joseph@garfield.MUN.EDU (Joseph Dawson) (04/26/89)
For the readers who missed my first letter... I have been tooled by a person who works for Commodore that the 2090/2090A have bugs (Eg: MAJOR HARD DISK ERRORS) in the roms. There is a new chip set coming out for the 2090/2090A and this should fix some of the problems. He also said that any MiniScribe hard disk (ST-506 or SCSI) would/could cause problems (Eg: Hard disk failures). He also said that with or with out the new chip set installed he would not recommend the use of any sort of MiniScribe hard disk on a 2090/2090A. Most of all the errors or problems Commodore gets are from people who use the MiniScribe hard disks. The only brand that he could recommend was the Rodim. Commodore had tested them and had no problems with them what so ever. -------------------------------------------------------------- My first few replies on this letter where from users who had MiniScribes with no problems. I also had some flames as in my first letter I did not give any good facts. (Eg: Type of MiniScribe I use ...) I am sorry about that and I will try to correct that in this posting. I am using a slow 40 MEG MiniScribe. I am also running a BBS so I have my hard disk working all the time. I do a lot of hard disk multi-tasking with the BBS and Dpaint II and about every other great Amiga program on the go. After seeing that we have a large interest in this story I went and got some more information from Commodore. This time it was a different person at Commodore. Today I found out 7 new things... 1) The bug in the old chip set would only happen to people who do a lot of hard disk access or multi-task the hard disk a lot. 2) Rodim was only tested with the old chip set and not the new one. You could multi-task one of them without any problems with the old chip set. 3) No real major long term test have been done with MiniScribe and the new chip set. So we don't know if a MiniScribe would work with the new chip set. 4) As most people use MiniScribe it was no major shock to find most people who had errors also had MiniScribe. 5) The new chip set makes for a faster 2090/2090A. 6) The new chip set is out NOW and everyone should get them ASAP! 7) He was not 100% sure about anything he was taking about! That is the way it went... Number 7 was the last thing he said before the phone call ended. Great way to make you fell like they know what they are talking about eh? I am quite sure this second letter has made things about as clear as mud, but them be the facts as I know them now. Joseph Dawson
dnye@bbn.com (David Nye) (04/26/89)
In article <5191@garfield.MUN.EDU> joseph@garfield.MUN.EDU (Joseph Dawson) writes: > >For the readers who missed my first letter... > >I have been tooled by a person who works for Commodore that the ^^^^^^ Ouch!!! That really must hurt!!! ;^> I could not resist since you posted it twice.... >2090/2090A have bugs (Eg: MAJOR HARD DISK ERRORS) in the roms. Dave Nye ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- = // Dave Nye -- President, Southern New Hampshire AMIGA Users Group = = // dnye@bbn.com dnye%bbn.com@relay.cs.net ...!harvard!bbn!dnye = = \\// BBN, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., My Employers computer, MY opinion.. = ===============================================================================
sft@ihlpy.ATT.COM (Scott Thompson) (04/27/89)
In article <5191@garfield.MUN.EDU> joseph@garfield.MUN.EDU (Joseph Dawson) writes: | Path: ihlpy!att!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!garfield!joseph | From: joseph@garfield.MUN.EDU (Joseph Dawson) | Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga | Keywords: Who knows any more! | Date: 26 Apr 89 01:46:31 GMT | Organization: CS Dept., Memorial U. of Newfoundland, St. John's | Lines: 61 | | | For the readers who missed my first letter... | | I have been tooled by a person who works for Commodore that the | 2090/2090A have bugs (Eg: MAJOR HARD DISK ERRORS) in the roms. | There is a new chip set coming out for the 2090/2090A and this | should fix some of the problems. He also said that any MiniScribe | hard disk (ST-506 or SCSI) would/could cause problems (Eg: Hard | disk failures). He also said that with or with out the new chip | set installed he would not recommend the use of any sort of . . . | 5) The new chip set makes for a faster 2090/2090A. ^^^^^^ | | 6) The new chip set is out NOW and everyone should get them ASAP! ^^^^^^^^ | . . . | I am quite sure this second letter has made things about as clear | as mud, but them be the facts as I know them now. | | Joseph Dawson | So, how does one go about upgrading? -- -- Scott Thompson (IH 6W-207), AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il. 60566 VOICE: (312)-979-2237 UUCP: ...!att!ihlpa!sft
sneakers@heimat.UUCP (Dan "Sneakers" Schein) (04/27/89)
