Eaton.HFED%hi-multics@sri-unix.UUCP (03/18/84)
I just had another disk crash on my Shugart SA-850 Floppy Disk Drive. Beginning to wonder about the wisdom of using cheap disks in these units. I buy them new and I clean the heads occasionally but I still experiences crashes from time to time. And of course it is always on the most valuable disk in the house. I have been saving the crashed diskettes to get a flavor for which brand seems to be the most susceptible to self destruction. So far CDC is the crash leader. I've heard that the head load pressure on the Shugart is high and that some disks don't fare well (softer oxide or something like that). I am becoming a believer. Slowly. Painfully slowly. Jesse (are two really cheaper than one?) Eaton.HFED@HI-MULTICS
Bicer.ES@PARC-MAXC.ARPA (03/19/84)
I have been using Dysan DSDD disks for nearly two years now, and I had only a few bad diskettes. My last system disk lasted me over a year, using 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. Jack Bicer
abc%brl-tgr@sri-unix.UUCP (03/20/84)
From: Brint <abc@brl-tgr> What do you mean by a "head crash?" It sounds like your drive is the culprit rather than the medium. We use CDC exclusively on 1 each Tandon (80 tr), TEAC(80 tr), Apple, and Brand-X for apple. At least 3 others in my acquaintance do so always. We are quite satisfied with the result. Better look at your drive again. Brint (abc@brl.arpa)
Eaton.HFED%hi-multics@sri-unix.UUCP (03/20/84)
My earlier comment on disk crashes was not meant as an indictment against any one floppy disk manufacturer. It was an effort to gain other's experiences with inexpensive media on "Shugart 850's". Soft oxide causes media wear while hard oxide causes head wear. If that is an accurate statement, then depending on what drive you are using, there must be some media which works better or worse with that particular hardware. I like to get the most for my money as I'm sure we all do. My point was that perhaps the cheaper disks are not necessarily the best buy if it means the loss of critical data and the resulting reconstruction time. I don't use floppys that often, and am therefore mortified when I hear that awful hissing sound as oxide separates from mylar. Jesse (ring around the floppy) Eaton.HFED@HI-MULTICS
burton@fortune.UUCP (03/22/84)
#R:sri-arpa:-1765700:fortune:25500009:000:910
fortune!burton Mar 21 13:05:00 1984
It very well can be either drive or media. Early DS drives, including
Shugart 850's suffered from excessive force when heads were loaded on
the media, for read or write opration. The "tap tap" test showed that
head force could indeed damage media. If you can take your drives out
from the enclosure, see if the bottom head is fixed or is on a movable
arm. If the latter, you have a "tri-compliant" design, which Shugart
(and others) abandoned in favor of a bi-compliant design with the lower
head fixed. It's also possible that the drive simply needs adjustment.
And it also possible that you're using cheap media. Stick with Dysan,
Maxell and Verbatim. Avoid private labels, Nashua, Memorex, etc.
Philip Burton 101 Twin Dolphin Drive
Fortune Systems Redwood City, CA 94065 (415) 595-8444 x 526
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{allegra decvax!decwrl!amd70 cbosgd harpo hpda ihnp4 sri-unix}!fortune!burtonPOURNE@Mit-Mc.ARPA (03/27/84)
From: Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE@Mit-Mc.ARPA> Tony Pietsch is no longer recommending Dysan disks (we used nothing else for years) since their big plant expansion. We have had several bad batches of Dysans. alas. We have not yet selected a new brand. Maxell perhaps?