS EMM386.EXE memory manager and certain older, non-SCSI, Adaptec(TM) hard- disk controller cards.

If you have an Adaptec controller card and you find that loading EMM386.EXE causes erratic system behavior, loading ADAPTEC.SYS may correct the problem.

You can obtain this Application Note, &quot;PD0455: ADAPTEC.SYS Driver,&quot; from the following sources:

You can obtain this Application Note from the following sources:


 * Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on the Internet
 * The Internet (Microsoft anonymous ftp server)
 * Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)
 * Microsoft Product Support Services

For complete information, see the &quot;To Obtain This Application Note&quot; section at the end of this article.

THE TEXT OF PD0455
Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File) PD0455: ADAPTEC.SYS DRIVER Revision Date: 6/94 1 Disk Included The following information applies to Microsoft MS-DOS(R), versions 5.0, 6.0, 6.2, 6.21, and 6.22.

| INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY SOFTWARE THAT MAY    |
 * ACCOMPANY THIS DOCUMENT (collectively referred to as an Application |
 * Note) IS PROVIDED &quot;AS IS&quot; WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER     |
 * EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED     |
 * WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR      |
 * PURPOSE. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and   |
 * the use of this Application Note. This Application Note may be     |
 * copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1) All |
 * text must be copied without modification and all pages must be     |
 * included; 2) If software is included, all files on the disk(s)     |
 * must be copied without modification (the MS-DOS utility diskcopy is |
 * appropriate for this purpose); 3) All components of this           |
 * Application Note must be distributed together; and  4) This        |
 * Application Note may not be distributed for profit.                |
 * Copyright (C) 1991-1994 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. |
 * Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows is a    |
 * trademark of Microsoft Corporation.                                |
 * Adaptec is a trademark of Adaptec Inc.                             |
 * Adaptec is a trademark of Adaptec Inc.                             |

Introduction
The disk provided with this Application Note contains ADAPTEC.SYS, a driver program that corrects an interrupt conflict between the Microsoft MS-DOS EMM386.EXE memory manager and certain older, non-SCSI Adaptec(TM) hard-disk controller cards. These controller cards use interrupts 60H-67H to store drive tables. Because these are the same interrupts used by EMM386.EXE to provide memory services, a conflict arises that causes the system to stop responding (hang) when the hard drive is accessed. ADAPTEC.SYS corrects this conflict by relocating the drive tables. If you have an Adaptec controller card and you find that loading EMM386.EXE causes erratic system behavior, installing ADAPTEC.SYS may correct the problem.

NOTE: The program included with this Application Note is manufactured by Adaptec, Inc., a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this program's performance or reliability.

The ADAPTEC.SYS driver was provided to Microsoft by Adaptec, Inc. According to Adaptec, the following controller cards require the ADAPTEC.SYS driver in order to be compatible with EMM386.EXE:

Adaptec Controller Card Model -  ACB 2370 A,B,C ACB 2372 A,B,C ACB 2333 A,B 2322B-8 2322B-16 According to Adaptec, the following controller cards do not require ADAPTEC.SYS in order to be compatible with EMM386.EXE:

Adaptec Controller Card Model -  ACB 2310 ACB 2312 ACB 2320D ACB 2322D If you have questions about your model of Adaptec controller card and its compatibility with EMM386.EXE, contact Adaptec technical support at (800) 959-7274.

To install ADAPTEC.SYS
 Insert the enclosed PD0455 disk in your floppy disk drive.  At the MS-DOS command prompt, type the following command and press ENTER copy :\adaptec.sys where is the floppy disk drive containing the PD0455 disk and is the path to your root directory (that is, the   drive and directory where your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files    reside). For example, if your root directory is located on drive C   and the PD0455 disk is in drive A, type the following command: copy a:\adaptec.sys c:\   Use a text editor such as MS-DOS Editor to modify your CONFIG.SYS file. (For more information on using Editor, please refer to the &quot;Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference&quot; for version 5.0 or the &quot;Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide&quot; for versions 6.0 and later). At the beginning of your CONFIG.SYS file, add the following line and save the file: device=c:\adaptec.sys NOTE: ADAPTEC.SYS must be installed in the CONFIG.SYS file before any MS-DOS device drivers. 

This completes the installation of the ADAPTEC.SYS driver. You must restart your computer for the change to take effect.

TO OBTAIN THIS APPLICATION NOTE
You can find PD0455.EXE, a self-extracting file, on the following services:

  Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on the Internet On the www.microsoft.com home page, click the Support icon. Click Knowledge Base, and select the product. Enter kbfile PD0455.EXE, and click GO! Open the article, and click the button to download the file.   Internet (anonymous FTP) ftp ftp.microsoft.com Change to the Softlib/Mslfiles folder. Get PD0455.EXE   Microsoft Download Service (MSDL) Dial (425) 936-6735 to connect to MSDL Download PD0455.EXE 

For additional information about downloading, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q119591 TITLE    : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services If you are unable to access the source(s) listed above, you can have this Application Note mailed or faxed to you by calling Microsoft Product Support Services Monday through Friday, 6:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Pacific time at (425) 646-5104. If you are outside the United States, contact the Microsoft subsidiary for your area.