milos@inmet.UUCP (09/11/87)
My Seagate ST-238/Adaptec 2070A combo just departed for that last, big backup in the sky. The outfit that sold me the pair no longer carries the ST-238 and claims it will substitute a comparable MiniScribe 30 Mbyte unit instead. They offer a choice of three RLL controllers, two of which are the 2070A and a Western Digital controller. I don't know anything about the MiniScribe or the Western Digital. I do know that I am hesitant to accept another Adaptec. Anyone have any words of wisdom to offer? Bob Milosavljevic Intermetrics, Inc. Cambridge, MA ihnp4!inmet!milos
nomad@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU (09/13/87)
I have been using a ST-238 and WD27x (RLL) controller pair for a while now, and after getting past the lack on info. on the part of the people who sold it to me, I find them quite good. (read No problems). I'm running with two 238s (drive C: and D:) Important plot points: both ST & WD were extermely helpful. When I called them (both have 800 support numbers) they did everything they could to fix the problems. ST even called back about a week later to see if everything was OK (I give them LOTS of points for that!). If you are running with DOS 3.1, make sure that you have a files=99 AND NOTHING ELSE in your config.sys when you do the format. DOS 3.1 is broken. (This is the problem I mentioned earlier.) If you have two drives, make sure that you use one cable for the 34-line cable. I used a set up that had a short splitter cable and two 34-line cables and the system didn't like it (it might have been the DOS bug again, I don't know and don't intend to find out). Again, I like everything (except maybe the speed, ~64ms access) on the 238s, and the WD card has EVERYTHING - including built in initialization (which is more than I can say about the Xebec card I had before, I had to borrow a copy of the Advanced Diags (as in the stuff the Dealers use for repairs) to initialize drives on that card). nomad@cs.orst.edu ------------------------- LEE DAMON FidoNet: 152/201 (The Castle) - (503) 757-8841 nomad@cs.orst.edu Internet: nomad@cs.orst.edu UUCP : {hp-pcd,tektronix}!orstcs!nomad "Say what you like, the bicycle has a great past ahead of it!"