rcw@qetzal.UUCP (sysop) (06/28/87)
I have attempted to add a second hard disk to my AT clode (an IMS 286). My main disk is a 40 meg atasi, the second disk is just a seagate 225 that was sitting around. Before I could afford the ATASI, microport ran on the trusty seagate. My machine has 1 control cable for two disks, the last connector has a twist in it. Manual said to set both drives to "D" position, remove the terminator resistor from the middle of the chain. This never worked, so I made the last drive (ATASI) "C" and the seagate in the middle of the cable "D", and removed the terminator resistor from the seagate. So far, so good. Microport booted up off the ATASI. As per the microport instructions, I typed: format -s /dev/rdsk/1s10 Low and behold, the seagate formatted. When it was finished, it tried to update a block on the ATASI, thus destroying the partition information. I was never asked, it just did it. This has happened to me twice, and am about to give up on using two disks. It takes half the night to get unix and news reinstalled after a disaster like this. Possibly related: the ATASI had to be formatted with special software, the seagate can and has been formatted correctly with Microport's format. FLAME ON: I've installed a fair amount of hardware on other machines. It seems like I have to fight every peripheral I've ever purchased for these damn ATs. The documentation seems to omit the most crucial information in an attempt to be "user- friendly." The everex manual, for example, for the ram 3000 (which I also can't get to work) is friendly to the point of nausea, but neglects to give solutions to my problem. (256k base 384k extended at boot when it should say 640k base, 1408 extended) If anyone is interested, we could stage a public computer document burn in protest. FLAME OFF: -- Robert C. White, Jr. Graphics Information, Inc. **************** UUCP: ihnp4!upba!qetzal!rcw isis!qetzal!rcw * OIL/GAS/LAND * USPS: 3067 Robin Way, Denver, CO 80222 * CARTOGRAPHY * ATT : +1 303 759-3666 ****************