🚀 go-pugleaf

WARNING: This is a LONG message about my probs with a Micropolis 1674-7
         hard disk.
Some of you may remember my earlier complaints about UPS.  I ordered a
drive from Cache Systems, CA.  by UPS Same Day Service.  I received it 10
days later, damaged.  The shipper sent me a second drive, that was lost by
UPS Sana Cruz.  The shipper sent me a third drive, which UPS also cannot
find.  I am realy not sure what to do.  I am wondering what consumer groups
I might contact.  I live in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, so that makes
dealing with UPS and this company a bit dificult.  It has already been over
a month since the first drive was sent (Aug 8).

I am not sure what is wrong with the drive.  Here are the details:
Amiga 1000
Insider 1 Meg RAM
C-LTD SCSI 1000 Controller
Micropolis SCSI 1674-7 150 Meg drive, with case and pwr by Cache Systems.
Drive device indicator at 0
1 SCSI terminator on second drive SCSI connector, SCSI cable to controller on
first connector.

/*- DevSetup generated by CLtd's MLed, by Steve Tibbett -*/
 Device CLtd.device
  Define Handler SCSI.Handler
  Load   Handler SCSI.Handler
  Define Driver HardDisk.driver
  Load   Driver HardDisk.driver

  Initialize Handler 100
    HandlerCode SCSI.Handler
    TaskName SCSI_Bus_1
    TaskPriority 15
    StackSize 250
    HostAddress 7
  ExitInit


  Initialize Unit 1000
    DriverCode HardDisk.driver
    HandlerNumber 100
    TaskName Unit_1000
    TaskPriority 12
    StackSize 250
    AutoRetries 4
    BufferSize 8
    UnitAddress 0
    Unit_LUN 0
    Flags BlockRead
    Flags AdaptiveBuffer
  ExitInit
 Exit


/*- Mountlist generated by MLed by Steve Tibbett -*/
 DH0:   Device = CLtd.device
   FileSystem = L:Fastfilesystem
   DosType = 0x444F5301
   Unit = 1000
   StackSize = 4000
   Surfaces = 7
   Flags = 0
   BlocksPerTrack = 36
   Reserved = 2
   Interleave = 0
   LowCyl = 0
   HighCyl = 1245
   Buffers = 5
   GlobVec = -1
   BufMemType = 0
#

***** I would realy appreciate the correct specs for this hard disk!  *****

The SCSI INQUIRE gives me 305216 blocks, where as above we would get 7x36x1245=
313740.  So I figure the specs they gave me are obviously wrong.  At any
rate, I have tried values from 26 to 54 from the blocks per track, and I
have tried small partitions all over the the drive with no luck.  It always
stops at cyl 0, or soon after, during the AmigaDOS format.

The FEdX formatter does not work.  It does an "Initial Format" and stops
with a "Unit Select Failure"

The GenFormat ...  universal format program, runs and finishes with no
messages, no errors.

Then I tried to do an AmigaDOS format.  "system/format drive dh0:  name
test ffs" It got to cyl 160 or there abouts, and then quit.  I tired a
gain, and it got to cyl 20 and quit.  I tried again, and it quit at cyl 2.
I tried again, it reached 6, I tried again, it made it to 50.  You get the
picture.  I re-ran gen-format several times.  Then I tried an AmigaDOS
format, and it quit on cyl 0, several times.

I talked to a tech at C-LTD and he said the drive must be trashed, and
maybe a head was ditched.

I talked to Cache Systems, and they acted like I was nuts.  After I phoned
them several times they sent me the second drive (or so they tell me).

I then tried the drive at a friends place:

Amiga 1000
Comspec SA controller for Amiga 1000
My hard disk
NO SCSI terminator used.

He set the specs to be 7 heads, 35 tracks, 1245 cyls.  (notice the only
change was to 35 from 36 tracks).

He did a low level format.  While doing a disk test, he got the error "SET
A FAILURE" or some such thing.  He went on to do an Amiga DOS format.  It
stoped at cyl 160.  Whe moved the mountlist partition 200 cyls ahead.  Then
the format (FFS) completed to cyl 1245.

We tried to format the 0 to 200 cyl partition again, for OldFileSystem.  It
bombed at 160 again.  We moved the partition end down to 140.  Whe tried to
format it again and it bombed at cyl 114.

We gave up.

Can anyone tell me what is going on here for sure?  Can anyone tell whether
it is the drive, the controller, or BOTH that are at fault?

Please respond directly, via E-mail, if you can.   Thanks in Advance


|============================================================================|
|     "The man who dropped a 3270 terminal on his foot...                    |
|                                                                            |
|        ... and lived to tell about it..."                                  |
|                                                                            |
| DENNIS GORRIE (GORRIEDE AT UREGINA1.BITNET)                                |
|============================================================================|