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From: rtc@masscomp.UUCP (Richard Carling)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: My AT is still alive.
Message-ID: <622@masscomp.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 22-Feb-85 10:31:29 EST
Article-I.D.: masscomp.622
Posted: Fri Feb 22 10:31:29 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Feb-85 20:02:53 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Masscomp - Westford, MA
Lines: 61


   This message is for the benefit of Mr. David L. Sutton, of IBM's
Marketing Sales Division whose AT never gave him any problems and
believes the disk problem on the AT's is just a big farce.

   I can't believe someone can think that just because their AT has
given them no trouble that ALL AT's are fine. Surely you jest!

   First of all, the earlier AT's were all fine, those purchased in
August, etc. It's the ones purchased in November and December ...
that have had problems. You've had yours six months.

  I purchased my AT in December (ordered it in November), when it
arrived the disk was DOA (dead on arrival). I bought it at
Computer Town in NH (just avoid them if you possibly can). They had
mixed mine up with someone elses and had forgotten to format it,
load DOS, etc. I won't go into details but basically it wouldnt
respond at all. Computertown replaced it with another. The new disk
kept showing the magical bad sectors. Took it back to computertown
and they did the unconditioned format and conditioned format, etc...
  
  Well it worked fine for about a week, then I start getting 
the CAN'T READ FROM DRIVE C: message. And then I get more and more
of them, pretty soon directories start disappearing, etc. I take it
back, they reformat again, I take it home, this happens again within a 
week and I am absolutely bullshit with IBM. So Computertown replaced the
drive AGAIN (even though it didn't match up to IBM's set of requirements
for a bad disk). So a week later I got by AT back (after a month I
had been able to use my AT less then a week!). This time the disk worked for
about two weeks before I started getting the CAN'T READ DRIVE C: message.
Hmm, OK I'll buy the advanced diagnostics and fix it myself. So, tired
of hiking over to Computertown each time (approx 50 miles), I do the
unconditioned and conditoned format myself (the DISK WAS FULL by the way).
So it's been less then a week and I have ALREADY GOTTEN MORE

      CAN'T READ FROM DRIVE C:     messages.

  So you say those disks being bad is just make believe?

Also note I have no other hardware on the system besides the
color graphics adapter.

 A number of my colleagues have also had these problems (luckily
for them, most have had better luck with service (stay away from 
ComputerTown in NH). Some disk drives can just have the unconditioned
format and run fine after that, some have to be replaced. I suppose
I should keep hassling ComputerTown until they replace it again, but
I have work I need to get done on my AT (why else pay $5700+) plus
the time it takes to back everything up (8 hours) and to takes it
back 2 or 3 times befor they believe it really is bad is time I can't
afford to spend. I estimate I have spent well over 60 HOURS of my
valuable time trying to FIX this problem and things are no better
then when I started (actually they are worse, it's hard to argue
when the disk drive doesn't respond at all).

   Until IBM wants to provide me servie DIRECTLY and REPLACE MY
DISK DRIVE, I don't want to hear about how AT disk drive problems 
are all a farce, THEY ARE NOT!

 	                          Richard Carling