Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!toddpw
From: toddpw@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: RamFAST problems
Message-ID: <1991Feb16.020223.7242@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 16 Feb 91 02:02:23 GMT
References: <91046.133512TS8RBOTW@MIAMIU.BITNET>
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Lines: 31

TS8RBOTW@MIAMIU.BITNET (Radagast) writes:

>1. Every once in a while, the configuration data file turns up missing.  This
>happens like once every 4 or 5 boots.  The only thing I do inbetween HD boots
>is to go into the Control Panel and change the boot slot from 7 to 5 (when

Haven't the faintest idea what the problem is. I had mine in slot six for a
while and never had that problem the few times I changed the startup slot to
5. (I kept it at Scan when I wanted the hard drive.) Now I have the RAMFast in
slot 1 and I keep it in Scan all the time.

>2. Why is it that, if I'm using the HD and I want to turn it off, reboot, and
>run from floppies, I HAVE to turn the cpu completely off?

Yes, you do. The RAMfast is a self-contained microcomputer dedicated to
managing the disk and the cache and the DMA interface. It scans the bus when it
is turned on and uses the same list until power goes off. RESET does not clear
the list because it'd be annoying if it had to scan the bus every time you
hit a normal reset (suppose you're debugging or something, and are rebooting
often) -- and there's no clean way to determine ctrl-OA-reset or stuff like
that from the slots.

LEAVE YOUR DRIVE ON. Frequent power ups and downs are in fact more wearing
to the hard drive (and the computer, incidentally, if you have an adequate
cooling system).

If you are really worried about your electric bill the go ahead, but you
are doing your hard drive a disservice by spinning it up and down frequently.

Todd Whitesel
toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu