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From: jcd@pitt.UUCP (Jim Durham)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,misc.wanted,misc.forsale.computers
Subject: Re: Wanted: Information, Hardware, and Software for DEC MV II
Message-ID: <8691@pitt.UUCP>
Date: 26 Sep 90 20:04:04 GMT
References: <6285@hub.ucsb.edu> <2873@canisius.UUCP>
Reply-To: jcd@vax.cs.pitt.edu.UUCP (Jim Durham)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science
Lines: 36

In article <2873@canisius.UUCP> pavlov@canisius.UUCP (Greg Pavlov) writes:
>In article <6285@hub.ucsb.edu>, jim@ferkel.ucsb.edu (Oreo Cat) writes:
>> I have a MV II system which a few months ago was completely broken,
>> but I am now close to having it up and running again. 
>> 
>> ....I understand that I need to have the 'Maintenance Diagnostics' tape
>> to format disks.  So first off, is there anyone out there who will lend
>> or sell me their 'Maintenance Diagnostics' tape or disks? ....
>
>  At the time that we were mucking around with these (RD disks, etc) DEC
>  would not sell the Maintenance Diagnostics.  Instead, it wanted to charge
>
>> I see them (DEC drives) advertised for.....
>> $150 for a RD52, $300 for a RD53, and $1400 for an RD54. 
>> it possible to hook up non-DEC drives?  It's just an ST506 interface,
>> and a lot of these drives are really cheap.
>
>  As best as we could tell, our two RD53's were Micropolis drives.  The only
>  difference was that some sort of skid plate had been added on.  Another 

   RD53's are Micropolis drives. There are other drives, like Maxtors
   that have the same geometry as the Micropolis, but the DEC "Customer
   Formatter" will not touch them. I understand that "real" RD52s and RD53s
   have a "descriptor block" somewhere on the drive that tells the formatter
   that this is a "real" RD and allows it to format the drive. The
   "Field Service" diagnostics apparently *will* format other drives, and
   in fact, write out the "descriptor block". Trying to get your hands on
   the "Field Service" diags is well nigh impossible. I don't have
   complete confidence in this information, gleaned mostly 2nd had, but
   if someone knows better, I'd like to know also...>


   I also own a MVII, which I have been trying to get running
   properly. They can be bears....

   Jim Durham