Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!agate!ucbvax!van-bc! From: lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Subject: Re: More stuff about the A2091 Message-ID: <2198@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca> Date: 7 Nov 90 07:50:43 GMT Lines: 42 Return-Path: To: van-bc!rnews In <1990Nov6.200507.20254@isis.cs.du.edu>, bscott@isis.cs.du.edu (Ben Scott) writes: > >Secondly, a question for all you informed hardware types out there. For >reasons which I won't bother to go into now, I may have to deal with the >addition to my system of a 1 gigabyte WORM drive. (poor me...) I would >like some basic information on it so I can prepare for it. For example, >how big is something like this likely to be? Don't know about yours in particular, but I have seen several WORM drives in a 5 1/4" full height form factor. > How is delete implemented? (I know you don't >get the space back but surely there's some way to make files show up no >longer. The only ways I can think of that would work all would seem to >require implementation at the DOS level rather than at the drive, though) Don't know about delete, but you might bear in mind that _all_ operations on the drive other than strictly reading will have to be handled at a low level. The thing is, you cannot read/modify/write, which means that you cannot update various things when you put a new file onto the disk. When you write, using the 'normal' file system, the file system will complain. If it doesn't complain when it tries to write the bitmap, it certainly will complain when it tries to write the modified root block to change the date. The only way to access a WORM drive at a high level is to have a file system that understands the WORM operating methods and limitations. >Also, how much is this drive worth? Never have seen prices on new ones. 'Weird Stuff Warehouse' was selling a Maxtor WORM drive about a year ago, used, for about $800. -larry -- It is not possible to both understand and appreciate Intel CPUs. -D.Wolfskill +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | // Larry Phillips | | \X/ lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips | | COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322 -or- 76703.4322@compuserve.com | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+