pata_legacy probes 6 io/ctr/irq combinations for devices. Or rather, it loops, claims an io/ctr/irq combination, does an ata_device_add(), and libata then does the probing. However, the io/ctr/irq resource combinations aren't released after failed probes (as in: no devices found). The result is that other devices that need those resources fail to initialise. On my ISA/VLB 486, pata_legacy leaves /proc/interrupts as follows: CPU0 0: 19918 XT-PIC-XT timer 1: 363 XT-PIC-XT i8042 2: 0 XT-PIC-XT cascade 6: 5 XT-PIC-XT floppy 8: 1 XT-PIC-XT rtc 10: 3 XT-PIC-XT libata 11: 0 XT-PIC-XT libata 12: 0 XT-PIC-XT libata 14: 4865 XT-PIC-XT libata 15: 0 XT-PIC-XT libata NMI: 0 ERR: 0 and /proc/ioports as follows: 0000-001f : dma1 0020-0021 : pic1 0040-0043 : timer0 0050-0053 : timer1 0060-006f : keyboard 0070-0077 : rtc 0080-008f : dma page reg 00a0-00a1 : pic2 00c0-00df : dma2 00f0-00ff : fpu c1bc6c40-0000 : <BAD> 0168-016f : pata_legacy 0170-0177 : pata_legacy 01e0-01e7 : pata_legacy 01e8-01ef : pata_legacy 01f0-01f7 : pata_legacy 0366-0366 : pata_legacy 036e-036e : pata_legacy 0376-0376 : pata_legacy 03c0-03df : vga+ 03e6-03e6 : pata_legacy 03ee-03ee : pata_legacy 03f2-03f5 : floppy 03f6-03f6 : pata_legacy 03f7-03f7 : floppy DIR This later prevents the ne driver from finding the machine's NE2000 network card (at io=0x300 irq=10): ata1: PATA max PIO4 cmd 0x000101f0 ctl 0x000103f6 bmdma 0x00000000 irq 14 scsi0 : pata_legacy ata1.00: ATA-0: WDC AC32500H, 10.07H11, max MWDMA2 ata1.00: 4999680 sectors, multi 8: LBA ata1.00: configured for PIO scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access ATA WDC AC32500H 10.0 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5 SCSI device sda: 4999680 512-byte hdwr sectors (2560 MB) sda: Write Protect is off sda: Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00 SCSI device sda: write cache: disabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA SCSI device sda: 4999680 512-byte hdwr sectors (2560 MB) sda: Write Protect is off sda: Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00 SCSI device sda: write cache: disabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA sda: sda1 sda2 sda3 sda4 < sda5 > sd 0:0:0:0: Attached scsi disk sda ata2: PATA max PIO4 cmd 0x00010170 ctl 0x00010376 bmdma 0x00000000 irq 15 scsi1 : pata_legacy ata3: PATA max PIO4 cmd 0x000101e8 ctl 0x000103ee bmdma 0x00000000 irq 11 scsi2 : pata_legacy ata4: PATA max PIO4 cmd 0x00010168 ctl 0x0001036e bmdma 0x00000000 irq 10 scsi3 : pata_legacy ata5: PATA max PIO4 cmd 0x000101e0 ctl 0x000103e6 bmdma 0x00000000 irq 8 platform pata_legacy.4: irq 8 request failed: -16 ata6: PATA max PIO4 cmd 0x00010160 ctl 0x00010366 bmdma 0x00000000 irq 12 scsi5 : pata_legacy ... ne.c:v1.10 9/23/94 Donald Becker (becker@xxxxxxxxx) Last modified Nov 1, 2000 by Paul Gortmaker NE*000 ethercard probe at 0x300: failed to detect IRQ line. ne.c: No NE*000 card found at i/o = 0x300 I think that pata_legacy.c:legacy_init_one() should have a test after its ata_device_add(), so that if no devices were discovered there is a 'goto fail;' to free the resources. Apart from this issue, pata_legacy is working very well on this machine. /Mikael - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-ide" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html