Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!rutgers!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!walt.cc.utexas.edu!keshava
From: keshava@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Sanjay Keshava)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Stiction problem on Seagate ST-251
Message-ID: <33730@ut-emx.UUCP>
Date: 10 Jul 90 18:59:35 GMT
References: <1990Jul9.214341.4490@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Sender: news@ut-emx.UUCP
Reply-To: keshava@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Sanjay Keshava)
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
Lines: 30

In article <1990Jul9.214341.4490@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> igb@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Isidore G Bendrihem) writes:
>I have a Seagate ST251 (40MB) disk whose platter is failing to spin on
>power up.  At first, I thought the motor was flaky, but after talking to
>some local people, it seems like the drive is suffering from a common
>problem that affects Seagate drives: Stiction.  Stiction occurs when too
>much resin is placed on the platters to help the read/write head slide
>over the platter.
>...
>Isidore Bendrihem

The Seagate ST4051 (40MB full height) rigid also has the sticking
problem.  A workstation I once used incorporated this drive.  The
sticking got so bad that the machine wouldn't boot, and the drive had
to be replaced.  Fortunately, I backed-up my desktop.  (To the
skeptics - It pays to backup regularly!!)

My AT compatible also has this drive, and it occasionally sticks.  The
only way I've overcome this is to repeatedly (with a few seconds
delay) power on/off the machine until the drive spins up.  I know this
could wreak havoc with the electronics, but it's most frustrating to
have a broken machine just when I'm in the mood to read mail :-).



                                               Sanjay
                                               ->|<-
                             Student in the UT Graduate School of Business
DARPA: keshava@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu            | Graduation Date:  TBD
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