Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!ucsd!nosc!gandalf.nosc.mil!jordan
From: jordan@gandalf.nosc.mil (Martin C. Jordan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Disk Setup Problem
Message-ID: <787@nosc.NOSC.MIL>
Date: 13 Sep 88 18:53:12 GMT
References: <3153@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Sender: nobody@nosc.NOSC.MIL
Reply-To: jordan@gandalf.nosc.mil.UUCP (Martin C. Jordan)
Distribution: na
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
Lines: 26


	Our group has recently acquired ALR 386/220 machines.
We installed our own WD1006 controllers and hard drives and have
had no problem in getting the machines up and running.  If my
memory serves me correct, the WDFMT format routine supplied with
our units was for the ALR 66 a machine sporting a fast RLL
hard disk controller/drive combination.  If my memory serves me
correctly, standard low-level formatting sets up the hard disk 
with 17 sectors per track.  RLL gives you 50% more storage
capacity by low-level formatting the hard drive to 26 sectors
per track.  If your hard disk controller is NOT an RLL-type
controller, the supplied WDFMT program may be forcing it to do
things to the disk for which it was never intended.  I have had
1st-hand experience with strange controller/drive problems.
	My advice would be to get a copy of IBM's Advanced 
Diagnostics for the AT or DISKMANAGER by ONTRACK and use one or
the other for low-level formatting of your hard disk.  I have
found DISKMANAGER to be extremely versatile but not quite as 
easy to use as IBM's Advanced Diagnostics.  I hope this is of
some value to you.  Keep me posted of your success!

			
					Service to you,

					Martin Jordan
					jordan@nosc