vertical@wpi.wpi.edu (Anthony D Putorti) (11/08/89)
I am trying to format a hard drive in a Model 25. The hard drive mechanism is a Miniscribe 20 meg and the card is a CMS Controller Card. When using the low level format in debug, it formats ok. When formatting with format c:/s/v it says it can't write the directory. When using PC tools Disk formatter version 4.11, it returns the error code: 02h no addr mark c0,h1,s:18 If anyone can help me out, I would appreciate it. Please respond through mail, not in the newsgroup. Thank you Tony vertical@wpi.wpi.edu vertical@wpi.bitnet
vertical@wpi.wpi.edu (Gregory N. Shapiro) (11/16/89)
Earlier I posted an article about a problem I was having formatting a hard drive. So far, the replies have received have suggested using fdisk before formatting. I had been doing that all along though. For those who didn't see my earlier message, here it is again: >I am trying to format a hard drive in a Model 25. The hard drive >mechanism is a Miniscribe 20 meg and the card is a CMS Controller >Card. When using the low level format in debug, it formats ok. When >formatting with format c:/s/v it says it can't write the directory. >When using PC tools Disk formatter version 4.11, it returns the error >code: 02h no addr mark c0,h1,s:18 > >If anyone can help me out, I would appreciate it. Please respond >through mail, not in the newsgroup. > > Thank you > > Tony > > vertical@wpi.wpi.edu > vertical@wpi.bitnet To be more specific, the Miniscribe is model 8425 and the Controller Card is a Western Digital WD1002A-WX1. Thanks again, Tony vertical@wpi.wpi.edu vertical@wpi.bitnet
jhallen@wpi.wpi.edu (Joseph H Allen) (11/16/89)
In article <5352@wpi.wpi.edu> vertical@wpi.wpi.edu (Anthony D Putorti) writes: >code: 02h no addr mark c0,h1,s:18 This means: cylinder 0, head 1, sector 18. An address mark is an "out-of-band" byte that indicates the beginning of the track (it's a byte which is always completely unique from any data bytes so it never gets confused with them). The low level format built into the controller is probably stupid, that is, it probably doesn't check for errors. I'm guessing that the first track (or maybe second- depends if 'h1' is the first or second head) is damaged- just as your other format program said. I'm pretty sure that this track must be flawless for DOS to format. First, try this: use fdisk to move the DOS partition to a higher cylinder. If this doesn't work, then the track fdisk uses is damaged and you're really screwed. Second try this: Most controllers have a way of formatting bad tracks so that they use alternate tracks. So, try to find a better low level format program. Spinwrite is supposed to be very good, maybe it knows how to do this. If all else fails: Since the error occured on sector 18, I'd guess that it's the disk itself that is bad, not any of the electronics. So if you are really daring, you might try to move the track zero sensor in a little. On miniscibes, I think it is a little optical sensor in which a wing attached to the stepper motor rotor breaks the light. There is probably an adjustment screw with some kind of epoxy poured into it (to prevent tampering?) which you have to move. The exact setting of this isn't critical. It does have to be stable, however. Oh, if it turns out that the sensor is in the bubble (in the sealed part of the disk), don't tamper with it. If you break the bubble, you will void the warranty, and the disk will become infinitely flakey.
jhallen@wpi.wpi.edu (Joseph H Allen) (11/16/89)
In article <5641@wpi.wpi.edu> jhallen@wpi.wpi.edu (Joseph H Allen) writes: >In article <5352@wpi.wpi.edu> vertical@wpi.wpi.edu (Anthony D Putorti) writes: >This means: cylinder 0, head 1, sector 18. An address mark is an >"out-of-band" byte that indicates the beginning of the track (it's a byte >which is always completely unique from any data bytes so it never gets >confused with them). oops, make 'of the track'= 'of each sector'