Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!agate!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpcvlx!carl
From: carl@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Carl Thomsen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: about Seagates...
Message-ID: <101000040@hpcvlx.HP.COM>
Date: 9 Feb 89 20:21:30 GMT
References: <6135@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA
Lines: 19

/ hpcvlx:comp.sys.ibm.pc / samc@hpccc.HP.COM (Samuel Chau) /  3:50 pm  Feb  8, 1989 /

>Watch out for some of the older full-height Seagates, though.  I've seen
>several ST-4051 units that refused to spin up when power is applied, unless
>they are given some quick jerks to move the platters off their "dead-spot".
>And who knows what kind of damage the surfaces might sustain with this kind
>of "abuse"!

I've seen this same problem with nearly every ST-4051 we have in this area.
Leaving the drive on for long periods of time (i.e. overnight) seemed to 
increase the likelihood that the drive would freeze at the next power cycle.
Perhaps a better but move involved "un-freeze" method is to remove the
bottom controller board of the drive.  With the controller board off, the
bottom of the motor spindle can be manually rotated to un-freeze the drive.
This patch has always worked for me although a couple of times it had to be
applied twice.

Carl Thomsen
carl@hp-pcd.HP.COM