Xref: utzoo comp.periphs:892 comp.sys.ibm.pc:14634 Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!apr!las From: las@apr.UUCP (Larry Shurr) Newsgroups: comp.periphs,comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: hard drive powerup problems Message-ID: <425@apr.UUCP> Date: 19 Apr 88 18:50:34 GMT References: <839@spdcc.COM> <1142@csuna.UUCP> Reply-To: las@apr.UUCP (Larry Shurr) Organization: APR, Columbus, OH Lines: 41 In article <1142@csuna.UUCP> abcscnge@csuna.UUCP (Scott "The Pseudo Hacker" Neugroschl) writes: >In article <839@spdcc.COM> dyer@spdcc.UUCP (Steve Dyer) writes: >>I've got a Priam 60mb disk which is behaving a little strangely these days >>upon power-up. Ordinarily, several seconds after turning the power on, >>I hear a characteristic "boing" which I assume is the heads retracting, >>the BIOS self-test succeeds, and my system boots. >My parents have a similar problem on an generic XT clone at home... >I know that 1701 is a HD error, but what exactly does it signify? >Incidentally, my parents have the (I think good) habit of parking the >disk before powering down. I speculate that the BIOS may not be waiting long enough for the initial recalibrate operation to complete before attempting to boot. These small disks have "open-loop" positioning in which the hardware and software can't tell where the heads are over the disk surface unless they are over track (or cylinder if you prefer) 0 where a 'track zero sensor' is activated which gives us a signal we can read on the interface. To know where the heads are, we must keep track after issuing a recalibrate command to get the heads safely to zero. The recalibrate works by stepping the head slowly towards the outer edge until track zero is reached. This is done slowly so that the head assembly and carriage will not ram the stop which keeps them from moving off the working surface of the drive platters, which might otherwise cause mechanical damage to the drive. Since your parents routinely park the heads, they are also maximizing the recal time. Rigging up a reset switch and/or getting a revised BIOS which allows more time for the recal would be a good idea as using the big red switch (I assume you mean powering down and then back up) is negating anything gained by parking the heads in the first place - they might as well not park the heads except when moving the machine as it stands right now. regards, Larry -- Who: Larry A. Shurr (cbosgd!osu-cis!apr!las or try {cbosgd,ihnp4}!cbcp1!las) What: "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about." Where: _The Portrait of Dorian Gray_ - Oscar Wilde (thanks Glenn) Disclaimer: The above is not necessarily the opinion of APR or any APR client.