Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!purdue!haven!mimsy!brillig.umd.edu!spector
From: spector@brillig.umd.edu (Lee Spector)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: The word from Quantum concerning 3.5" 40/80 Drive Fixes
Keywords: quantum
Message-ID: <20781@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 15 Nov 89 20:14:03 GMT
References: <7451@sdcsvax.UCSD.Edu>
Sender: news@mimsy.umd.edu
Reply-To: spector@brillig.umd.edu.UUCP (Lee Spector)
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 34

In article <7451@sdcsvax.UCSD.Edu> rfellman@ucsd.edu (Ronald D. Fellman) writes:
>A friend of mine works at Quantum and is involved with the 3.5"
>drives (code-named TAKO). He wanted to set the record straight
>concerning the recent problems with this product.
[stuff deleted]

>(Also, I have not yet asked him about the performance degradation
>reported on the net.)

Please DO ask (or just tell) your friend about the performance degredation 
reported on the net! Several have reported numbers, and I have been told that 
some publication (Mac Week?) has actually published numbers showing slow-downs 
of over 100% for some operations.  

I don't personally have the tools or the expertise to
make precise measurements, but I can tell just by watching my HD80 in action
that there IS SIGNIFICANT PERFORMANCE DEGREDATION caused by the PROM "fix".
(For example, when my backup program scans the disk it will sometimes go
very quickly - like it always used to - and it will sometimes go MUCH slower.
It goes slower only when the drive is making its munching noise that appeared
immediately after the "fix.")

Besides, the horrible NOISE that my "fixed" drive makes is bad enough to
justify serious griping.  I've heard rumors that the noises (and the speed
problems) are supposed to heal themselves in "about 2 weeks".  I've had the
fix for longer than that, and while the symptoms sometimes subside for a day 
or so, they show no signs of diminishing in the long run.  I often find myself
opening DAs, etc., just for the sake of trying to stop my disk's clattering.
This usually shuts it up for a while, but the noise eventually comes back.
I sure hope the Apple/Quantum engineers do not consider the problem solved,
because the current situation is absolutely unacceptable for a new, state-
of-the-art, expensive machine.

  -Lee Spector (spector@cs.umd.edu)