gmw1@CUNIXD.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU (Gabe M Wiener) (04/18/89)
Hello people. I'm looking for a 300Mb Wren drive to use for both MacOS and A/UX. I've seen them advertised in various incarnations for about $1900. However, none of the firms advertising them includes partitioning software that can split it for both A/UX and MacOS. Now I've been told that it's cake to modify the names of the supported drives for HD SC Setup with a sector editor and get it to support a drive. But I'm still a little dubious to spend $1800 on a drive without knowing that it's definitely partitionable. I could buy a MiniScribe with a 30 day money-back return, but I'd much rather buy a Wren...I've heard they're better drives. Can anyone offer any advice? Thanks =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-\******/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Gabe Wiener -- Columbia University \****/ "It doesn't matter how sincere it \**/ is, nor how heart-felt the spirit. INTERNET: gmw1@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu \/ Sentiment will not endear it. BITNET: gmw1@cunixc /\ What's important is the price." COMPUSERVE: 72355,1226 /**\ - Tom Lehrer WUI: 650-117-9118 /****\ on gift giving =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/******\=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
kaufman@polya.Stanford.EDU (Marc T. Kaufman) (04/18/89)
In article <8904180533.AA04263@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu> gmw1@CUNIXD.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU (Gabe M Wiener) writes: >Now I've been told that it's cake to modify the names of the supported drives >for HD SC Setup with a sector editor and get it to support a drive. But I'm >still a little dubious to spend $1800 on a drive without knowing that it's >definitely partitionable. I'm with you. I have done this to HD SC Setup, but in both instances the setup failed, even though HDSCC could find the drive. The string you are modifying is compared against the return from an INQUIRY command. Unfortunately, this says nothing about the correct Mode Select command blocks, or Format command block. It appears in HDSCC 2.0 that there are tables for these, also. But I have not tried to go any further. If you can initialize the drive for a Mac, with any number of partitions, you can re-partition under A/UX. It's just the initial formatting that gets you. (unless you want a Mac partition on the drive, too -- if this is a secondary drive you may not...) Marc Kaufman (kaufman@polya.stanford.edu)
gmw1@CUNIXD.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU (Gabe M Wiener) (04/19/89)
In article <8548@polya.Stanford.EDU> kaufman@polya.Stanford.EDU (Marc T. Kaufman) writes: >>Now I've been told that it's cake to modify the names of the supported drives >>for HD SC Setup with a sector editor and get it to support a drive. But I'm >>still a little dubious to spend $1800 on a drive without knowing that it's >>definitely partitionable. > >I'm with you. I have done this to HD SC Setup, but in both instances the >setup failed, even though HDSCC could find the drive. The string you are >modifying is compared against the return from an INQUIRY command. >Unfortunately, this says nothing about the correct Mode Select command blocks, >or Format command block. It appears in HDSCC 2.0 that there are tables for >these, also. But I have not tried to go any further. > >If you can initialize the drive for a Mac, with any number of partitions, you >can re-partition under A/UX. It's just the initial formatting that gets you. >(unless you want a Mac partition on the drive, too -- if this is a secondary >drive you may not...) Yup, that's it. I need BOTH the A/UX and MacOS on the drive. I know this can be done from HD SC Setup if it'll recognize the drive. It's really too bad that Apple intentionally crippled the program. It could also be done using "dp" from the A/UX stand-alone shell, and that actually might be the best way to do it. However, in this case, since NO ONE seems to be able to tell me for sure how to do it, I'm going to buy a MiniScribe drive if only for the reason that it has a 30 day no-questions-asked money back guarantee. Besides, Apple gets some of their drives from them so they can't be all that bad :-) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-\******/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Gabe Wiener -- Columbia University \****/ "It doesn't matter how sincere it \**/ is, nor how heart-felt the spirit. INTERNET: gmw1@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu \/ Sentiment will not endear it. BITNET: gmw1@cunixc /\ What's important is the price." COMPUSERVE: 72355,1226 /**\ - Tom Lehrer WUI: 650-117-9118 /****\ on gift giving =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/******\=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
kaufman@polya.Stanford.EDU (Marc T. Kaufman) (04/19/89)
In article <8904181832.AA21844@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu> gmw1@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) writes: >Yup, that's it. I need BOTH the A/UX and MacOS on the drive. I know this can >be done from HD SC Setup if it'll recognize the drive. It's really too bad >that Apple intentionally crippled the program. >It could also be done using "dp" from the A/UX stand-alone shell, and that >actually might be the best way to do it. However'dp' cannot either build a Mac File System or install a Mac driver for one. You still need a driver from somewhere. Marc Kaufman (kaufman@polya.stanford.edu)
granteri@pnet51.cts.com (Grant Erickson) (04/19/89)
Yes, Gabe, MacWren Drives or Imprimis are definitely the best drives availiable on the market for the Macintosh. I know of someone who has a 344 Mb Wren IV and it came with a very good driver, and the partitioning software it came with is excellent. It allows TRUE partitions, whereas some partitioning programs are just mere representations of a partition. So in this way, you can have your A/UX and Mac OS partitions. The CDC Swift drives are almost as good, but since they use 3.5" platters, they are a LITTLE bit less reliable. Hope this information helps you out. .________________________________________________________________________________. | UUCP: {amdahl!bungia, uuner!rosevax, chinet, killer}!orbit!pnet51!granteri | | ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!granteri@nosc.mil | | INET: granteri@pnet51.cts.com | !_______________________________________________________________________________!