Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!decwrl!shelby!portia.stanford.edu!midkiff
From: midkiff@portia.Stanford.EDU (Neil Midkiff)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Turning off removables
Message-ID: <1990Sep30.071125.14226@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 30 Sep 90 07:11:25 GMT
References: <93810@srcsip.UUCP>
Organization: AIR, Stanford University
Lines: 21

In <93810@srcsip.UUCP> shankar@SRC.Honeywell.COM (Subash Shankar) writes:
>What is the prevailing wisdom on turning off Syquest hard drives?
>Should the cartridge be ejected before turning the drive off?
>Should the power switch be turned off, or is it OK to turn off a master switch?
 
From the manual that comes with the bare Syquest SQ555 mechanism:
It is important that you remove the cartridge before you turn off your
[drive.]  If you turn off your [drive] first, the automatic disk
spin-down operation doesn't occur, and the disk will freewheel for up
to 30 seconds before it stops spinning.  If you attempt to remove the
cartridge at this time, you may damage the cartridge and possibly lose data.

(Actually the manual says "computer" where I have substituted [drive]
above, since the manual tells you how to install the drive into a
5.25" drive slot in a PC-style case, and so the drive would be powered
by the computer power supply.)

I can see no reason why it should matter whether you use a master
power switch, as long as you follow the precaution above.

-Neil