rogerc@orca.UUCP (Roger M. Christal) (08/15/84)
I noticed a bit of discussion about double density problems with the Rana 1000 disk drive. A few months ago, I purchased a Rana 1000 disk drive for my Atari 800. It worked fine in single density mode, but when I converted my OSS DOS XL to double density, I had many problems. First of all, after powering up the drive, it took a minimum of 10 minutes to boot the double density diskette. When reading files from the disk, it became evident that many retries were required. I used the internal diagnostics in an attempt to discern what the problems were. The drive failed to format a brand new diskette 4 times in a row. I tried another diskette and it formatted correctly on the 2nd try. Other tests gave similiar results. The problem as I understand it is evident only in the Rana 1000 drives with the serial number prefix ATH. After talking to Rana about my problems, I sent the drive back. They sent me a new drive which also had the ATH prefix. This drive had the same problems as the first drive. I sent this drive back also and finally received a drive with an ATM prefix. THIS DRIVE WORKS WONDERFULLY! It boots up immediately with no retries and files load very quickly. So, if you plan on purchasing a Rana 1000 Disk Drive for your Atari system, make sure the serial number prefix is ATM. Mugs Away, Mate! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - \\\\\\ _________ Doctor Dart - - - - - - - - >>>>>>----==(_________)----- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ////// ..!tektronix!orca!rogerc