bkd3019@rouge.usl.edu (Dore Brian K) (10/31/90)
When I was working at a computer store last year, a customer had problems with a st225 refusing to spin up. We couldn't get it to move by tapping it, so we opened up the drive and 'push started' it. We were able to backup the drive and replace it. The 'broken' drive looked neat, so my boss put it on a shelf as a display, without the cover. We refered to it from time to time to answer quesions. About 3 months later, on a slow day, while showing it off to a customer, he asked if it would still work. I replied that I doubted it, but since I had a machine on the bench already open, we could see what it would do. I blew the dust off of the platters with a can of compressed air, hooked it up. The machine not only booted from the drive, but successfuly read the software and files that were installed on it. We played with it for about 5 minutes without any errors. It's back on display now... I wouldn't keep anything important on a drive that had been opened, but they DO still work. Brian
cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (Crash Gordon) (11/01/90)
>...I blew the dust off of the platters with a can of compressed air, >hooked it up. The machine not only booted from the drive, but successfuly >read the software and files that were installed on it. We played >with it for about 5 minutes without any errors. It's back on display... I have done this as well, with an old Shugart 712. After about 2-3 hours of accumulated use, the poor thing finally croaked. Sure was fun to watch a defragger go to work on it, though. >I wouldn't keep anything important on a drive that had been opened, but >they DO still work. Amen! ----------------------------------------------------- Gordon S. Hlavenka cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us Disclaimer: Yeah, I said it. So what?
sonny@charybdis.harris-atd.com (Bob Davis) (11/05/90)
In article <272f0ef4-3be.1comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware-1@vpnet.chi.il.us> cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (Crash Gordon) writes: > >>...I blew the dust off of the platters with a can of compressed air, >>hooked it up. The machine not only booted from the drive, but successfuly >>read the software and files that were installed on it. We played >>with it for about 5 minutes without any errors. It's back on display... > >I have done this as well, with an old Shugart 712. After about 2-3 hours of >accumulated use, the poor thing finally croaked. Sure was fun to watch a >defragger go to work on it, though. > A hard drive with a plexiglas cover sure would be interesting, wouldn't it? ______________________________________________________________________________ Bob Davis, UofALA'66 \\ INTERNET : sonny@trantor.harris-atd.com | _ _ | Harris Corporation, ESS \\ UUCP : ...!uunet!x102a!trantor!sonny |_| |_| | | Advanced Technology Dept.\\ AETHER : K4VNO |==============|_/\/\/\|_| PO Box 37, MS 3A/1912 \\ VOICE : (407) 727-5886 | I SPEAK ONLY | |_| |_| | Melbourne, FL 32902 \\ FAX : (407) 729-2537 | FOR MYSELF. |_________|