Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!midway!quads.uchicago.edu!veve
From: veve@quads.uchicago.edu (jack lewis vevea)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: floppy drive problems
Keywords: floppy failures
Message-ID: <1990Aug23.044922.23723@midway.uchicago.edu>
Date: 23 Aug 90 04:49:22 GMT
Sender: Jack L. Vevea
Organization: University of Chicago
Lines: 30

I would appreciate any ideas from hardware aces about what might
be the problem here.  I have a 10-month old AT clone, 640k, 80-meg
Seagate, high-density 5-1/4 and 3-1/2 inch floppies.  Since I
acquired the machine, the floppies have frequently been subject
to seemingly random failures (during format, copy, or backup) that
require rebooting.  The failures occur frequently enough that I have
been unable to back up the hard drive, which, needless to say,
leaves me a bit insecure.

So far, my vendor has tried the following remedies:

	-replacing the cable from the controller to the drives;
	-replacing the floppy controller;
	-replacing both floppy drives;
	-replacing the motherboard.

Now they want to try reformatting my hard drive, which I won't
let them do before I back up; I'm proceeding with the backup
process dealing with small sections of the disk at a time (i.e.,
about 4 to 5 megs) and sometimes having to try four or five 
times before I get through without a drive failure.

Any ideas on what might be causing the continuing problem, in
view of the fact that in essence most of my computer has been
replaced?

				Thanks,

				Jack L. Vevea
				veve@quads.uchicago.edu