TS8GCF300, fixed flag, microcode?

[pointertovoid]

Hello dear friends!

 

I'm still having trouble to find a good plain TS8GCF300 as good as it used to be.

(Transcend, Compact Flash type I, 300x, 8GB, and was reputed as SLC, fixed, with good 5V buffers).

 

- Do you know a means to read the "fixed" flag for the CF card? On my ich2 (Pentium III era) the Intel Applications Accelerator did it for me, but on the ich01r +Sata-to-CF adapter, or on the JMicron's J363, or on an USB2 card reader?

 

- Is there a means to save and paste the microcode of a TS8GCF300? If Transcend botched the new versions, I vaguely hope to paste an older one on the latest CF card. Risky, I know.

 

Thank you!

[jaclaz]

You are aware of the can of worms you opened through these apparently innocent questions, don't you?

Particularly if connected to this other thread?

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/173657-which-fw400-cfcard-reader/

 

Can you elaborate on the "fixed flag" request?

 

It seems that nowadays most if not all "industrial grade" CF cards are "Fixed" in True Ide mode (and "Removable" in PCMCIA/ATA memory mode), Transcend actually declares it as such:

http://www.transcend-info.com/Products/No-524

 

More or less this should mean that there are no issues with "direct" CF-to-IDE adapters (which should work in True IDE mode, though some of the adapters may need to be modified to get the UDMA speed), though USB card readers tend to operate only in PCMCIA/ATA memory mode, and - though they exist - USB card readers that work in True IDE mode are AFAIK very rare and more than that you will never know (as it seems like all manufacturers/sellers have become allergic to provide proper documentation and data sheets) how they are set.

 

The controller in a USB bridge may well determine (by filtering or inverting) the status of Fixed vs. Removable, no matter what the CF card "says".

 

Personally I would never risk to change the microcode on the (usually 8051 compatible ) processor inside the card, because as I see it more than risky is "almost certain failure".

 

jaclaz

[pointertovoid]

Grazie Jaclaz!

 

Well, it's a long-time worry I have...

I own many 4GB CF300 from Transcend, bought seevral years ago, all excellent.

Three 8GB are excellent. Since two years, I buy 8GB that are bad.

 

External aspect is perfect, in a blister even. But the small-file agility is bad. In addition, some are too fast on big files, most are slower to write than read - a hint to MLC. Worse: I can boot my W2k on ich10r with one bad newer CF on the mobo's J363 P-Ata port, but with all older CF it hangs Bsod.

 

Fixed: it's clear that a Usb reader hides many attributes, but my noname Sata-CF adapters transmit much data, and the J363 P-Ata too, so what software would read this bit? It's available, the Intel Applications Accelerator did read it through the ich2.

 

So there is a huge difference between the CF. I wonder if

• Fakes can resemble so much: aspect, existing printed serial and so on
• Transcend builds the 8GB CF300 with MLC now (they did it already for the 16GB)
• They have put a horrible microcode meanwhile (its version has changed)
• Or even, if the microcode has been altered before delivery. Known to exist, as a trojan.

For me, one means to know more and maybe improve the CF's behaviour would be to paste an older microcode on it. But if the chips differ I've lost, sure.

[jaclaz]

Fixed: it's clear that a Usb reader hides many attributes, but my noname Sata-CF adapters transmit much data, and the J363 P-Ata too, so what software would read this bit? It's available, the Intel Applications Accelerator did read it through the ich2.

Well, but what is the "scope" of reading that bit?

Simply connect the CF card to a WinXP and try partitioning it into more than one partition.

If Disk Manager mounts/allow to assign a drive letter to the second volume, then the device (through the adapter of choice) is "fixed", if ti doesn't, it is "removable".

 

If needed you can then install:

• CFADISK or DUMMYDISK (or DISKMOD) to change a removable to fixed
• RDUMMY (or - but I would have to check - DISKMOD) to vchange the fixed to removable

of course the above "fixed" or "removable" do not mean that anything is changed on the actual card or controller, only that the "bit" is flipped through filtering for all matters to the OS.

 

If you are on the hardware side, you may want to explore the status of Pin 9 (when the adapter is used, at power on) to make sure that the adapter actually works in True Ide mode (and if the CF cards are NOT fake, as said those card specs declare them as "fixed").

 

jaclaz

[pointertovoid]

Thanks!

I do other things right now but will try your suggestions.