Re: ata-piix.c (and libata.ko) in RHEL5.1 (build 78 currently) - this kernel is 2.6.18 baqsed
From: Alan Cox <hidden>
Date: 2008-02-22 17:14:40
3) It is critical to ensure that the ATA "ctl" register is never written to when no drive is attached. This means bracketing the SRST sequence to first do a PCS detection before permitting the SRST. If "ctl" is accessed with no drive attached, the machine locks up hard.
At least for PATA you probably need to disable IORDY handshaking before the reset and probe. Alan