pepers@enme3.ucalgary.ca (Brad Pepers) (02/12/91)
I am having trouble with my Syquest/2091 combo. Its not the reselection problem I've seen here (I have the trouble with ONLY the Syquest attached). My problem has the following symptoms: - I format a cartridge and all is fine - Over time, things start going bad... - After a while, the drive starts 'chattering' to itself or my Amiga even when I'm not doing any drive access! I can usually stop the chatter by doing a directory. Some directories will fix the problem, others won't. - Now if I try 'verify data' in the HDToolBox either I get a lot of errors or I get an 'Error in rigid block - low level format'! I can still use the drive but this means that sometime in the near future, a total crash will occur! - At some point now, when doing a write to the drive, my Amiga locks up in mid write. If this was the root-block, I'm toast! - I have tried both FAST and OLD filing systems. I have had both 1 40Mb partition and 2 20's. I don't switch cartridges while running. My Syquest is version F3B. My scsi.device is version 5.1. My 2091 ROMS have no version number!!!! Just part numbers: "390?09-01 U12 39F8" and "390508 U13 08C3". My 2091 disk is marked "Preliminary" in red. My HDToolBox program is 88692 bytes and dated at 5-Oct-89. My SCSI chip is WD33C93-PL. I have 2Mb RAM installed on the 2091 with no troubles from it. Are there any troubles with these combinations? Thank your for any help and I would love to hear from C= which version of ROMS my unmarked ones are! Brad Pepers (pepers@enme.ucalgary.ca or pepers@cpsc.ucalgary.ca)
dac@prolix.pub.uu.oz.au (Andrew Clayton) (02/13/91)
In article <1991Feb12.064904.21844@cpsc.ucalgary.ca>, Brad Pepers writes: > I am having trouble with my Syquest/2091 combo. Its not the reselection > problem I've seen here (I have the trouble with ONLY the Syquest attached). > My problem has the following symptoms: > > - I format a cartridge and all is fine > - Over time, things start going bad... > - After a while, the drive starts 'chattering' to itself or > my Amiga even when I'm not doing any drive access! I can > usually stop the chatter by doing a directory. Some directories > will fix the problem, others won't. > - Now if I try 'verify data' in the HDToolBox either I get a lot > of errors or I get an 'Error in rigid block - low level format'! > I can still use the drive but this means that sometime in the > near future, a total crash will occur! G'day, I had a similar but totally different problem once, with my hard drive. I have a 71Mb miniscribe half height ST506 drive, and when I first put it in my A2500/20 I had no problems with it at all. Then one day, it started to make chattering noises to me, all by itself (no HD access). The HD light wasn't activating, it just 'chattered'. Then it would stop, and then when I tried to do anything on the HD (read a directory or anything), the HD would try vainly, and then give up, flashing its front LED in a meaningful [but unintelligable!] fashion. This problem got worse and worse, and I thought that I was the owner of an expensive lemon. Trying to contact Miniscribe was out of the question, since they had gone bust, but I'm digressing; After trying (unsuccessfully) to back the drive up, I finally took my A2500 apart, and had a look inside. There was HEAPS of dust on the underside of the HD's circuit board, which I blew away. I reseated all the cables (none of them appeared to be loose), and, [most importantly!] RESEATED the 2090a controller card. After putting my Amiga back together, the drive worked alright, until w week later, when I hit my first read/write error. Grr. It's such a SHOCK to find a read/write error on a HD, and I thought I was done for. I copyied my 40Mb disk to a directory on the 71Mb one, and found about seven areas that had an error. In a fit of pique, I ran a full format on the drive (without PREPping it first), and proceeded to copy the 20Mb of junk on my 40Mb drive, to the newly formatted 71Mb drive, into several directories, and didn't get one single error. Apparently, the controller card had 'forgotten' about the error blocks on my disk (painstakingly inserted when I first prepped it), and only 'remembered' when I did a format. That's the only excuse I can think of. Since then (some four months ago), it has worked excellently. (or in a Bill and Ted fashion, if you prefer). I *had* moved my machine, via taxi, to someones house, to show off the 68020 that I had, so I reckon that in the various bouncing vehicles, the controller card must have come a little loose. PRECIS: Reseat your controller card. Hope that's of some use. > Brad Pepers (pepers@enme.ucalgary.ca or pepers@cpsc.ucalgary.ca) Dac -- _l _ _ // Andrew Clayton. Canberra, Australia. I Post . (_](_l(_ \X/ Send mail to dac@prolix.pub.uu.oz.au . . I am.
