🚀 go-pugleaf

Folks:

As it would seem many people, including myself, are having problems with
the FDHD, does anyone care to try to charactarize the problem? 

-->  I have a Sept '89 purchased Mac SE/20 1MB FDHD that chokes on 1.4's 
only occasionally; however, since my main use of the floppy drive is 
backing up 16 megs of data, this is a big problem.  The last time I 
went to back up, HFS Backup 2.02 told me my first two backup disks
(of 13) were bad.  Attempts to format them under HFS Backup or the 
finder invariably ended with an "Initialization Failed" dialog.


Aside1:  In Early 1990 Apple released the "Apple 800k Eject INIT" for 
pre- 6.0.4 systems, and incorporated the drive head positioning code in
releases 6.0.4 and .5.  Since a majority of "new" Macs (compacts & fx,
not to mention the SE/30) have FDHD's, could 800k INIT be interfering 
with the operation of the FDHD driver ?  How many of you having
problems use the INIT OR are using systems >= 6.0.4 ?

Aside2:  Since HD disks have been around for quite a while, it would 
appear that they are probably not to blame. (Are any IBM-heads screaming
about losing data ?)  Bad batches?  The fact that it happens with all
brands (I've read on the Net about Sony, Maxell, TDK, and 3M) so the
odds are against the bad run of disks theory. ( Although an EMP 
would do it! )

Aside3:  Could this be the 1st non-benign Mac Virus? Escaping detection
from Disinfectant 1.7/1.8 would be clever, but certainly not impossible.
My guess would be that the system file itself is infected, since most 
applications call its routines for formatting diskettes. Anyone tried 
a total rebuild from original LOCKED disks ?  I haven't, because I can't 
trust my backup set.  Those of you with a net & a big fileserver...(no,
this a bad idea, as the server could be infected).  The virus may ride
apps, jumping out just to infect the system, unknown to gatekeeper or 
vaccine.

<I'm running 6.0.3/6.1 with Moire, Superclock, 800k Eject, Backdrop 2.16,
Vaccine, GateKeeper Aid INITs.  1.5 dozen fonts in the popular sizes. 
DA's include the normal Apple stuff, plus Expressionist and MicroEditor.>

Has anyone running the Gatekeeper/GateKeeper Aid combo or SAM had these
problems with the FDHD?

Please attempt to reply direct to me (of course I'll summarize for the
Net), as my Mail feed thru Fido is shaky.  If not put it out for the 
rest of the world (incl Apple) to see and comment.

                                        Jim Sandoz

--  
Jim Sandoz via cmhGate - Net 226 fido<=>uucp gateway Col, OH
UUCP: ...!osu-cis!n8emr!cmhgate!107!412!Jim.Sandoz
INET: Jim.Sandoz@f412.n107.z1.FIDONET.ORG