> > > Can you try the attached program ?
> > > usage: /usr/bin/time ./tst /dev/rwd0d 1000
> >
> >         1.61 real         0.00 user         0.05 sys
>
> This makes 39MB/s on the IDE bus, not that bad. Maybe your disk has
> problems reading from the media and has to try several time for each read ?
> I can't explain this otherwise.

Hm.  Media problems sound bad.  (If that's what it is.)

Well, maybe this weekend, I'll shuffle things around and see if a
drive-swap helps.  If so, maybe a new disk drive will make it all better.
(Microcenter here in Houston is currently having a sale on Western Digital
drives.  They're not really steals, but if I'm going to buy a new drive
soon, now might be a good time.)


  ``I probably don't know what I'm talking about.'' --rauch@math.rice.edu