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From: ESR@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU (Ed Russell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Using "Disk Manager" software
Message-ID: <91023.090401ESR@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>
Date: 23 Jan 91 17:04:00 GMT
References: <40187@super.ORG> <mea1.663954135@engr>
Sender: tandem!unixhub.SLAC.Stanford.EDU!daemon
Distribution: usa
Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
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In reply to:
>
>From: mea1@engr.uark.edu (Mark _E_ Amos)
>Subject: Re: Using "Disk Manager" software
>Date: 15 Jan 91 15:42:15 GMT
>
>impett@super.super.org (Richard L Impett) writes:
>
>>Could someone enlighten me on the advantages and more importantly,
>>the disadvantages of using Seagate's Disk Manager software?
>
>...(Parts deleted)...
>
>>What kinds of incompatibilities (Norton, Spinrite, Windows, etc) can
>>I expect to find if I use Disk Manager to attempt to use all of the
>>cylinders of my drive?
>
>  Although Disk Manager seems to work o.k. for some people (so I've heard),
>in my own experiences as a PC technician, I have seen more trouble caused by
>it than not.  The three specific programs you list I have not had experience
>with on a Disk Manager machine, but the problems I have had seem to affect
>the operation of DOS itself (i.e. erroneous lockups, crashes, etc.) while
>showing a random pattern (different machines, hard drive types, and DOS
>versions).  These problems are not frequent, but are unique to the machines
>I service that contain Disk Manager.
>
>  My suggestion to you is to get the Technical Specs on your drive and
>controller from the manufacturer, then use DEBUG to low-level format using
>the controller ROM (if possible).  DOS FDISK should then allow partitioning
>of the disk in 32Meg units (unless you manually choose).
>
>  If you have done all this and still cannot find a way to get the use of
>the entire drive, then (as a last resort) use Disk Manager.

Unlike the experiences of Mark Amos above, I found Disk Manager to be very
reliable.  (Note that Disk Manager is not written by Seagate but by Ontrack
Software.)  I never had a single problem with it during the two years that
I used it.  However, I used it on a disk with 1024 cylinders.  A disk with
more than 1024 could act differently.

I do not understand why anyone would go through the hassle of using DEBUG to
do a low level format with as many products on the market to do it more
easily.  I have used both Disk Manager and Optune but there are many others.
I have heard good reports about some versions of SpinRite and mixed reviews
of others but I have never used it.

Finally, I never had any problems running PCTools, Norton, or Mace while
using Disk Manager.

I do not use Disk Manager now because my Seagate pig went bad after a little
less than two years.  I am now running with a (non-Seagate) SCSI disk.