Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wuarchive!ukma!dftsrv!heawk1!hoepfner From: hoepfner@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov (Patrick Hoepfner) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: weird HD crash Message-ID: Date: 23 Apr 91 13:16:30 GMT References: <1991Apr19.060827.28900@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> Sender: news@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov Distribution: usa Lines: 33 pss4@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Paul S Shannon) writes: >Hi, I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what might have happened. >Early this week, I turned on my SE/30 after it's been sitting idle >for a few days, and the machine couldn't find the HD (40MB internal). >When I booted up from another system disk, and tried to reinitialize >the HD, the program to do this couldn't find the SCSI port. ^^^^ >----------------> I think that you mean the SCSI device. >I panic, sort of, and call one of my friends at a computer store, >but before she got back to me, I tried turning it on once again (this >would be the 5th time or so after the 1st failure), and VOILA it boots >up perfectly. Everything is still there, and it's worked perfectly >since then. I think that you have the infamous sticking drive problem! Apple has a somewhat questionable fix for this. This problem is caused by lubricant in the drive which doesn't lubricate well. This is a real problem if the drive sits for a long period of time unused (long time = several days). This happened here and taking a rubber mallot to it sometimes helps BUT THIS IS *NOT* RECOMMENDED. You can also twist the Mac (or remove the drive and twist it) in a somewhat violent motion in the direction that the drive spins. This was enough to unstick a drive here. And remember. This is a VERY good time to do backups!!! hoepfner@heasfs.gsfc.nasa.gov NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center