In Message <5191@garfield.MUN.EDU>, joseph@garfield.MUN.EDU (Joseph Dawson) writes: >I am using a slow 40 MEG MiniScribe. I am also running a BBS so >I have my hard disk working all the time. I do a lot of hard disk >multi-tasking with the BBS and Dpaint II and about every other >great Amiga program on the go. I run a BBS that uses four (4) MiniScribe 20 meg hard drives and two (2) CBM A2090 controllers. It has been on-line (IE: running) for almost one year and not one disk related problem. It is not the machine *I* use (heimat) so it does not really have any serious multitasking going on. The machine *I* use does have an 2090A with a 20 meg MiniScrib and a 40 meg Control Data. This machine does receive and do alot of multi- tasking. The MiniScribe is used only for UUCP/UseNet and take my word for it that code does some heavy use (ok so maybe its really abuse :-) of the hard drive when unencoding and moving those messages around. Ive been beating this drive for over a year with not one problem. One thing id like to point out is when CBM produced the "dealer demo" machines, they used an A2090 and MiniScrib hard drive. As far as I know this was a very solid and trouble free setup. These machines were (are ?) used for demoing multitasking and other things that the abusive public could throw at em. >7) He was not 100% sure about anything he was taking about! This is the one thing im sure he was 100% correct about. Next time you call obtain a name, title, and please tell us where your calling (USA, CANADA, CATS, Customer Service, Shipping, ect). Dont take this reply as an attack on you or the comments you relayed, im just listing my personal experiences with these products. Sneakers -- ___ Dan "Sneakers" Schein //// BERKS AMIGA BBS Sneakers Computing //// 80+ Megs of software & messages 2455 McKinley Ave. ___ //// 12/2400 Baud - 24 Hrs West Lawn, PA 19609 \\\\ //// 215/678-7691 \\\\//// {pyramid|rutgers|uunet}!cbmvax!heimat!sneakers
givler@cbmvax.UUCP (Greg Givler SUPPORT) (04/28/89)
In article <5191@garfield.MUN.EDU> joseph@garfield.MUN.EDU (Joseph Dawson) writes: > >For the readers who missed my first letter... > >I have been tooled by a person who works for Commodore that the >2090/2090A have bugs (Eg: MAJOR HARD DISK ERRORS) in the roms. First a few questions, did you talk to Commodore Canada or Commodore US. If you talked to Commodore US who did you talk to. The customer support reps here at West Chester give their names when they answer the phone. If you have a name let us know, and we will scold this person severely.:-) I have worked in customer support for close to two years and we have never experienced the problems that you describe. In fact my Amiga 2000 runs a 20 meg MINISCRIBE with a 2090 controller and has for a year now, and except for my first board going south about a week after I installed it, I have had NO PROBLEMS. If you talked to Commodore Canada, let us know who you talked to there, so that we can figure out why he/she is saying what he is saying. >There is a new chip set coming out for the 2090/2090A and this >should fix some of the problems. He also said that any MiniScribe >hard disk (ST-506 or SCSI) would/could cause problems (Eg: Hard >disk failures). He also said that with or with out the new chip >set installed he would not recommend the use of any sort of >MiniScribe hard disk on a 2090/2090A. Most of all the errors or >problems Commodore gets are from people who use the MiniScribe hard >disks. The only brand that he could recommend was the Rodim. >Commodore had tested them and had no problems with them what so >ever. > Never have I heard of any of the problems that you mention above! >-------------------------------------------------------------- > >My first few replies on this letter where from users who had >MiniScribes with no problems. I also had some flames as in my >first letter I did not give any good facts. (Eg: Type of >MiniScribe I use ...) I am sorry about that and I will try to >correct that in this posting. > >I am using a slow 40 MEG MiniScribe. I am also running a BBS so >I have my hard disk working all the time. I do a lot of hard disk >multi-tasking with the BBS and Dpaint II and about every other >great Amiga program on the go. > >After seeing that we have a large interest in this story I went and >got some more information from Commodore. This time it was a >different person at Commodore. Today I found out 7 new things... > >1) The bug in the old chip set would only happen to people who do >a lot of hard disk access or multi-task the hard disk a lot. > >2) Rodim was only tested with the old chip set and not the new >one. You could multi-task one of them without any problems with >the old chip set. > >3) No real major long term test have been done with MiniScribe and >the new chip set. So we don't know if a MiniScribe would work with >the new chip set. > >4) As most people use MiniScribe it was no major shock to find >most people who had errors also had MiniScribe. > >5) The new chip set makes for a faster 2090/2090A. > >6) The new chip set is out NOW and everyone should get them ASAP! > >7) He was not 100% sure about anything he was taking about! > >That is the way it went... Number 7 was the last thing he said >before the phone call ended. Great way to make you fell like they >know what they are talking about eh? > >I am quite sure this second letter has made things about as clear >as mud, but them be the facts as I know them now. > >Joseph Dawson Gee, I dont know what to say about all that. All I know is that it didn't come from one of my people and if it did, I want to know where he got all his false information. Again, let me know who you talked to, because if he works in West Chester I want to have a talk with him! Greg -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Greg Givler Q-Link: Commodore Telecommunications Coordinator CompuServe: CBM/Support 76703,2047 Commodore Customer Support INTERNET: givler@cbmvax.uucp 215-436-4200 (Support Line) OR :::::: givler@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I usually have something clever to say.... but.... oh well..... ==============================================================================