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From: aiko@tulip.cs.odu.edu (John K Hayes)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: HD will not spin up (sometimes), banging it helps; Suggestions?
Message-ID: <1990Oct26.201641.25090@cs.odu.edu>
Date: 26 Oct 90 20:16:41 GMT
References: <1447@pedsga.UUCP> <4668@trantor.harris-atd.com>
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Reply-To: aiko@cs.odu.edu (John K Hayes)
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>In article <1447@pedsga.UUCP> mikes@pedsga.UUCP (Mike Shulman <shulman>,SPCSYS,7586) writes:
>>
>>  Well, like the subject line says, I seem to have a masacistic HD. It's
>>a Seagate ST125 (20 Meg, 3.5 format), and every once in a while when I
>>turn on my computer it refuses to spin up. The solution seems to be to
>>take it out and bang it hard a few times. Then re-install it, and it
>>works like a champ...until the next time it feels like doing this.


In article <4668@trantor.harris-atd.com> sonny@trantor.harris-atd.com (Bob Davis) writes:
>	I have a Seagate ST-138R 32M RLL drive that developed this
>problem after one year of use (after warranty). And for the past
>year I have had to "kick-start" the *@#?! thing...


Yaas.  It seems to me that the Seagate folks put out some pretty raunchy stuff.
As for RLL drives in general - these seem to be the most unstable type drives
around (at least for the 32M variety or lower).  I think I have heard that the
RLL format works better in larger varieties.  But - I don't know.  And if it
were me buying a large disk I would probably go for an ESDI type.
But the kind of trouble I've had with the RLLs is the frequent need to
re-format after the disk gets fried somehow.  I know DOS has something to
do with this (directory structures getting trashed), but it seems to happen
more frequently on our RLL drives.  I never had the stopped up motor problem.

It's hard to understand that a company with such a large share of the market
like Seagate can get away with making such junk.
Of course, I guess some of their stuff is ok, tho.
-- 
    ---{john hayes}  Old Dominion University; Norfolk, Virginia USA
                     internet: aiko@cs.odu.edu
                     Home: (804) 622-8348     Work: (804) 460-2241 ext 134