Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!rex!ames!ncar!tank!shamash!com50!mscunx!hawkmoon!det
From: det@hawkmoon.MN.ORG (Derek E. Terveer)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.microport
Subject: Re: screwy format message
Keywords: software, 386/3.0e
Message-ID: <1044@hawkmoon.MN.ORG>
Date: 11 Jul 89 01:45:59 GMT
References: <1003@hawkmoon.MN.ORG<8249@saturn.ucsc.edu<1029@hawkmoon.MN.ORG>
Organization: One of the Eternal Champions - Richfield, MN, 554232523, USA
Lines: 31

In article <1003@hawkmoon.MN.ORG> I wrote:
> Whenever i try to format my (new) 3.5" floppy (1.44M) with a 720K diskette in
> it i get the following message:
> $ format /dev/rdsk/f13dt
> formatting.
> Formatted 0 tracks: 0 thru 4294967295, interleave 1.

I have since discovered that the same problem exists with the primary drive
(5.25") but that if i umount the second drive it works!!! Very strange.
I.e.:

$ mount /dev/dsk/f1 /mnt/tmp		#3.5"
$ format /dev/rdsk/f0			#5.25"
formatting.				#format fails
Formatted 0 tracks: 0 thru 4294967295, interleave 1.
$ umount /dev/dsk/f1			#unmount second drive
$ format /dev/rdsk/f0			#try again
formatting.........			#format successful
Formatted 80 tracks: 0 thru 79, interleave 1.


There are obviously more problems implied by the "open problems" section of the
release notes than meets the eye:

1. A second floppy drive becomes inaccessible when a format is being performed
on the first floppy drive.
-- 
Derek Terveer 	    det@hawkmoon.MN.ORG || ..!uunet!rosevax!elric!hawkmoon!det
		    w(612)681-6986   h(612)789-8643

"A proper king is crowned" -- Thomas B. Costain