Re: Focus HD high-level formats?

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Edhel Iaur, Esq. writes ...
> 
> Is the Focus Hard Card allergic to being formatted (the regular way,
> as in with GS/OS, Copy ][+ 8.4, etc.?  I just got one (61 MB, Conner
> mech., 30.5 MB partitions), and I've had to low-level format the
> stupid thing both times I've tried to do a regular format.  It acts
> like a regular format ruins it.  The low-level formatter even fails
> most of the time.  The error Du Jour (or should I say De L'Heure?) is
> Error #$0, Track 181, Head 3.
> 
> My Focus is in slot 7, which crams it against my GS RAM+ (2MB
> installed)--would heat or something be an issue here?  I remember
> reading something about temperature affecting old hard drives in
> _Upgrading & Repairing PCs_.
> 
> The 2 cards are literally leaning against each other.  Should I
> rearrange all my cards so I can put my Focus in some slot where it
> wouldn't be touched?  Should I try to arrange things so the HD's right
> under the fan?  Should I put a bigger fan mech in my System Saver
> IIGS?
>

     Probably, not. My Focus Hard Card bumps against the GS-RAM III 4MB
card-- actually, there is quite a noticeable bend-- and is not affected.
Granted, the GS-RAM III runs fairly cool. Still, unless your memory card
runs very hot, it is difficult to believe that it's proximity would
affect Focus operation. (The hard disk module case is a pretty decent
heat sink.)  A fairly good indicator is whether or not you have problems
doing formats just after bootup or only after a couple hours. If ON time
is not a factor, then you can pretty well eliminate heat from your
memory card as the source of problems.

     If your GS has an accelerator card, especially if it is running
above 9MHz, then Rich Hare's guess may be pretty close to the
explanation for problems. The GS power supply's regular leads simply
cannot handle loads much above 2.5 Amps on the +5V line without
producing system-bombing noise. Add noise which appears on the skimpy
Slot bus lines and you are asking for problems, particularly with
anything like a hard disk plugged into Slot 7.

     If running without the accelerator board suddenly cures your
problems, you can be pretty sure that the problem is noise on the +5V
and, possibly, the +12V line. The cure is to fatten the +5V, GND, and
+12V leads from the PS and add +5V, +12V, and GND jumpers (to Slots 3
and 7) on the underside of the motherboard. This is described in some
detail in the csa2 FAQs on Ground. (The FAQs file is F002POWER.TXT. If
you decide PS noise is probably the problem and there is some problem
downloading the file let me know and I'll email a copy.)

     Finally, if you are using the correct low-level, etc. format
utilities and none of the above gets you anywhere, you may have to
consider that the hard disk is bad. Unfortunately, whereas a good hard
disk may never fail in years of regular use, bad "new" hard disks are
not as rare as we would like to believe.


Rubywand