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From: Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET (Z4648252)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: HARD DRIVE WOES
Message-ID: <900103.10572140.037876@SFA.CP6>
Date: 3 Jan 90 16:57:23 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 52

Enartloc Nhoj writes of drive problems, Howard Johnson offers some
wise advise:

> Symptoms:  Occasionally... and sometimes frequently,
>            my Quantum drive slows down and then comes
>            back up.  When it slows i obviously can't
>            read or write to the drive.
>
>So the problem is not intermittent...  Therefore, it will be hard to
>isolate it and make if fail for a technician.  Anybody out there
>ever have similar problems?

      Howard Johnson responds:


>My guess is that the ability to read is failing on your servo track.
>This surface is used to control speed and bit rate.
>BACK UP YOUR DRIVE!  IT WILL SOON BE DEAD!

    One suggestion from my own "Dumb Larry Experience" is to go ahead
and FIRST try some maintenance before attempting any backups!!!  In
my own use of some brain dead equipment, or at least retarded, is that
if a drive fails when you attempt a backup, then you will, in most
and all probabilities, loose that file along with others--missing
clusters, and all of that good stuff.
    Do some hardware maintenance:  cleaning and possible connector
replacement first.
    Try this..  Remove your case top.  Get some tuner cleaner and
clean the connectors going to the hard drive mechanism from the
power supply.  Clean them exceptionally well.  I've found that
some connectors are only using aluminum material which will oxidize
in some climates.  These are particularly bad in my area where we
have problems with salty air from the Gulf of Mexico.
    I had to dress my connectors twice a year on my hard drive.  I
finally replaced them with automobile electrical connectors (these
are made of brass, I think), and have yet to have any problems.
    For a test, just snip off the connectors, connect the wires and
solder them via a pigtail fashion.  See if your drive works.  Obviously,
try the cleaning before you go to this step since this step might be
unnecessary (disadvantage of composing on-line--rambling!).  If cleaning
solves the problem, then I'd replace the connectors with the
automobile electrical connectors.  Anyway, I think you see my point.
    Note that with all of your failures, you will probably have
some corrupted files anyway.  First, though, try to address the
slowing down problem by dressing your connectors.  See if the
connector maintenance stops that.  If so, then, do as Howard says,
back up what you have.  Then do a drive check via TuneUp or any of
the other hard drive utility optimizer programs.
    Again, I think your connectors from your hard drive's power
supply are the problem.  Sorry about the rambling..

Larry Rymal:  |East Texas Atari 68NNNers| <Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET>