[comp.sys.mac.hardware] IIci and strange disk activity ?

folta@tove.cs.umd.edu (Wayne Folta) (08/11/90)

We got a IIci last November (the third one on campus) and it has served us
well, but...

A couple of months ago, it started stuttering.  That is, the disk would chatter
as if seeking around rapidly, but the access light would not come on.  At
first, it seemed to happen randomly, so I worried that we had one of the
Stiction Quantums.  But now it seems to happen 90% of the time when I am
running one particular program.

Could it be that there is a bad spot on the disk, or a cylinder where it
has trouble seeking?  I have de-fragmented the disk since the early days
and maybe this program has ended up on the bad spot now?  How could I tell?

--


Wayne Folta          (folta@cs.umd.edu  128.8.128.8)

jwg1@gte.com (James W. Gish) (08/17/90)

In article <25989@mimsy.umd.edu> folta@tove.cs.umd.edu (Wayne Folta) writes:
>	A couple of months ago (the posters IIci) started stuttering.  That is, the disk would chatter
>	as if seeking around rapidly, but the access light would not come on...
>
>	Could it be that there is a bad spot on the disk, or a cylinder where it
>	has trouble seeking?...

I have a IIci at home that does the same thing; so does a IIcx at
work.  I would like very much to know what is going on - especially
with my personal machine.

--
Jim Gish (jgish@gte.com)
Principal Investigator
Software Reusability Project
GTE Laboratories Inc.

fswrr@acad3.fai.alaska.edu (rector walter r) (08/26/90)

In article <JWG1.90Aug16152830@bunny.gte.com>, jwg1@gte.com (James W. Gish) writes...
>In article <25989@mimsy.umd.edu> folta@tove.cs.umd.edu (Wayne Folta) writes:
>>	A couple of months ago (the posters IIci) started stuttering.  That is,
>>      the disk would chatter
>>	as if seeking around rapidly, but the access light would not come on...
>>
>>	Could it be that there is a bad spot on the disk, or a cylinder where it
>>	has trouble seeking?...
> 
>I have a IIci at home that does the same thing; so does a IIcx at
>work.  I would like very much to know what is going on - especially
>with my personal machine.

I have seen this prob. described before on other lists, and the standard
response goes something like this:
There was a widespread problem with the Quantumn drives that Apple was using,
caused by the internal lubricants becoming too viscous in humid environments
and causeing hard drive failure. The fix involved installing a new PROM that
activated the drive and heads every few minutes to keep the vicosity down
(does this sound like a kludge to you too?). 
This may or may not be the cause of what you are describing.
	-Reed