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Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!decwrl!ucbvax!agate!linus!linus!mwunix.mitre.org!jcmorris
From: jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org (Joe Morris)
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: <124554@linus.mitre.org>
Date: 26 Oct 90 13:32:25 GMT
References: <1447@pedsga.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@linus.mitre.org
Reply-To: jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org (Joe Morris)
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Organization: The Mitre Corporation
Lines: 28

In a recent article mikes@pedsga.UUCP (Mike Shulman) 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.
>Now, I've heard that this is a known problem with some older HDs of some
>brands, so I was wondering - is there also a known solution? (Aside from
>buying a new HD, wiseguys!)

Have you talked to Seagate about this?  I don't have any experience
with their drive as such, but last year IBM replaced a slew of drives
(primarily in the PS/2-70 series) which showed this symptom.   The problem
was that the lubricant on the drive shaft was leaking out, and the shaft
was binding to a degree that the motor didn't have enough torque to break
it loose after it had been stopped for a while.  (My machine developed the
symptom only after I heard of the recall...execllent timing!)

A temporary bypass could be to pick up the entire unit (DON'T bang the disk!)
and rotate it sharply to rotate the drive case around the platter...thus
breaking the shaft free.  Put the case back down an power up with fingers
crossed.

I expect that the trouble spot is inside the sealed area, so I don't know
of anything you can do to fix it unless you've got a REAL clean room handy.

Joe Morris