tjhayko@thunder.lakeheadu.ca (02/08/91)
I've just purchased an Pacific Peripherals OverDrive SCSI con-
troller and a Seagate ST125N hard drive. Occasionally, after
parking the hard drive, it takes several (last time it was ten)
attempts to reboot and mount the hard drive (the controller
doesn't have autoboot ROMS). What I had to do this last time was
start up the OverDrive utilities program and attempt to check for
bad blocks. The software told me that is was requesting a sense
code, and then it locked up. After that (and several other
things) it booted it up and the drive came up fine. When it
doesn't come up, I can hear the head seeking back and forth very
rapidly and then the drive light flashes eight short flashes.
Does this mean anything to anyone? And please, no flames about
Seagate drives, I'm going to replace it with something better as
soon as I have the cash (I'm a poor undergraduate :( ).
PS. on the limited docs that came with the drive, I have hardware
revision level 4, firmware level 120 and ROM 106. Could I have
buggy roms?
*************************************************************
* Tom Hayko * only the Amiga /// *
* tjhayko@thunder.lakeheadu.ca * (Commodore is starting/// *
* * to know that) \\\/// *
* * and it's about time\XX/ *
*************************************************************
QUITthad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan) (02/10/91)
tjhayko@thunder.lakeheadu.ca in <44076@nigel.ee.udel.edu> writes:
I've just purchased an ...
... and a Seagate ST125N hard drive.
...When it
doesn't come up, I can hear the head seeking back and forth very
rapidly and then the drive light flashes eight short flashes.
Does this mean anything to anyone? And please, no flames about
Seagate drives, I'm going to replace it with something better as
soon as I have the cash (I'm a poor undergraduate :( ).
Welcome to the Seagate "Bend Over and Grab Your Ankles (BOGYA)" club. :-(
From Seagate's "ST125N, ST138N, ST157N Product Manual", page 18 (regarding
Diagnostics: At power-on the ST125N will execute a series of diagnostic tests.
Any failure will be indicated by a series of LED flashes....):
READ OPERATING SYSTEM MICROCODE FROM DRIVE: If the controller is
unable to read the operating system from the drive, eight flashes
are returned with an additional sense code of 88H. If the controller
reads the operating system records, but determines that they are
invalid, nine flashes are returned with an additional sense code of 88H.
Naw, no flames about Seagate drives. Seagate flames itself by producing the
worst garbage money can buy. And it appears that because they're a big (read:
$$$) advertiser, the PC-type magazines who accept Seagate's advertising give
Seagate the highest ratings thus confounding others. WHERE IS THE FTC when we
really need them (I simply haven't the time or $$$ to initiate the much-needed
class-action lawsuit against Seagate).
Thad Floryan [ thad@btr.com (OR) {decwrl, mips, fernwood}!btr!thad ]paul@theborg.mlb.fl.us (Paul Aidukas - Sys.Admin.) (02/15/91)
I have had Seagates ST251 and ST157N... Both have DIED!! I am really disapointed and will never buy another from them! The ST251 will not even spin up, it all started when only sometimes it would spin up. The ST157N spins up, then down, then up, then down, then up, and finally it SHUTS DOWN! I don't recall the drive light blink count. I still have the ST157N, and would like to know how, & where I might get it fixed, and how much $$$$ would it cost?
chris@zork.cc.binghamton.edu (Chris Peck) (02/15/91)
In article <paul.0641@theborg.mlb.fl.us>, paul@theborg.mlb.fl.us (Paul Aidukas - Sys.Admin.) writes: |> I still have the ST157N, and would like to know how, & where I might get it |> fixed, and how much $$$$ would it cost? You can give Seagate a call (1-800-468-3472, touchtone phone would be handy for this, as you'll go thru a couple of selections). If it's still under warranty then you're all set. Otherwise they offer a trade for a refurbished drive of the same type. Or, try calling some of the places advertised in Computer Shopper about trading in the drive for a new one (usually not worth getting fixed because they charge so much)... -chris -- chris@zork.cc.binghamton.edu Chris Peck chris@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu SUNY Binghamton, NY chris@bingvaxa.bitnet --"Any opinions expressed above are mine, ALL MINE!"--
erk@americ.UUCP (Erick Parsons) (02/24/91)
>In article <paul.0641@theborg.mlb.fl.us> paul@theborg.mlb.fl.us (Paul Aidukas - Sys.Admin.) writes: >I have had Seagates ST251 and ST157N... Both have DIED!! I am really >disapointed and will never buy another from them! >The ST251 will not even spin up, it all started when only sometimes it would >spin up. The ST157N spins up, then down, then up, then down, then up, and >finally it SHUTS DOWN! I don't recall the drive light blink count. >I still have the ST157N, and would like to know how, & where I might get it >fixed, and how much $$$$ would it cost? Maybe (just maybe) the problem is in your 12 VDC power supply. This is the supply that powers the drives motors (floppies included). If the supply is marginal as in filtering/regulating problems or if it is overheating from too much load (too many drives) the symptoms that you described could quite possibly appear. The shutdown you describe would tell me to look at a regulator as these devices have built in thermal shutdown devices. It's just too coincedental that *both* drives are dead. I have a Quantum 40Q hard drive that wouldn't spin up occasionally due to Power Supply problems, but the disk drives worked fine. The fix... A bigger power supply. Hope this saves you a couple of bucks :-) I hear tell that a 200W I*M supply will work as the voltages required are the same: +5 -12 +12 . But that's just what I heard. -- -------------------------------------------------//------------------------- (ames att sun)!pacbell! ----> sactoh0!pacengr!americ!erk Multitasking, ucbvax!ucdavis!csusac! --/ // Never leave uunet!msac! -/ Erick Parsons \Sacramento Ca Home Without it --------------------------------------------\X/----------------------------- Please Don't Wait...