Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!bronze!silver!streib
From: streib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Allan Streib)
Subject: floppy disk initialization problems
Message-ID: <1991Apr16.083032.22987@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu>
Sender: news@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 91 08:30:32 GMT
Lines: 48

Whenever I attempt to initialize a floppy disk, either from the
Workspace or from the command level, it fails.  Here is an example:

localhost# disk -i /dev/rfd0a
Formatting disk /dev/rfd0a: 
    blocksize   = 0x200
    density     = 720 KBytes
    gap3 length = 84(d)
........................................................
...read : rawio.status = 8(d)
Sony MPX-111N 1440: unknown disk name

In the /usr/adm/messages log, I find:

Apr 16 02:49:59 localhost mach: fd: DISK UNFORMATTED
Apr 16 02:51:19 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: RETRY
Apr 16 02:51:19 localhost last message repeated 2 times
Apr 16 02:51:19 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: RECALIBRATE
Apr 16 02:51:21 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: RETRY
Apr 16 02:51:21 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: RETRY
Apr 16 02:51:21 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: RECALIBRATE
Apr 16 02:51:22 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: RETRY
Apr 16 02:51:22 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: RETRY
Apr 16 02:51:22 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: RECALIBRATE
Apr 16 02:51:22 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: RETRY
Apr 16 02:51:22 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: RETRY
Apr 16 02:51:23 localhost mach: fd0: Sector 1025(d) cmd = Read; Data
CRC Error: FATAL

This happens with every disk I try.  Any suggestions?  I would suspect
bad disks, but I got similar results on ten different disks, and they
were 'name brand' disks: TDK, BASF, and Toshiba (the new 2.88 that
came with my station :-( )

-Allan