Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!uupsi!rodan!amichiel
From: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Hard Drive problem...
Message-ID: <2262@rodan.acs.syr.edu>
Date: 27 Feb 90 18:13:03 GMT
References: <1704@lakesys.lakesys.com> <3654@plains.UUCP> <2928@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov>
Reply-To: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen)
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Lines: 35

In article <2928@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> kaleb@mars.UUCP (Kaleb Keithley) writes:
>In article <3654@plains.UUCP> coffman@plains.UUCP (Clark Coffman) writes:
>>In article <1704@lakesys.lakesys.com> tim@lakesys.lakesys.com (Timothy Winslow) writes:
>>[ I have 2 drives.  Seagate, Cogito.  the Seagate as drive C,
>>[ a Western Digital WD1002A-WX1
>>[ When turning on.. NEVER recognizes D.  I reset
>>[ and it recognizes it,
>
>>the first one I've seen with the same problem. I've got two 20 meg drives
>>and occassionally the second one doen't come up, I've switched the drives
>>around but no go. 
>
>but 135-150 watts is just not enough for two drives, floppy, color card,
>and any extended/expanded memory you might have.
>
>

   I strongly suspect that the problem should be the time required for the
drives to spin up. Whenever D isn't ready when C it, this controller will
refuse to ident D.  Software that causes a controller reset may be possible...
If the problem is occassionally, as in the second post, I suspect the problem
is the variation in the amount of time required to spin up the drives.  Then
I would try using a park program before shutting down to see IF that affects
the pattern (i.e. makes one always slower).
   As for the Power supply not being big enough, open the case & measure the
voltage levels from a cold start.  The evidence in this case should be very
clear by watching the meter.
   As for 135 watts not being big enough,  I better go tell that to the 6 PC's
I have with antique 65watt supplies that run 24 hrs a day, have 2 floppies,
2 hard disks, ega's, a 80386 inboard 386 with the 80387 & 5 MB's ram, & 
2 serial, 2 par, clock, ieee 488 interfaces, etc.  I had only hoped these would
last long enough for the new 135 watt power supplies to be delivered, but have
long out done themselves at over a year now & not a problem.

al