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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!ut-sally!pyramid!cti!eric
From: eric@cti.UUCP (Eric Black)
Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga
Subject: Re: My external drive sings.
Message-ID: <373@cti.cti.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 1-Nov-86 17:29:05 EST
Article-I.D.: cti.373
Posted: Sat Nov  1 17:29:05 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 3-Nov-86 21:57:05 EST
References: <12123@watnot.UUCP>
Reply-To: eric@cti.UUCP (Eric Black)
Distribution: net
Organization: Cornerstone Technology, Inc.
Lines: 32
Summary: Probably the floppies, not the drive

In article <12123@watnot.UUCP> cjhoward@watnot.UUCP (Caleb J. Howard) writes:
>   Ummm... My external drive has taken to emitting a very high pitched
>squeal periodically.  I just bought a batch of black disks that seem
>to be defunct three times out of ten, so it might be just the disks
>making the noise.
> [...]
>   I don't know about these disks.  They're black, they come in white
>unmarked celophane wrapped boxes of ten without labels.  The guy I bought
>them from was a bit of a sleaze, [...]

I've experienced exactly this sort of high-pitched singing sound, not
unlike the sound you can get running a moistened finger around the rim
of a glass.  It has ONLY happened with disks that have a "cheaper feel"
to them (nearly always black, in view of other current discussion...).
These disks have plastic sleeves that are much thinner and lighter
than the blue Sony disks I always use myself.  Interestingly enough, the
only black disks (hence the only singing disks) I have are the 1.2 beta
release disks I receive from C-A!  Since the first thing I do with those
disks is copy them to working copies, I don't worry an awful lot.

In answer to your questions, then, I believe the problem is in the
disks themselves, and not in the drives.  As you said, their source
was a bit of a sleaze...

>Should I sacrifice a goat under a new moon?  

Perhaps.  I usually find, however, that sacrificing a slow left-lane driver
at a full moon works better  (1/2 :-)...  [see net.auto to understand]

-- 
Eric Black   "Garbage In, Gospel Out"
UUCP:        {sun,pyramid,hplabs,amdcad}!cti!eric