jharres@sleepy.bmd.trw.com (03/01/91)
I recently purchased an STE which has TOS v1.6 in it. I under stand there is a problem in using a hard drive with this version. What are its symptoms? I believe I read that version 1.62 was to fix this problem. If so how does Atari handle the fix? Is it a warranty item, requiring me to take the box to the dealer for shipment to Atari? Or what? Jim Harres jharres@doc.bmd.trw.com
drp9500@isc.rit.edu (D.R. Paradis ) (03/01/91)
In article <1230.27ccffaa@sleepy.bmd.trw.com> jharres@sleepy.bmd.trw.com writes: >I recently purchased an STE which has TOS v1.6 in it. I under stand there >is a problem in using a hard drive with this version. What are its >symptoms? I believe I read that version 1.62 was to fix this problem. If >so how does Atari handle the fix? Is it a warranty item, requiring me to >take the box to the dealer for shipment to Atari? Or what? > >Jim Harres jharres@doc.bmd.trw.com > according to Atari, ALL STe units in stock have TOS 1.62 which does correct this problem. This problem existed on the early batches of the STe. It has been fixed since. If by some chance yo have one of the affected units, Atari will replace it. -- | "Trust, faith, understanding, reasonableness,& respect have been more| | effective in tearing down a concrete wall than the barbed wire, | | machine gun nest, bureaucracy, and mines were at keeping it up." | | Just imagine what it could do to this bathroom. |
ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) (03/01/91)
jharres@sleepy.bmd.trw.com writes: - I recently purchased an STE which has TOS v1.6 in it. I under - stand there is a problem in using a hard drive with this version. - What are its symptoms? I believe I read that version 1.62 was to - fix this problem. If so how does Atari handle the fix? Is it a - warranty item, requiring me to take the box to the dealer for - shipment to Atari? Or what? The hard drive problem, which has been fixed for about six months, was NOT related to TOS, but a hardware error. I have TOS 1.6 in my STe with a hard drive (old ICD host) and it works fine. -- Ed Krimen ............................................... ||| Video Production Major, California State University, Chico ||| INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu FREENET: al661 / | \ SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261 FIDONET: 1:119/4.0
avgroeni@cs.ruu.nl (Annius Groenink) (03/01/91)
In <1991Mar01.064259.7340@ecst.csuchico.edu> ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) writes: >The hard drive problem, which has been fixed for about six months, >was NOT related to TOS, but a hardware error. I have TOS 1.6 in my Why didn't anyone tell that before? I have an STE for about 10 months, (10 > 6) and I planned to buy a hard disk NEXT WEEK. Now you're telling me it won't work! Does someone know the exact `symptoms' (brrr.)? Should I not buy a cheep second-hand SH204, because it wouldn't work or something? -- Annius Groenink|undergraduate student De Mamuchetweg 5|maths/computer science at the 3732 AK De Bilt|University of Utrecht, Holland. The Netherlands|[from Sep91 I'll be in Leeds, UK.
ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) (03/02/91)
avgroeni@cs.ruu.nl (Annius Groenink) writes: - In <1991Mar01.064259.7340@ecst.csuchico.edu> ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krime - n) writes: - - >The hard drive problem, which has been fixed for about six months, - >was NOT related to TOS, but a hardware error. I have TOS 1.6 in my - - Why didn't anyone tell that before? I have an STE for about 10 months, - (10 > 6) - and I planned to buy a hard disk NEXT WEEK. Now you're telling me it - won't work! Does someone know the exact `symptoms' (brrr.)? Should I - not buy a cheep second-hand SH204, because it wouldn't work or something? If you can, connect a hard drive, WITHOUT ANY VALUABLE DATA ON IT, to your STe for about an hour or two or more if you can, and move files around, load files, save files, etcetera. Do a lot of file stuff. What you'll see first is that the directory entries will be skewed two characters (or two bytes??); this is what happened on a Megafile I saw at a dealer. On my ICD drive, I got 'Drive *: not responding' and some other drive-related errors, but luckily no data was lost. You may or may not have the hard drive (DMA) bug, but there's no other way that I know of to check it. It may take longer than a couple of hours to check. Mine occurred, if I remember correctly, within 4 at the most. Moreover, from what I hear, it was only a small percentage of STes with this problem (Atari says 10% I think). Even though the STes were in Canada and Europe first, the problem didn't seem to crop up until they were released in the US. -- Ed Krimen ............................................... ||| Video Production Major, California State University, Chico ||| INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu FREENET: al661 / | \ SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261 FIDONET: 1:119/4.0
baffoni@aludra.usc.edu (Juxtaposer) (03/02/91)
In article <1991Mar01.064259.7340@ecst.csuchico.edu> ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) writes: > >The hard drive problem, which has been fixed for about six months, >was NOT related to TOS, but a hardware error. I have TOS 1.6 in my >STe with a hard drive (old ICD host) and it works fine. So what _was_ the problem - was it the DMA chip? Or something completely different...? >-- > Ed Krimen ............................................... > ||| Video Production Major, California State University, Chico > ||| INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu FREENET: al661 > / | \ SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261 FIDONET: 1:119/4.0 -Mike
ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) (03/02/91)
baffoni@aludra.usc.edu (Juxtaposer) writes: - So what _was_ the problem - was it the DMA chip? Or something - completely different...? I heard the problem was with the DMA chip, and that the 'DMA chain' wasn't strong enough to handle hard drives. -- Ed Krimen ............................................... ||| Video Production Major, California State University, Chico ||| INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu FREENET: al661 / | \ SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261 FIDONET: 1:119/4.0
rcb@netcom.COM (Roy Bixler) (03/03/91)
In article <15391@chaph.usc.edu> baffoni@aludra.usc.edu (Juxtaposer) writes: >In article <1991Mar01.064259.7340@ecst.csuchico.edu> ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) writes: >> >>The hard drive problem, which has been fixed for about six months, >>was NOT related to TOS, but a hardware error. I have TOS 1.6 in my >>STe with a hard drive (old ICD host) and it works fine. > > So what _was_ the problem - was it the DMA chip? Or something >completely different...? Yes, I think that is the hardware problem he's referring to. At least, when I got my first STe, I had to return it for another because my hard drive just would not work with the original. I was told that the problem was a flakey DMA chip (made by IMP, I believe). By the way, did Atari fix the problem by going to another manufacturer or did they get a remedy with IMP? Just curious ... > > >>-- >> Ed Krimen ............................................... >> ||| Video Production Major, California State University, Chico >> ||| INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu FREENET: al661 >> / | \ SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261 FIDONET: 1:119/4.0 > > >-Mike -- Roy Bixler rcb@netcom.com -or- (UUCP) uunet!apple!netcom!rcb
csual@warwick.ac.uk (Jason Morris) (03/04/91)
The problem is in with a DMA chip in early STe's. However, the word in
the UK is that Atari will only correct **THEIR** mistake if you have a problem
with, you guessed it, an ATARI H/Drive. They will not help you out with a
third party drive, at least not for free. I know it sucks, but that's Atari
for you.
Jas.csual@warwick.ac.uk (Jason Morris) (03/04/91)
R.e. my last post which came out 3 times: No flames please - my news server locked up (twice!) and I thought it hadn't got through. Sorry! Jas.