From: lucio@phyrql.ALT.ZA (Lucio de Re)
Subject: 3b2 alternative disk drive
Organization: MegaByte - Digital Telecommunications
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 15:07:51 GMT

There has to be a catch! I tried unsuccessfully to install an
ST-4096 in my recently acquired 3b2; I then tried some oddball
10MByte disk with exactly the same results.

What follows is a record of this later trial (tribulation?)
---------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> SELF-CHECK
> 
> FW ERROR 1-02:  DISK SANITY FAILURE
>                 EXECUTION HALTED
> 
> SYSTEM FAILURE: CONSULT YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION UTILITIES GUIDE
> 
> 
> Enter name of program to execute [  ]: devtools
> 	Possible load devices are:
> 
> Option Number    Slot     Name
> ---------------------------------------
>        0          0     FD5       
>        1          1               
> 
> Enter Load Device Option Number [0 (FD5)]: 0
> DEVTOOLS BOOT
> 
> 
> 09/11/84
> ---------------------   CRC MODE   ---------------------
> 
>             Floppy formatter - type formflop
>               Hard formatter - type formhard
> Disk to disk copy high speed - type ddhs
>  Disk to disk copy by sector - type dd
>           Disk <--> mem copy - type d-m
>         Defect table builder - type defect
>           Write sanity track - type fixdisk
>   Duplicate utilities floppy - type duf
>         Change boot defaults - type chgboot
>                         Quit - type q
> 
> Command? formhard
> Format which disk [0 or 1] (0) ? 0
> Disk 0 unable to read phys info
> 
> GETPHYS: Could not read phys info on disk 0
> 
> FORMHARD: Could not read physical info on disk 0
> 
> Assuming default values for physical info
> 
> A list of current config and defect table values will be printed.
> To keep the current value, enter <return>, to change, type the new value.
> 
> Current config table values:
>            Drive Id:    2 - ? 2
>    Number cylinders:  306 - ? 306
>     Number tracks/cyl:  4 - ? 4
>  Number sectors/track: 18 - ? 18
> Number bytes/sector:  512 - ? 512
> 
> The following items finish describing the disk.
> They correspond to the sizing information just entered.
> 
>      Logical start of disk: 72
> Backup defect map location: 1
>     Backup defect map size: 512
>        Defect map location: 2
>            Defect map size: 512
>         Error log location: 71
>             Error log size: 512
> Number of relocation areas: 1
>      Relocation area start: 3
>       Relocation area size: 68
> 
> Disk 0 unable to read map sector 0
> defect map unreadable
> 
> GETMFG: Could not read backup map on disk 0
> back-up defect table unreadable
> 
> The back-up defect table is placed on KS-spec disks by the disk
> manufacturer.  If this disk is a KS-spec disk, the table should be present
> and left untouched by devtools.  If the table is not present (Whether
> destroyed on a KS-spec disk or the disk is pre-KS) the back-up defect table
> can be modified as defects are newly entered or edited below.
> 
> Modify back-up defect table? [yes or no] (no) yes
> 
> WARNING: Manual reconstructing of defect map REQUIRED
> 
> Current defects are:
> 
>             BACKUP          |       MAPPED
>       cyl head  byte length |   bad        good
> ----------------------------|--------------------
> 
> Next relocation sector is 0
> 
> 
> Enter type of defect byte count, [bc or bc/48] (bc) ? bc
> 
> Enter defective sectors one per line, as cylinder head bytecount length.
> Defect length defaults to 1 if not entered!
> End with 'q', restart with 'new'
> bad sector = ? q
> 
> Current defects are:
> 
>             BACKUP          |       MAPPED
>       cyl head  byte length |   bad        good
> ----------------------------|--------------------
> 
> Next relocation sector is 3
> 
> 
> Type 'new' to enter ALL defects,
>      'edit' to modify current defects,
>       <cr> to keep current list: 
> Next relocation sector is 3
> 
> 
> Cylinders Formatted: 
>  0wwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
> FORMHARD: Format Write of track 0 of cylinder 0 failed
> 
> FORMHARD: Could not format disk
> 
------------------------------------------------------------------

Note that only one position of the drive select jumpers
produced the 'wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww' string shown above. I take
this to indicate that at least part of the selection was
correct, but I would greatly appreciate it if somebody could
point me in the correct direction.

The ST-4096 I know works: after subjecting it to this type of
punishment, I reinstalled it in the PC it originally came from
and - surprise, surprise - it still booted.

It is noteworthy that I have had no difficulty reformatting
(unnecessarily) the built-in 30Mbyte drive (I did guess its
size wrong, so now I need a backup drive to fix things up).

I'm totally lost (I normally know my way around obscure
hardware, but this is definitely out of my range!).

-- 
Lucio de Re
- lucio@phyrql.ALT.ZA --- ...!{frcs,olsa99,undeed}!proxima!phyrql!lucio -
La politica l'e` come la merda: pi' che te la toca e pi' la spusa.
----------------------------------------------------------- (Cecchelin) -
-- 
Lucio de Re
- lucio@phyrql.ALT.ZA --- ...!{frcs,olsa99,undeed}!proxima!phyrql!lucio -
La politica l'e` come la merda: pi' che te la toca e pi' la spusa.
----------------------------------------------------------- (Cecchelin) -