Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!gatech!prism!russ
From: russ@prism.gatech.EDU (Russell Shackelford)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: MYSTERIOUS hard disk problem!
Keywords: supernatural forces in a ST-251
Message-ID: <767@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Date: 6 Jun 89 18:56:05 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 31

have a ST-251, formatted w/ ontrack to be a 9mb & a 33mb

works just fine MOST of the time, but occasionally DISAPPEARS. when
this happens, i get a hard disk error message.

ontrack diag's say to check the controller, cables, jumpers, etc.
NONE of these are the problem, as the problem persists with EACH
of those examined, swapped, etc.  just moved it to a new machine and the
problem persists.... so the problem seems pretty clearly to reside in the
drive itself...

SOMETIMES it seems that fooling with the cables makes a difference, i.e., it
magically works....

OTHER TIMES this does no good, but leaving it alone and distracting MYSELF
by thinking about something else for an hour or so seems to work, i.e., the
damn thing starts working again for NO APPARENT REASON...

The thing will work ok for months at a time, and will then flake... and
the problem ONLY OCCURS with a boot, i.e., if I just leave the machine ON
all the time, everything is hunky dory... but if the power goes out I
never know if it's gonna reboot ok or not....

Does this make ANY SENSE to ANYBODY ?? !! ?? !!!


-- 
Russell Shackelford
School of Information and Computer Science
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332
russ@prism.gatech.edu         (404) 834-4759