No Interface Card Found

Computer Forum General Hardware
1

Hey guys,

I dusted off my old 486 that I bought in 1994 and decided to return it to factory specs basically. I reinstalled Windows for Workgroups 3.11 after installing MS-DOS 6.22

At some point back in the later 90’s I had installed a larger HDD, a CD ROM and installed Windows 95. It worked fine then I upgraded to a newer machine.

I left the CD ROM in for this project and went with the WFW 3.11 with the original HDD but the CD ROM won’t work because of an error during the DOS boot phase.

Well, the operating system works fine. I even took the HDD out and put it in a newer machine, since you can do that with Win 3.11 and the CD ROM driver worked fine. I’ve also checked Autoexec.bat and Config.sys and the paths and files are correct.

The errors I am getting first start out with:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“CD-ROM drive not ready” (A)bort or (R)etry. [I have to hit A for Abort to continue].

No interface card found. Please check cable or power. [power works fine and the cable is in the right spot. I tried reversing the cable and it had a HDD controller error].

Device Driver not found: ‘CD003’

No Valid CDROM Device Drivers selected.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

CD003 is listed in both Autoexec.bat and Config.sys

The driver has proven to work on newer machine.

I have tried different jumper settings on the back of the CD ROM.

Is there anything I could be missing?

Sorry for the long post :slight_smile:

2

WOW, an old 486/Windows 3.11 query! :slight_smile:

What CD-ROM driver are you using? You should use Microsoft’s generic DOS driver: MSCDEX

MSCDEX–Examples

Loading and enabling a single CD-ROM device driver

This example shows the relevant CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT commands for a
computer with one CD-ROM drive.

The CONFIG.SYS file contains the following DEVICE command:

device=c:\devices\cdromdrv.sys /d:mscd000

This command loads the device driver CDROMDRV.SYS, which came with the
CD-ROM drive. The AUTOEXEC.BAT file contains the following MSCDEX command:

c:\dos\mscdex /d:mscd000 /l:g

This command enables the device driver that has the driver signature
MSCD000. The /E switch specifies that the driver be allowed to use expanded
memory, if available. The /L:G switch assigns the drive letter G to the
CD-ROM drive.

Loading and enabling more than one CD-ROM device driver

This example shows the relevant CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT commands for a
computer that has two CD-ROM drives from two different manufacturers.

The CONFIG.SYS file contains the following DEVICE commands:

device = c:\aspi\aspicd.sys /d:mscd000
device = c:\cdrom\tslcdr.sys /d:mscd001

Each command loads the device driver that came with that CD-ROM drive. The
AUTOEXEC.BAT file contains the following MSCDEX command:

c:\dos\mscdex /d:mscd000 /d:mscd001 /l:j

This command enables both device drivers. The first driver has the driver
signature MSCD000; the second has the driver signature MSCD001. The /L:J
switch specifies that the first CD-ROM drive, MSCD000, will be drive J and
the second CD-ROM drive will be drive K.

3

[QUOTE=megamaced]
WOW, an old 486/Windows 3.11 query! :slight_smile:

What CD-ROM driver are you using? You should use Microsoft’s generic DOS driver: MSCDEX

MSCDEX–Examples

Loading and enabling a single CD-ROM device driver

This example shows the relevant CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT commands for a
computer with one CD-ROM drive.

The CONFIG.SYS file contains the following DEVICE command:

device=c:\devices\cdromdrv.sys /d:mscd000

This command loads the device driver CDROMDRV.SYS, which came with the
CD-ROM drive. The AUTOEXEC.BAT file contains the following MSCDEX command:

c:\dos\mscdex /d:mscd000 /l:g

This command enables the device driver that has the driver signature
MSCD000. The /E switch specifies that the driver be allowed to use expanded
memory, if available. The /L:G switch assigns the drive letter G to the
CD-ROM drive.
[/QUOTE]

Thanks for replying. This thing doesn’t like any driver I try, or perhaps there could be something wrong with the autoexec.bat or config.sys

I have 3 drivers installed and have tried all 3:

usdide.sys (I have a US Drives CD-ROM)
oakcdrom.sys
atapicd.sys

The mscdex file was loaded with the MS-DOS 6.22 install, so I’m pretty sure I have the correct file version.

