[comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware] 5.25" high Dens. drive problems

alf@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu (10/05/90)

I got a Floppy Disk problem that I'm hoping some PC guru will be able to help
me out with.  I got a PC Compat. which came out of the box with 1 meg. and
a 3.5" high density floppy.  I recently installed a new 5.25" high density.
The new drive works, but occationally I get "error reading data" errors.  I
have narrowed the times that I get these error to be only when I have had
the system up and running for more than 3 or 4 hours.  It seems as if the Drive
is overheating and giving me these errors, because if I shut down the system,
and let it cool off for an hour or two it works fine.  For example I was running
Procomm Plus, and started getting mega errors.  So I ran that disk through
Norton's Disk Doctor, and it flagged almost 25% of the disk as bad sectors.
About a day later I tried re-formatting the same disk with Norton's Safe
Format, and it formatted with no errors at all.  As for the internal cooling
the fan is working and is pulling air through the case, as I can feel it going
in the vents and coming out by the fan.  And BTW  the 3.5" high density drive
works fine with no errors at all at anytime. And both Drives are off the same
controller.  And help would be of great help!!  This has got alot of ppl that
I know stumped.... Thanks in advance...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-John Goldsworthy
jdgst3 @ vms.cis.pitt.edu
   alf @ drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu

cs161fhn@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (Dennis Lou) (10/05/90)

In article <1990Oct4.163903.52@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu> alf@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu writes:
>a 3.5" high density floppy.  I recently installed a new 5.25" high density.
>The new drive works, but occationally I get "error reading data" errors.  I
>have narrowed the times that I get these error to be only when I have had
>the system up and running for more than 3 or 4 hours.  It seems as if the Drive
>is overheating and giving me these errors, because if I shut down the system,
>and let it cool off for an hour or two it works fine.  For example I was running

Have you tried relocating the drive?  

My True Blue IBM AT 1.2 Meg
drive kept returning massive random errors until I moved it from
*under* the hard drive to *over* the hard drive.

Now the poor drive is burnt out :-((  I installed it in an external
case and put an old unreliable power supply on it.  It burned out
both my Genuine IBM AT drive and my Sony 3.5" 1.44Meg drive.  I
begin replacing IC's for the AT drive this weekend, but I'm givingup
on the 3.5" because of the SMD's that it uses. 
AAAAARRRRRGHH!!!!!

(I'd just thought I'd share my frustrations on the net....)

-- 
Dennis Lou             |
dlou@ucsd.edu          | "But Yossarian, what if everyone thought that way?"
[backbone]!ucsd!dlou   | "Then I'd be crazy to think any other way!"

roy%cybrspc@cs.umn.edu (Roy M. Silvernail) (10/06/90)

cs161fhn@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (Dennis Lou) writes:

> My True Blue IBM AT 1.2 Meg
> drive kept returning massive random errors until I moved it from
> *under* the hard drive to *over* the hard drive.

I'm told the reason for this is the motor on the hard drive. Magnets in
close proximity to read/write magnetic heads can cause some grief. I
used to build clones, and we had a policy to never locate a floppy drive
beneath a hard drive.
--
Roy M. Silvernail |+|  roy%cybrspc@cs.umn.edu  |+| #define opinions ALL_MINE;
main(){float x=1;x=x/50;printf("It's only $%.2f, but it's my $%.2f!\n",x,x);}
"This is cyberspace." -- Peter da Silva  :--:  "...and I like it here!" -- me