johnm@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (02/05/91)
Greetings from the owner of the Mac SE with the unusual startup error (a la previous news post). Happily that problem has been completely solved. The memory was improperly mapped because the R35 resistor was clipped but only 1Mb of RAM was installed. Putting in 2.5Mb of RAM fixed the problem. Now for the new problem: - The (internal) floppy drive does not read any disks. - The computer will not boot off any floppy system disks. - After booting off the hard drive, putting any disks into the floppy drive results in the "Disk needs minor repairs" message. If you try to repair the disk, the dialog "Cannot create desktop file" comes up. The disk is kicked out. For my part, the only thing I can think of is that the disk controller has been screwed up. Perhaps the WIM chip has been zapped (maybe by static discharge when I was replacing SIMMs). Of course, I would like to believe it is simply a software problem, but the fact that startup disks can't be read seems to torpedo that theory. If it is a hardware problem, what would a repair involve, and how much would it cost me? I hate going into a repair place and having to rely entirely on the expertise of their "tech" people. Is it possible to do this kind of repair yourself (e.g. replacing the WIM chip) and where would I buy the components? I would like to hear what people think the problem is, and suggest any possible fixes. Thanks in advance for any responses. The Net came through before, and I can use your help again. John S. Mitchell, Jr. '91 Princeton University johnm@phoenix.princeton.edu