Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!apple.com!rmh
From: rmh@apple.com (Rick Holzgrafe)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Do I really have to eject the disk?
Message-ID: <7615@goofy.Apple.COM>
Date: 9 Apr 90 22:22:34 GMT
Sender: usenet@Apple.COM
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc.
Lines: 33
References:<0093460F.C78B10E0@uclapp.physics.ucla.edu> <40095@apple.Apple.COM>

In article <40095@apple.Apple.COM> jdevoto@Apple.COM (Jeanne A. E. DeVoto) 
writes:
> In article <0093460F.C78B10E0@uclapp.physics.ucla.edu>
> jprice@uclapp.physics.ucla.edu (John Price) writes:
> >       Also, it says in the manual that I should *never* turn off the 
> >drive with the cartridge inserted.  I forgot to eject it once, but when 
I 
> >turned it back on, there didn't seem to be any problems.  I still eject 
it 
> >every time (at least, when I remember :), but do I really have to?
> 
> I can think of two reasons for not turning off the drive before the
> cartridge is spun down and ejected: some devices may send a spike through
> the heads on powerup (or powerdown), causing possible data loss if the
> head happens to be over an active sector; and if you turn off the drive
> without spinning the cartridge down, the heads probably aren't parked,
> which greatly increases your risk if the drive is jostled slightly while 
off.

Another reason may be that ejecting the volume, if done from the Mac, will 
ensure that the volume is flushed and properly "put to bed". Obviously, 
turning off the drive while a file is being moved or saved (in the worst 
case!) could make a mess of your data.

I'm not familiar with the Syquest. If the user can manually eject without 
the Mac's permission, the argument's not sound.

==========================================================================
Rick Holzgrafe              |    {sun,voder,nsc,mtxinu,dual}!apple!rmh
Software Engineer           | AppleLink HOLZGRAFE1          rmh@apple.com
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