Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.hardware:7599 comp.sys.mac.misc:7100 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcnc!duke!wolves!ggw From: ggw%wolves@cs.duke.edu (Gregory G. Woodbury) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware,comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Re: Question on Removable HD Message-ID: <1991Jan1.045029.27984@wolves.uucp> Date: 1 Jan 91 04:50:29 GMT References: <1990Dec31.181853.28607@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> Organization: Wolves Den UNIX Lines: 56 X-Checksum-Snefru: c983350b 310a4c71 295187f9 9946edbf daemon@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Mr Background) writes: > >I own a removable hard disk which I like very much. There is only one >thing I feel a little annoyed and would like to know if this is the >same to all removable hard disk. > > The thing is that I need to turn on the removable before I >turn on the Mac. If not, the Mac won't recognize the removable. Also, >once both the removable and the Mac are turned on, I cannot turn off >the removable and leave only the Mac on. If I do so, the Mac is freezed >until you turn on the removable again or you restart the Mac. The >reason I feel annoyed is that I would rather not leave the removable on >when I don't need the data in it and would like to turn it on any time >when I need it. But I cannot do this right now. > > Another question I have is that if I take the cartridge out and >leave the drive on, will that save the life span of the drive? I found >that if I take the cartridge out of the drive, there seems nothing going >on in the drive except the power is on. I wonder leaving the drive on without >cartridges in it won't take any life span of the drive away. If that is the >case then it doesn't matter if I have to leave it on when I don't need the >removable. Anyone got comments? Sure sounds like the semi-floppy removeable disks we use on our macs at the office. :-) The system freeze is a result of the way that the mac deals with the SCSI buss used to connect to the machine. However, we find that by making sure that the proper terminators are on the cables, this can sometimes be avoided. Non-recognition after start-up is a problem in the external file-system driver that the maker of the drive provides. You might want to check with their support bbs or RTFM to see if there is a program around to take care of this problem. For one brand, there was a program with older versions of the driver software that is no longer directly distributed, however, it still works with the latest version of the driver software and even with a similar model drive from a slightly different maker :-) We tend to leave the drive itself on, and remove the cartridges when not in use. Be sure that you properly unmount the cartridge so that you don't have to scramble for the disk at inopportune times. All the removeable cartridge drives that I have seen have a hardware feature that stops the motor and unloads the heads into a physically safe position when there is no cartridge in the drive. The life of the drive is a function of wear on the cartridge media and the cleaning of the heads. Properly cared for, leaving the power on without a cartridge in the drive should not change the life of the drive. Interesting question, tell me a bit more :-) -- Gregory G. Woodbury @ The Wolves Den UNIX, Durham NC UUCP: ...dukcds!wolves!ggw ...mcnc!wolves!ggw [use the maps!] Domain: ggw@cds.duke.edu ggw%wolves@mcnc.mcnc.org [The line eater is a boojum snark! ]