My autoexec.bat had the following command:

c:\cdromdrv\mscdex /v /d:cd003 /m:10

I deleted the /v

I edited the /m:10 to what your suggested, /l:g

I also tried /l:d

Does the drive assignment matter (d or g) or can /m:10 be used as well in it’s place? The atapi floppy disk created this /m parameter. The other 2 drivers I downloaded, so I don’t have a driver install floppy for those 2. Atapi also used REM === command lines, one on top and one on bottom of the c:\cdromdrv command line, but i deleted those 2 REM lines.

As far as the config.sys file is concerned, it currently looks like this:

Device=c:\cdromdrv\usdide.sys /d:cd003

Of course I’ve tried the other 2 drivers in the place of usdide.sys

I’ve also, in both files, tried reassigning the signature to what you had listed: /d:mscd000 and also /d:cd000 and /d:cd006 (edited both files when changing the /d command)

I saw that you mentioned an expanded memory /E switch, but I don’t know where to put this line. I do have expanded memory in place.

Having gone through all that, could it be a jumper problem? I didn’t change anything on the back of the CD-ROM when I started on this, as the CD-ROM did work on a previous Windows 95 install a few years ago. I have tried different jumper settings in the mean time, and I think I just left it as Master, since that seems to work on other machines. Originally it didn’t have a jumper back there.

So no matter what I’ve tried so far, with oakcdrom.sys it says “no drives found, aborting installation”. The other 2 say “no interface card found” and "device driver not found ‘cd003’ et al.

At least I know the power is on, as the CD-ROM drive light comes on and the door opens and closes.

One thing I do know is the old Award BIOS IDE configuation screen doesn’t recognize the CD-ROM drive. My newer machine does recognize it as the Secondary Master. Unfortunately, Award offers no BIOS update, and the ones I have tried to seek out through a 3rd party want like $70 or something like that. Wish I had a Hewlett-Packard BIOS :frowning:

There’s gotta be a way to get this to work, as I know it did in the past (under a Windows 95 platform).

Thanks.

4

[QUOTE=megamaced]
WOW, an old 486/Windows 3.11 query! :slight_smile:
[/QUOTE]

I have an update. I tried using a Windows 98 boot floppy disk to see if the CD-ROM would function in that environment. It would not.

I get “PCI read configuration failure” error.

I’m using seperate 40 pin cables for the HDD and the CD-ROM. The connections are good. I tried reversing the CD-ROM cable and I did get a IDD Hard Disk Controller error, so I put the cable back in the other way and Windows 3.11 loads fine, except for the DOS error about the CD-ROM.

I have a US Drives CD-ROM (model 24DT) and I did download a driver called usdide.sys and currently have that in my Config.sys

I currently have the jumper set to Cable Select, but there wasn’t a jumper used originally. I’ve tried all available (Master, Slave, Cable Select and no jumper).

Any ideas? :confused:

5

[QUOTE=megamaced]
WOW, an old 486/Windows 3.11 query! :slight_smile:
[/QUOTE]

I figured out the mistake I was making. It was the cable configuation. It had been hooked up with individual cables for both the hdd and cdrom. What I ended up doing is using a dual cable similar to how master/slave hdd’s are hooked up.

It still doesn’t work the way I want it to yet, but it’s a start. It won’t read music cd’s or data cd’s I’ve made. It does read cd’s made by Nero and other professionally made software cd’s. The one thing the 2 software cd’s I’ve tried have in common is an autorun.inf file which a music cd and data cd’s I’ve made don’t have.

Does anyone know if this (or some other file) is a requirement for Windows 3.11 to be able to read the cd? I’ve got a similar problem with a recent Windows 95 install. It will read music cd’s, but not any of the data cd’s I’ve made.