pepers@enme3.ucalgary.ca (Brad Pepers) (02/14/91)
In article <18ad5c7f.ARN2b0b@prolix.pub.uu.oz.au> dac@prolix.pub.uu.oz.au writes: >In article <1991Feb12.064904.21844@cpsc.ucalgary.ca>, Brad Pepers writes: > >> I am having trouble with my Syquest/2091 combo. Its not the reselection >> problem I've seen here (I have the trouble with ONLY the Syquest attached). >> My problem has the following symptoms: >> >> - I format a cartridge and all is fine >> - Over time, things start going bad... >> - After a while, the drive starts 'chattering' to itself or >> my Amiga even when I'm not doing any drive access! I can >> usually stop the chatter by doing a directory. Some directories >> will fix the problem, others won't. >> - Now if I try 'verify data' in the HDToolBox either I get a lot >> of errors or I get an 'Error in rigid block - low level format'! >> I can still use the drive but this means that sometime in the >> near future, a total crash will occur! > > >G'day, > >I had a similar but totally different problem once, with my hard drive. > > (Very helpful explaination of problem deleted) > >PRECIS: Reseat your controller card. > >Hope that's of some use. > >> Brad Pepers (pepers@enme.ucalgary.ca or pepers@cpsc.ucalgary.ca) > >Dac >-- > _l _ _ // Andrew Clayton. Canberra, Australia. I Post . >(_](_l(_ \X/ Send mail to dac@prolix.pub.uu.oz.au . . I am. Thanks for your help. I'm afraid I'm not having the same problem. I have COMPLETELY dusted out my 2000. I have reset all cables, boards, and chips in sockets. Nothing fixes it! As I sit here right now, my drive occasionally reads (complete with the read light going on). I know if I go out and do a directory on Work:Forth/Forth, it will stop but I'm too p*ssed at it to bother!!!! The dealer who sold it to me says that they have now heard that there was some trouble with some 2091 and syquest versions (anyone at C= able to fill in details of which combos?). The F3B version of syquest I have could supposedly be better so I'm looking into getting a newer version. I wish I knew what version my 2091 ROMS were! Thanks again! Brad Pepers (pepers@enme.ucalgary.ca or pepers@cpsc.ucalgary.ca)
ranma@noc.arc.nasa.gov (Robert Michael Gutierrez) (02/15/91)
pepers@enme3.ucalgary.ca (Brad Pepers) writes: > ... The F3B version of syquest I > have could supposedly be better so I'm looking into getting a newer > version. I wish I knew what version my 2091 ROMS were! As long as you have anything from Syquest in the "F" series, you should be fine (btw: the latest roms are FCJ). I've used a "D" series Syquest on my 2091 (D0H) which had no problems (except the dreaded reselection and lockup with 2 drives). Yes, we're talking a Syquest with a serial number in the hundreds!!! (P.S. The roms are not replaceable in the old "D" and "E" series Syquests, only the "F" series and later. Usually the old Syquests have a black shell, and new ones have a silver shell...) Another possibility may be getting a better controller. I got a GVP controller to "get rid of" the reselection problems. Granted, not a cheap alternative. Has your dealer swapped the 2091??? You could have a bad board. > Thanks again! No problem. robert