ejm@sppy00.UUCP (Eric Miller) (08/14/90)
I currently have a MacPlus with 1mb RAM and a CMS 20mb external hard drive. About once a week I can't boot the hard drive, I turn the system on and I receive that ever-so-annoying question mark prompt. The drive is a little over a year old, but it's been used rather frequently. This has been occuring for about 2 months, but not increasing in frequency. Someone on the net mentioned a CMS formatting problem and a low-level formatter that did the trick. I've never heard of that before, but I'm willing to try anything. Anybody have similiar problems with CMS hard drives? Is this formatting problem for real or is my CMS about had it? (Or both!) Any insight or advice is appriciated in advance... -- Eric J. Miller The computer can't tell you the emotional story. It can give you the exact mathematical design, miller-e@cis.ohio-state.edu but what's missing is the eyebrows... ejm@sppy00.UUCP -Frank Zappa
miller@rsmas.miami.edu (08/14/90)
In article <918@sppy00.UUCP>, ejm@sppy00.UUCP (Eric Miller) writes: > I currently have a MacPlus with 1mb RAM and a CMS 20mb external hard drive. > About once a week I can't boot the hard drive, I turn the system on and > I receive that ever-so-annoying question mark prompt. The drive is a little > over a year old, but it's been used rather frequently. This has been occuring > for about 2 months, but not increasing in frequency. Someone on the net > mentioned a CMS formatting problem and a low-level formatter that did > the trick. I've never heard of that before, but I'm willing to try anything. > Anybody have similiar problems with CMS hard drives? Is this formatting > problem for real or is my CMS about had it? (Or both!) I have had the same experience with a CMS 30 megger which is 1.5 years old but which has seen less than frequent use. So far it only happens occasionally and the problem seems to "cure" itself after a short time. Is my drive headed for (what I would consider VERY) premature death??? > > Any insight or advice is appriciated in advance... Likewise. How about some comment from CMS folks????? > > > -- > Eric J. Miller The computer can't tell you the emotional story. > It can give you the exact mathematical design, > miller-e@cis.ohio-state.edu but what's missing is the eyebrows... > ejm@sppy00.UUCP -Frank Zappa -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jerry L. Miller INTERNET: miller@rsmas.miami.edu Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami Remember: "It's later now than it's ever been; however, vg'f zber yvxr vg vf abj guna vg unf rire orra orsber."
keeshu@nikhefk.UUCP (Kees Huyser) (08/14/90)
In article <918@sppy00.UUCP> ejm@sppy00.UUCP (Eric Miller) writes:
#
#I currently have a MacPlus with 1mb RAM and a CMS 20mb external hard drive.
#About once a week I can't boot the hard drive, I turn the system on and
#I receive that ever-so-annoying question mark prompt.
I think the problem lies in the fact that the CMS drives have a power supply
which bounces between ~4.5 Volt and 5.2 Volt. When the voltage drops under
5.0 Volt, the drive won't boot and the Mac shows the ?-icon.
The solution is either take your drive to the shop where you bought it and
ask a technician to turn up the voltage to >5.2 Volt, or do it yourself if
you can use a Voltmeter (this may void your warranty!).
I run a lab with ~150 CMS drives and we usually check all power supplies before
giving the drive out to the user. Atfter this short operation (+/- 5 mins.)
we allmost never see this problem recur.
--kees
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