Hi.
        This seems a problem in which it is more needed to know 'why'
than 'how'. Last things tried:
        -Last software from Iomega node.
        -Last bios from Zida (mobo) node. Bios 7/24/97 -> 11/11/97.
        -Slow the system: 166 MHz, no internal&external cache.
        And again, the strange thing is that no problem with DOS GUEST,
but blue screen with W95 (W95 strikes again).

>
> Javier --
>
> A few more things.
>
> 1.  If you have the PPA3.MPD file in the IOSUBSYS folder, but do NOT have the
> Zip drive attached, will the system boot?

        Yes. Yellow mark on Control Panel. Two ways:
        -No Zip attached.
        -Zip attached, but its power supply unplugged.

>
> 2. I just read on the Zida support page that "All our new mainboards can
> support IOMEGA ZIP drive and LS-120 driver."  This implies that their older
> boards couldn't.  Is the BIOS for these two systems the newest one?
>

        This should refer to booting from an IDE Zip or LS-120; last bios do.
However, parallel port Zips aren't accessed from code in bios.

> 3.  How about deleting the parallel ports from device manager and letting them
> redetect?

        Well, tried this, without result.
        One courious thing is that programming in bios the on mobo parallel
port to be decoded as 3BC+, there is no parallel port.

>
> 4.  Is there *any* other software loading on startup, including anti-virus
> software, printer software, or *anything*?  (Check not only the startup folder,
> but also win.ini, system.ini, and the "Run" line in the registry.
>

        Nothing in win.ini, and commented a few lines in system.ini: no success.
About the registry, not looked at, but recall that both systems tried are quite
new.
        BTW, installing the Zip within Safe Mode, also blue screen. Some info
about the blue screen is "Guest95 ... USER.EXE ...".

> And, an idle thought...is IE4 installed on these two computers?
>
> (I just went through a similar problem with a Panasonic CD-ROM disk changer.
> The Windows protection errors started after installation of Internet Explorer
> 4. It was painful.)

        Well, Office 97 is in both. As far as I know, there are no reported
incompatibility hardware problems with this piece of software (due to its
nature), but...

>
> Roxanne Pierce
> R2 Systems, San Diego
> mailto:[log in to unmask]
>
> On Sunday, March 08, 1998 02:56, Javier Vizcaino, [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] wrote:
> >     Hi.
> >     On two almost identical systems (new PC (MMX200
> >          with Zida (Tomato) mobo, with VIA 580 chipset). the symptoms
> >          are the same:
> >     -With a DOS floppy, or interrupting W95 boot to the command
> > prompt, DOS GUEST works, assigns letter, and a Zip cartridge is read
> > normally. GUEST95 doesn't find any Zip.
> >     -Tried most recent W95 Zip recognizing software (version 5.4).
> >     -The problem can be tracked down to the presence of PPA3.MPD
> > in (w95)\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS. Renaming it, W95 boots normally. Several versions
> > of this file have been tried.
> >     -In W95 boot "Windows protection error. Initialize". When
> > installing, blue screens.
> >           The second parallel port is in an add-in card. There is no reason
> > for it not to work (the speed would be different), but the symptoms are
> > the same with either port, even changing mode (Normal, EPP, ECP) of the on
> > mobo one.
> >     -Two working parallel Zips have been tried. What is in common
> > between the two systems is the mobo and the disk. ???
>



************************************
Javier Vizcaino. Ability Electronics. [log in to unmask]

Starting point:        (-1)^(-1) = -1
Applying logarithms: (-1)*ln(-1) = ln(-1)
Since ln(-1) <> 0, dividing:  -1 = 1
     (ln(-1) is complex, but exists)