Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!dptg!ulysses!ucbvax!CEBAFVAX.BITNET!RJOHNSON
From: RJOHNSON@CEBAFVAX.BITNET
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Megaproblems question
Message-ID: <9002220808.AA28345@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 21 Feb 90 22:32:00 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 41




     My question is concerning problems I have been having with a
Megafile 30. My system is a Mega-4, Megafile 30, and an SC1224 monitor. My
problem is that on an intermittent basis my system simply decides not to boot
off the hard disk. The process goes something like this.

        a) The system boots with the standard messages and everything in
           my AUTO file executes perfectly.

        b) The screen flashes a colorful pattern and then restarts the boot
           process. GOTO a)

     What seems to cure the problem temporarily is for me to reformat the
hard disk and reinstall my files. It will then run fine for a couple of months
with a gradual deterioration until once again I can't get it to boot at all.
Note: Even when this is at it's worst, I can still get the system up by booting
off the Atari Hard Disk Utilities Disk, and running AHDI. My drive then
functions perfectly until I turn the system off. My guesses as to possible
sources of the problem at this point are:

        a) The gradual fragmentation of files on the disk over time somehow
           creates my problem (perhaps somehow corrupting the boot sector).

        b) A virus. ( I unfortunately don't have any virus finder software. )
           If someone could send me a binary of vkiller it would be appreciated.

        c) Some undocumented feature of my Mega relating to desk accessories.
           I think this is possible, because I have found that the problem
           SEEMS to be affected by whether I have and even or odd number of
           desk accessories installed. ( I have tried it with no desk
           accessories and I still have the problem, but is 0 even or odd? )

     Someone HELP! PLEASE!!!

"Certain it is and sure,     BITNET:   RJOHNSON@CEBAFVAX
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