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From: wtm@uhura.neoucom.EDU (Bill Mayhew)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Dec Drive Mystery
Keywords: RD53 DEC DRIVE CE-track
Message-ID: <1991Mar31.152342.15673@uhura.neoucom.EDU>
Date: 31 Mar 91 15:23:42 GMT
References: <140@w2xo.pgh.pa.us>
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 29

I am not familiar with RD53s, but DEC may use the same approach as
IBM in crippling 3rd party efforts to selling generic disk drives.
IBM uses the highest numbered track on the drive to hold signature
information which is recorded before the drive ships.  IBM's
installation software looks for the information and pukes if the
information is not there.

I found this out when I bought a Priam 330 megabyte ESDI drive for
a PS/2 mod 80, used it there, then used it for a while with a
WD-1007V/SE2 controller in a generic ISA machine.  After moving the
drive back to the PS/2, the PS/2 would no longer  recognize the drive
any more because I had inadvertently wiped out the signature info.
Rather annoying to say the least.

One way to fake out a DEC controller might be to take a good RD53,
install it in an IBM clone, and examine the highest numbered track
on the drive to see if there is any interesting info there.  Provided
DEC uses the customary 17 sectors/track, a one might be able to use
a PC utility program to move the information over to a new drive of
the same type as the RD53.

Bill


-- 
Bill Mayhew      NEOUCOM Computer Services Department
Rootstown, OH  44272-9995  USA    phone: 216-325-2511
wtm@uhura.neoucom.edu   ....!uunet!aablue!neoucom!wtm
via internet: (140.220.001.001)