Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!gatech!ncsuvx!shumv1!unkydave
From: unkydave@shumv1.uucp (David Bank)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: RLL controllers with MFM drives
Message-ID: <4265@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>
Date: 22 Oct 89 07:16:15 GMT
References: <none> <2546@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu>
Sender: news@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu (David Bank)
Organization: NCSU Computing Center
Lines: 51

In article <2546@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> consp21@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu (Ken Hoover) writes:
>
>  I have a Seagate ST225 in my XT (no flames on my obsolete machine); and
>was wondering if getting an RLL controller for it would allow me to format
>it out to 32 megs instead of the 20 I get now.  My roommate and I were
>puzzling over this one (he has an ST238, and we couldn't find any physical
>differences), so I thought I'd submit it to the net.
>
>						- Ken
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Ken Hoover [ consp21@bingsuns.pod.binghamton.edu | consp21@bingvaxa.BITNET ]
>     Resident computer jock and Mac hacker, SUNY-Binghamton Bio dept.
>     Senior undergraduate consultant, SUNY-Binghamton Computer Center
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------


   DISCLAIMER: This is  ** NOT **  a flame!


   Sure, Ken. Go for it. Hook that MFM (i.e. NOT RLL-Rated) drive up to
that RLL controller, format it, and instant 50% more drive room. You
CAN do it. It'll even format.

   If you're lucky, it might even hold data for a month before it starts
developing amnesia.

   RLL is a MUCH more demanding format and less tolerant of errors. MFM
drives are not RLL rated for a very good reason -- they can't deliver
the performance RLL-controllers demand. They are very simply not
engineered for the rigors of RLL usage.

   So...you CAN do what you want. But you had better hope and pray
and sacrafice virgins to Mammon or that drive WILL crash. Not might.
WILL. It is only a matter of time before you get "Disk Boot Error"
or "Invalid Drive Specification" or some similar, sinister, error
message.


   KIDDIES! Do NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!

   If a drive is not SPECIFICALLY RLL-Rated by its manufacturer,
do NOT try hooking it to an RLL controller to boost storage. You
are playing Russian Roulette with your data and there is a VERY high
probability that you will lose everything.

   If you want the space THAT badly, go out and buy yourself an
RLL-rated drive!

Unky Dave
unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu