Path: utzoo!attcan!telly!lethe!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!samsung!munnari.oz.au!manuel!ccadfa!prolix!dac
From: dac@prolix.pub.uu.oz.au (Andrew Clayton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Syquest/2091 problems
Message-ID: <18ad5c7f.ARN2b0b@prolix.pub.uu.oz.au>
Date: 13 Feb 91 10:03:11 GMT
References: <1991Feb12.064904.21844@cpsc.ucalgary.ca>
Reply-To: dac@prolix.pub.uu.oz.au
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Organization: More like Mis~, really.
Lines: 73

In article <1991Feb12.064904.21844@cpsc.ucalgary.ca>, Brad Pepers writes:

> I am having trouble with my Syquest/2091 combo. Its not the reselection
> problem I've seen here (I have the trouble with ONLY the Syquest attached).
> My problem has the following symptoms:
> 
> 	- I format a cartridge and all is fine
> 	- Over time, things start going bad...
> 	- After a while, the drive starts 'chattering' to itself or
> 	  my Amiga even when I'm not doing any drive access! I can
> 	  usually stop the chatter by doing a directory. Some directories
> 	  will fix the problem, others won't.
> 	- Now if I try 'verify data' in the HDToolBox either I get a lot
> 	  of errors or I get an 'Error in rigid block - low level format'!
> 	  I can still use the drive but this means that sometime in the
> 	  near future, a total crash will occur!


G'day,

I had a similar but totally different problem once, with my hard drive.

I have a 71Mb miniscribe half height ST506 drive, and when I first put it in
my A2500/20 I had no problems with it at all.

Then one day, it started to make chattering noises to me, all by itself (no HD
access).  The HD light wasn't activating, it just 'chattered'.  Then it would
stop, and then when I tried to do anything on the HD (read a directory or
anything), the HD would try vainly, and then give up, flashing its front LED
in a meaningful [but unintelligable!] fashion.

This problem got worse and worse, and I thought that I was the owner of an
expensive lemon.

Trying to contact Miniscribe was out of the question, since they had gone
bust, but I'm digressing;

After trying (unsuccessfully) to back the drive up, I finally took my A2500
apart, and had a look inside. There was HEAPS of dust on the underside of the
HD's circuit board, which I blew away.  I reseated all the cables (none of
them appeared to be loose), and, [most importantly!] RESEATED the 2090a
controller card.

After putting my Amiga back together, the drive worked alright, until w week
later, when I hit my first read/write error.  Grr.  It's such a SHOCK to find
a read/write error on a HD, and I thought I was done for.  I copyied my 40Mb
disk to a directory on the 71Mb one, and found about seven areas that had an
error.

In a fit of pique, I ran a full format on the drive (without PREPping it
first), and proceeded to copy the 20Mb of junk on my 40Mb drive, to the newly
formatted 71Mb drive, into several directories, and didn't get one single
error.

Apparently, the controller card had 'forgotten' about the error blocks on my
disk (painstakingly inserted when I first prepped it), and only 'remembered'
when I did a format.

That's the only excuse I can think of.  Since then (some four months ago), it
has worked excellently. (or in a Bill and Ted fashion, if you prefer).

I *had* moved my machine, via taxi, to someones house, to show off the 68020
that I had, so I reckon that in the various bouncing vehicles, the controller
card must have come a little loose.

PRECIS: Reseat your controller card.

Hope that's of some use.

>    Brad Pepers (pepers@enme.ucalgary.ca or pepers@cpsc.ucalgary.ca)

Dac
--
 _l _  _   // Andrew Clayton. Canberra, Australia.         I Post  .
(_](_l(_ \X/  Send mail to dac@prolix.pub.uu.oz.au                . .  I am.