bob@imsvax.UUCP (Bob Burch) (12/26/87)
Several people have inquired about this possibility and about possible damage to disk drives. The worse damage will be to controller cards, since the machine's flow of air for cooling purposes will no longer work properly, the heat rising from one to the other. I've seen a couple of ATs cooked this way and don't recommend it. Ted Holden HT Enterprises.
mxb@pyuxf.UUCP (Michael Brochstein) (12/30/87)
In article <780@imsvax.UUCP>, bob@imsvax.UUCP (Bob Burch) writes: > > > ... I've seen a couple of ATs cooked this way and don't recommend it. I have a model 339 IBM AT since August 86. It has been on its side since day one. I used to run it 18 hours a day but since August 87 it has been running 24 hours a day. It is situated in a room in NYC which is NOT air conditioned. The daily temperature during the summer in the room was well into the eighties. It also has a couple of optional boards in it (Intel Above/Boards with 4 meg in 2 boards and an extra port card). The machine has never crashed (except when MY fault). The bottom line is that from my experience it is safe to keep on its side. (BTW, I run Xenix on it which is almost always doing something so the machine is not idle!). -- Michael Brochstein Currently at Bellcore/PY4-B222 (201) 699-7177-work Piscataway, NJ DISCLAIMER: Bellcore doesn't consult me in most matters.
farren@gethen.UUCP (Michael J. Farren) (01/01/88)
Regarding standing AT-type computers on their sides, next to your desk:
it is worth noting that IBM themselves sold a stand for doing exactly
this. I would think that if they don't think there's likely to be a
problem with it, there's not much problem doing it. Personally, I've
had an old-style PC, fully loaded, running on its side for more than
three years, with nary a problem.
--
Michael J. Farren | "INVESTIGATE your point of view, don't just
{ucbvax, uunet, hoptoad}! | dogmatize it! Reflect on it and re-evaluate
unisoft!gethen!farren | it. You may want to change your mind someday."
gethen!farren@lll-winken.llnl.gov ----- Tom Reingold, from alt.flame jjoshua@topaz.rutgers.edu (Jonathan Joshua) (01/02/88)
Can anyone actually tell me that the keep their AT on a desk. Unless you have one in a small case there is no way to get a 40 pound AT on a normal size work area. Standing the thing on end next to the desk is the only way for me. I havn't the foggiest idea why the case is so large. I think that I could add 2 hard drives and 6 more cards. -- |o| Jonathan Joshua jjoshua@topaz.rutgers.edu Rutgers - Since 1766 |o| |o| |o| |o| Which way to A-La-Meda? |o| |o| I'm looking for the nuclear Waxes |o|
Jerry_Grynspan@ankh.UUCP (Jerry Grynspan) (01/03/88)
I have been told that although there is no problem with either standing on end or running in a conventional position, You should backup the drive before changing .he orientation and low level format after the change. After low level format reinstall your software. This is due to possibility (primarily on older machines of stepper band HDs which will not track quite identically and may foul up disk format). Either position is fine, just be careful when changing. I have never done this switch myself so this is not the voice of experience. Just repeating what I have heard, and it sounds reasonable. --- * Origin: Eye of Osiris [305-973-1947] ankh.UUCP or (Opus 1:369/6) SEEN-BY: 369/6 17
sld@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Steven Louis Davis) (01/04/88)
In article <0.21DECDF9@ankh.UUCP> Jerry_Grynspan@ankh.UUCP (Jerry Grynspan) writes: >I have been told that although there is no problem with either standing >on end or running in a conventional position, You should backup the >drive before changing .he orientation and low level format after the >change. After low level format reinstall your software. This is due >to possibility (primarily on older machines of stepper band HDs which >will not track quite identically and may foul up disk format). Either >position is fine, just be careful when changing. I have never done >this switch myself so this is not the voice of experience. Just repeating >what I have heard, and it sounds reasonable. After following this discussion, I have come to believe that it must depend on the drive being used. I have an AT with a (gasp CMI) 32MB drive which I first kept on a table top. While there I kicked the table, moved it around (while the machine tap danced), and nothing happened except that I realized that I would prefer the unit on the floor. So I put it there where it's been happy ever since. From time to time I open up the case which requires that I put it level (still on the floor) and I play with the diagnostics and run progams from the hard drive (while level) and I have *never* had *any* trouble with my hard drive. I am certainly not suggesting the abandonment of good backup practices as outlined above, but maybe one should just get ones hands on a good drive and kick back; after all, life's too short. -- ****************************************************************************** Steven L. Davis telephone: (904) 392 0276 & (904) 371 7041 Internet: sld@beach.cis.ufl.edu uucp: ..!ihnp4!codas!ufcsv!ufcsg!sld
ajohnson@killer.UUCP (Andy Johnson) (01/11/88)
I work every day with computers made by SBE, Inc. We have over 70 of these systems out in the field that run 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. They all have one thing in common... their hard drives are on their sides. We have never had a failure in almost 2 years because of this strange orientation. Also, a friend of mine has run his AT for 2 years on its side. One thing he mentioned is that if you do want to run it on its side, it it a good idea to format the drive that way.