Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!uafhp!mamos From: mamos@uafhp.uark.edu (Mark _E_ Amos) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.apps Subject: Re: Speed Disk on IDE Drives? Message-ID: Date: 11 May 91 20:28:18 GMT References: <12466.27bd5ecb@ecs.umass.edu> Sender: news@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu (The News Guru) Distribution: na Organization: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Lines: 35 Nntp-Posting-Host: uafhp.uark.edu daly@ecs.umass.edu (Bryon Daly, ECE dept, UMass, Amherst) writes: > >My question is about using Norton Speed Disk or similar programs on my 200 MB >IDE hard disk. From what I know of IDE disks, they use translating controllers The possible problems with this are very distinct. While I have no proof per se, I have some experiences you may analize however you like, and draw your own conclusions. In one of our labs, we have about 28 PCs with MiniScribe 40M IDE drives. We have used Norton SD 5.0 on them, and, whether by coincidence or not, about 5 or 6 of the machines have had either total HD failure or a multitude of sectors suddenly go bad. I would like to note at this point the drives have been in use about 1.5 years, with heavy use. They are also the hottest running drives I have ever encountered. On the flip side, I have a Conner 80M IDE in the machine in my office, and have used SD and the other Norton 5.0 utils on it regularly with no troubles and slight improvements in some file intensive operations after running SD. As I said, draw your own conclusions, as I have not yet drawn my own. Constructive addition to this thread would be appreciated. -- ============================================================================== Mark _E_ Amos | University of Arkansas Computer Science Engineering mamos@uafhp.uark.edu | mea1@engr.uark.edu | (emphasise the Computer Engineering please) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Man's mind, when stretched to a new idea, never goes back to its original dimension." -Oliver Wendell Holmes ==============================================================================