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From: rjung@sal13.usc.edu (Robert  allen Jung)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: SpartaDOS X bug found
Message-ID: <1834@nunki.usc.edu>
Date: 4 Nov 88 16:06:39 GMT
Sender: news@nunki.usc.edu
Reply-To: rjung@sal13.usc.edu (Robert  allen Jung)
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 51


  Since SpartaDOS X is one of the newer (and more exciting) products to come
out for the Atari 8-bit in a while, I feel this warning is appropriate:

  Some background: My friend and I have gotten a new 20 megabyte hard drive.
We plan to use it in a new (rewritten) bulletin-board system. Since DOS 2.0
and most compatables were not made to handle heavy storage, we decided to
switch to SpartaDOS 3.2. Fine and danday, lots of late-night weekend
programming sessions.

  SpartaDOS X: We went to the Glendale Atari Faire v.3, saw the new ICD
SpartaDOS X cartridge, and bought it. We went bananas over the extra RAM, the
increased directory capabilities, the built-in ARC, and other fun stuff.
We switched from SpartaDOS 3.2 to SpartaDOS X with no efforts.

  The bug: After a week of using the hard drive with SpartaDOS X, read/write
errors would be generated. Any attempts to read or write would generate a
"Device done" error, and the only way to get anything done was to rebuild the
directory of the partition and drag out the backups. Needless to say,
weekly (or even daily -- It appears to be based on the number of disk
operations) backups is not a lot of fun.

  The solution: After a few cross-country phone calls, the hard drive
distributor suggested switching back to SpartaDOS 3.2. "If the hardware was at
fault, you wouldn't have been able to format/partition in the first place".
So, we went back to SpartaDOS 3.2, moved the backups over, and -- surprise!
Everything works (at least, so far -- I'll check the system tonight).

  Sorry for the long details, but the message seems to be clear:
	*** SPARTADOS X can and WILL cause problems with hard drives ***

  Now the questions are:

1. Does ICD know about this? The product is excellent in every other way, but
    this is a _really_ nasty bug...

2. Is this bug only in the "prelimiary" versions? If so, then why did me and
    my pal, and every other SpartaDOS X owner on the .net, pay money for the
    product?

3. Does ICD care?

						--R.J.
						B-)

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  Disclaimer: These are my views, and mine alone.
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