Thanks

6

Update:

A more current CD player has yielded better results. I took a CD-RW player that I got in 2000 and put in the older machines. It works much better than the older CD-RW from 1997 and the CD-ROM from 1996. So it appears “drivers” and “software” weren’t a real issue after getting the proper cable hookups. The only thing I needed to do was switch the jumper to “Slave” instead of “Cable Select”.

Now I just wanna figure out how to properly set up a duel boot with Windows 98/Windows 95. Windows 95 loads much faster but isn’t as functional as Windows 98. 95 would serve fine for quick email check and limited web surfing.

7

[QUOTE=whodat]
Now I just wanna figure out how to properly set up a duel boot with Windows 98/Windows 95. Windows 95 loads much faster but isn’t as functional as Windows 98. 95 would serve fine for quick email check and limited web surfing.
[/QUOTE]

Not possible i am afraid! You can’t dual boot any of the 9x series together. Your best option would be to install Windows 98 first, and then install a copy of Windows NT4.
NT4 would create the dual boot for you, so you can choose which operating system you want to work when you turn on your computer.

You can buy NT4 for pennies these days. I bought a copy off eBay only last month for a measily 99p :smiley:

8

[QUOTE=megamaced]
Not possible i am afraid! You can’t dual boot any of the 9x series together. Your best option would be to install Windows 98 first, and then install a copy of Windows NT4.
NT4 would create the dual boot for you, so you can choose which operating system you want to work when you turn on your computer.

You can buy NT4 for pennies these days. I bought a copy off eBay only last month for a measily 99p :smiley:
[/QUOTE]

That’s true of a dual boot from the hard drive. I’d need NT, 2000, XP or a $60 program like System Commander to override the 2 boxers in the ring (Win 98 and Win 95 love to fight each other).

However, I managed to find a way to get around that. All you need is a floppy disk.

What you do is:

  1. fdisk 2 partitions on the hard drive (FAT 32, at least for one of them, I did both FAT 32) and the other either has to be FAT 16 or FAT 32. NTFS won’t work of course.

  2. Format both partitions.

I put about 67% of the hard drive space in the 2nd partition (d) since that’s where Windows 98 goes. The reason being that I would use Windows 98 more and have more programs there. Windows 95 could be used for email check and some web browsing. It certainly loads faster and is good for older machines, like P150’s. The new Opera 8.5 works fine with Windows 95.

  1. Install Windows 98 on the 2nd partition, usually d:\ if the first one will be c:\

  2. Make sure to create a Startup Disk during the Windows 98 install.

  3. Once Windows 98 is installed, more than likely some of the system files that go in the main hard drive folder end up in the c:\ drive for whatever reason. Set the folder options to be able to view hidden files. Drag the system files that are in the c:\ folder to the d:\ folder and go ahead and delete them off the c:\ folder. I’m not sure deleting them off c:\ matters though.

  4. Take the msdos.sys file that’s on d:\ and overwrite the msdos.sys file that’s on the floppy Windows 98 startup disk.

  5. Restart the computer and on c:\ install Windows 95. It will want to install on d:\Windows since you already have Windows 98 there, but use Other Directory, like c:\Windows

  6. Once Windows 95 is fully installed, you can either boot to Windows 95 by having no Startup Disk in the floppy drive, or you can boot to Windows 98 by having the Windows 98 Startup Disk inserted. Just make sure to have a:\ as the first path in the BIOS. With the larger msdos.sys file on the Startup Disk, it will load up Windows 98 just fine.

How’s that megamaced?

9

That would work, for sure! :slight_smile:

But personally, i’d rather be using Windows NT over 9x. It requires few system resources, and is more stable and secure that Windows 9x.

10

[QUOTE=megamaced]
That would work, for sure! :slight_smile:

But personally, i’d rather be using Windows NT over 9x. It requires few system resources, and is more stable and secure that Windows 9x.
[/QUOTE]

Yes, I may try that. Hopefully I can find it as cheap as you did! :wink: