Re: Confirmation of Focus drive problem and request for ROM 03 GS owners with RAM expanders

["Rodney Hester" <rod3@mindspring.com>]

"Rodney Hester" <rod3@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:9g1olu$eqn$1@slb5.atl.mindspring.net...
> "Rubywand" <rubywand@swbell.net> wrote in message
> 3B245E48.3A3D3FC8@swbell.net">news:3B245E48.3A3D3FC8@swbell.net...
>
> >      Anyway, as with Ludowick's experience, we have never had any
problems
> with our Focus drive; and, our system is somewhat different from yours--
> ROM-01 with 4MB GS-RAM III; RamFAST SCSI in Slot 2; old (approx 1994) 80MB
> Focus from Parson's Engineering in Slot 7.
>
> When was your drive purchased?  I've heard from another user who indicated
> older units do indeed exhibit this "large file corruption" problem and
have
> to be serviced/replaced by Alltech.

As luck would have it, I have not had to RMA my card.  See below.

> >      This problem was reported to be related to having just 7MB plugged
> into a Sirius in a ROM 3 8MB system. (For something about this check out
> Scott G's observations at
> http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/Csa2HDWHACK.html#021 .)  Don't know
whether
> some alternative explanation has been offered.
>
> That's fascinating.  I _did_ remove the last 1MB SIMM from my Sirius card
as
> an experiment, but put it back before I noticed this problem.  I've
checked
> the connections and they're good - it really does look like a card
problem,
> unfortunately.

My friend, you are a gentleman and a scholar.

Turns out I have the *opposite* problem - the large file corruption
problems, "ghosties" (weird video artifacts), random system crashes
(especially when Balloon 2.0 was active), etc. _all_ went away when I
removed SIMM 8.  (I had previously inadvertantly removed SIMM 2 - didn't
look at the numbering system on the back of the Sirius.  D'oh!)  This is, of
course, with FocusDriver loaded and working.

I guess the "older" Focus cards on ROM 03 systems dislike the "extra" RAM,
and the newer ones require it?  *shrug*

> >      Vegas Gambler runs fine on our ROM-01 GS with 4MB. Since it's a
> fairly old (pre-ROM 3) game, the problem may relate to assumptions the
game
> makes about GS System which are not supported by ROM 3.
>
> It works OK on my ROM 3 machine without the Sirius card.  Seems to me that
> since the "bottom" 8th meg actually supercedes the 1MB on-board RAM, it's
> probably some sort of obscure incompatibility (remapped memory locations,
> perhaps?).  I plan to ask Tony about it.

Sadly, VG still doesn't run correctly with the Sirius card in, even with
SIMM 8 removed.

Well, I guess all's well that ends well.  I also had to replace the LED on
my card - the original one went south a little more than a day ago, which
scared the crap out of me (since LEDs, in my experience, rarely fail, which
means the circuitry around them has), but that's all that went - the new LED
is working fine.  (Radio Shack part # 276-041a for the interested - 2 for
$0.99.  It's about 1.5mm longer than the original, but it's hardly noticable
unless you know what you're looking for.)

I've also picked up a 1.08G IBM hard drive for it, which I am currently
low-leveling.  The data's moving, and I feel fine.

Thanks to everyone for their amazing help and information!  I continue to be
blown away by the solidarity of the Apple community - it's a welcome change
from certain other systems.  (Now if you guys could just stop beating up
"Dr. Tom"...I'm no apologist, and I don't necessarily agree with everything
he - or anyone else - says, the bashing, name-calling, and general bad karma
is just unhealthy all around.  Live and let live, folks!  *smile*)

Rodney