carlo@merlin.cvs.rochester.edu (Carlo Tiana) (11/19/89)
Well folks, I am going crazy trying to find out what hard drive I want. Partly because it's the weekend and the Microcomputer Info Center here is closed, and partly to supplement any information I will obtain from them, I decided to ask `the net' what all the following have to do with Hard Disks. Most of these things are never even mentioned in ads or articles, so maybe they are not that important; maybe I am just plainly worrying too much about this and all drives are the same, but I'll let you tell me about that. For now, here are my questions: -What is interleave? -Everyone says access time is important but sustained transfer rates are equally critical. I can see how this should be, but a) why are these never mentioned and b) can one assume that the same drive from different retailers (eg, to pick one example :-) a Quantum 105 from LaCie or ClubMac) will have the same transfer rate, regardless of the `software' supplied? -What does this software consist of, and is the software (I assume drivers) supplied by different retailers interchangeable? I.e. could I buy my drive from, say, ClubMac and the driver from LaCie and expect to be able to use them together? More specifically, what do I have to require for a drive to be put in a IIci? Does that machine have special requirements? Should I get a 5.25", a 3.5" a half height or a full height drive, or doesn't it matter? Is it the case that if I got a half height 3.5" drive I can put another half height 3.5" drive on top of it and have 2 internal drives (assuming a 'full height' drive fits in a IIci in the first place)? Grateful for any explanation, no matter how trivial *you* may think it is (I won't!), Carlo. PS: followups to comp.sys.mac.hardware carlo@cvs.rochester.edu