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From: smiller@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.rt
Subject: 6152 disk problems
Message-ID: <221600005@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 5 Sep 89 16:36:00 GMT
Lines: 36
Nf-ID: #N:uxe.cso.uiuc.edu:221600005:000:1365
Nf-From: uxe.cso.uiuc.edu!smiller    Sep  5 11:36:00 1989


I have some interesting problems with three 6152's. First of all DOS diagnostic
routines run fine and report no errors(advanced diagnostics). Now for the 
problem:

	Boot the MINIROOT disk.
	Run fdisk and create a 4.3 partition (size is 1009 cylinders starting
		at cylinder 13 to allow for a small DOS partition)
	Run format.
Problem: format fails at some random cylinder between 0 and 1009. The disk
	access light stays on and the program reports that it is formatting
	cylinder xxx. This message will stay overnight and the only way to
	recover is to power cycle the machine.

Attempted solutions:

	Run low level format on the disks: this runs through to completion on
	two of the machines which then continue to have the same problem 
	mentioned above. The third machine low level format dies trying to 
	format cylinder 0(zero) with the same symptom as above.

	Try skipping the format and just go to create minidisks: after entering
	the disk to work on minidisk goes out to lunch in the same manner as 
	described above.

	Try a new Installation Miniroot disk: same problem.

I have successfully installed 4.3 on three other systems which, when people
don't hit cntrl-alt-keypad del to force DOS or flip the power switch and boot
from their floppy, are up and running fine.

Anybody have some ideas??
Thanks in advance.

Steven Miller
dragonslive@uiuc.edu