Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!mips!daver!kcdev!genco!rad
From: rad@genco.uucp (Bob Daniel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Removable hard drive info sought
Message-ID: <37@genco.uucp>
Date: 13 Sep 90 14:24:12 GMT
References: <33829@cup.portal.com>
Reply-To: rad@genco. (Bob Daniel)
Organization: Gentry & Assoc. Excelsior Springs, MO
Lines: 36

In article <33829@cup.portal.com> fiver@cup.portal.com (Kevin Michael Vail) writes:
> 
>How quiet are they? 

I have an APS SyQuest and is makes a little more noise than say a Quantum
but is much more quiet than an old Dataframe I have that sounds like a popcorn
machine.

> How reliable?  
I have only had it 3 months, have 4 cartridges and have had no problems.  I
decided to get one after a quite a few people discussing it on GEnie were
satisfied with it.  Only one of at least a dozen said he had to reformat
a cartridge (1 of 11 cartridges).

>Can you switch cartridges without
>shutting down and rebooting?  
Yes!  It works very similar to a floppy.  Ocassionally it may not mount
but there is an FKEY called "Mount'Em" which allows you to mount any SCSI
device available.

>Can you startup from one, for that matter?
Yes, but you won't be able to switch cartridges without it asking for the
cartidge containing the system.  Not a good idea to use it this way.

>How difficult is it to copy files from one to another if you only have one
>drive? 
You don't want a removeable as your primary drive!  It should be a secondary
drive.  Copying files between cartridges is possible but not fun.

>Are they fast enough for general use?
My SyQuest has 20ms access.  Running SCSI Evaluator, it showed 23ms (avg) in
comparison to a Quantum that showed 27ms (and claimed to have 12ms average
access). The speed and access is definitely acceptable for a removeable.

In general I have been very happy with it and most everyone I know is glad
they have one.