Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcdchg!ddsw1!hammen
From: hammen@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Robert Hammen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: RE:Help: SyQuest removable harddisk
Message-ID: <1990Dec29.003858.17911@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 29 Dec 90 00:38:58 GMT
References: <2771@<212> <226700011@wolman> <956@chem.ucsd.EDU>
Reply-To: hammen@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Robert Hammen)
Organization: Are you kidding?
Lines: 53

In article <956@chem.ucsd.EDU> rich@sdchemf (Richard Kanner) writes:
>Apparently, the mac does a 
>SCSI check and my internal (quantum 105,  Gigasoft fomatting 
>from Third Wave computing ) is not ready to boot and
>goes to the SyQuest. I do not know if the SCSI addresses have 
>anything to do with this I have not tested this, I just know it 
>works.  The SyQuest is at 4 and the internal
>is at 6. 

If you set the SCSI ID of your internal hard drive to 0 (zero),
the Mac will wait for the drive to spin up so it can boot from the drive.
I have seen a program supplied by APS that lets you adjust the amount of
time the Mac will wait for an internal drive.

On the subject of booting from SyQuests. Yes, this is possible, provided
the cartridge has spun up and is on-line when the Mac is ready to boot.
No INITs are required. As a matter of fact, you really don't need to install
an INIT for your SyQyest cartridge to show up on the desktop, providing it
is up to speed when the Mac boots. Even if it's not, use something like
SCSI Probe or the MountEm FKEY in order to mount the drive. Once the SCSI
driver has been loaded, any other cartridges that are inserted should mount
OK.

On the subject of SyQuest reliability: yep, there have been some problems.
My own personal PLI drive just bit the dust after two years of reliable
service (I take it with me everywhere - it's made several trips to both
coasts, as well as back and forth to work in the car a number of times).
There have been more problems with cartridges and bad blocks than with 
actual drive mechanisms failing, in my opinion.

I've handled literally hundreds of SyQuest cartridges, and have had two of
them "go bad" (they developed so many bad blocks that they couldn't be
reformatted). I've only had bad blocks on one other cartridge, but backing
up and reformatting solved the problem. I've found that the Software
Architects formatting software (used by Microtech and Ehman, among others)
is about the best around. What's really great is that their SCSI driver
will read cartridges formatted with other software (PLI, Mass Micro, Silver
Lining, etc.). The cartridges are interchangeable, but in order to read a
cartridge formatted with Vendor B's software, you need to reboot with it
in the drive, and disable any mounting INITs you may have, because the
SCSI drivers are not necessarily compatible between drive vendors.

I make sure to treat my cartridges carefully - store them vertically, ALWAYS
in their protective cartridge when not in the drive. One of the worst things
I see people do is unmount (spin down) a cartridge, but leave it in the
drive with the shutter open and the platter not spinning. That's a good way to
let dust build up inside the cartridge (so is smoking, BTW). Also, never move
the drive with a cartridge in it, spinning or not...

Sorry for the rambling nature of this post. Just passing on some advice...

Robert Hammen  Beyond Technology, Inc. (formerly Screaming Color, Inc.)
hammen@ddsw1.mcs.com  70701.2104@compuserve.com  GEnie: R.HAMMEN