Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!well!cassiel
From: cassiel@well.sf.ca.us (Paul Theodoropoulos)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Bizarre problems with the new Maxtor 120M SCSI drive
Message-ID: <25635@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: 24 Jun 91 05:15:32 GMT
References: <25594@well.sf.ca.us> <1991Jun22.163456.9218@comspec.uucp>
Distribution: comp
Lines: 53

darrell@comspec.uucp (Darrell Grainger) writes:

 > Something to look into might be a problem with the external SCSI port on
>the Amiga 3000. It has been quite a while since I heard about it but I
>vaguely remember some of the very first A3000s having a problem with the 
>external SCSI port. Maybe you have one of the very first A3000. I think it
>was something as simple as a diode backwards.

I failed to note that i am setting this up internally, using the 50 pin ribbon
cable. stupid error on my part - that's the problem with trying to get a
serious hardware problem figured out via a text description.

i've tried setting it up as the only harddrive in the system, and as the
second (of two) in the system. neither way works (of course i terminate only
the last drive in the daisy chain). 

if i try formatting it with the amigados format command - e.g.:

format drive mdh0: name maxtor0 ffs noicons

(without the 'quick' option), the format will lock up after anywhere from
14 cylinders to 130 cylinders formatted and verified (by "lock up" i mean
that the harddrive light locks on, the pointer locks up, everything. i have
to reboot.) if i format using the 'quick' option, it seems to work, and
_info_ will report back a valid amigados drive. i can copy files and
directories to it, but if i try to run a program (i.e. click on the icon),
 i'll get a requestor stating "cannot open tool xxxx", or, the machine will
lock up and i'll have to reboot.
another oddity is that if i use HDToolBox, and simply repartition the drive,
after rebooting, the icon for the drive will come up titled with odd 
characters after the device name (one's that i can't recreate with this
terminal program), like MDH0: followed by four 'u's with umlauts.

i've used the following programs in various attempts to solve this problem:

HDToolBox V2.0
Format (amigados)
Bformat 
Validate 
DiskSalv V1.42 
FixDisk V1.2
Quarterback Tools V1.5
Sectorama

i think the most telling info i've gotten back so far is when using
Quarterback Tools, i select "show volume space fragmentation" and it
reports back "disk error reading bitmap". unfortunately, though qbtools
tries to fix the problem (root block corrupt - reformat volume), it 
does not do so successfully. i reformat and have the same problems.

my brain is starting to hurt....!   

paul theodoropoulos              cassiel@well.sf.ca.us