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From: jesup@cbmvax.UUCP (Randell Jesup)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Strange FORMAT problem with A2090A SCSI
Keywords: help!
Message-ID: <6714@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 29 Apr 89 07:55:11 GMT
References: <1289@esunix.UUCP>
Reply-To: jesup@cbmvax.UUCP (Randell Jesup)
Distribution: na
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 31

In article <1289@esunix.UUCP> blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) writes:
>I've just added a SCSI drive (CDC Wren III, 155 meg) to my A2000/A2090A/
>KS+WB 1.3/ASDG 2MI system. I've been using an ST506 drive for months
>without any problems, but I've just hit a strange problem with
>formatting the SCSI drive.
>
>Format drive FH0: name Big0 FFS

	First, you say CD0: in your mountlist.  Second, FFS isn't
needed.

>displays the message "Formatting cyl 4, 259 to go" and then terminates.
>(No error message is displayed, and WHY has nothing useful to say.)
>I've tried every trick I can think of, including (GASP!) a stone stock
>1.3 WB disk, but I always get the same results. In desperation, I tried
>adding the "quick" keyword to the command above, and it worked! 

	Could be it couldn't get enough contiguous chip memory to pass for
the verify option (9 * 36 * 512 bytes = 162K contiguous chip mem).  Format
currently requires chip mem even if it isn't needed.

>Do I need to do a full format, since the quick format seemed to do the
>trick? Am I missing possible bad blocks by using the quick option? I'd
>much rather spend hours formatting and get the bad blocks mapped out
>than run into trouble later.

	No, the Wren should have mapped out bad blocks for you.  Quick is
usually fine with SCSI drives.

-- 
Randell Jesup, Commodore Engineering {uunet|rutgers|allegra}!cbmvax!jesup