Re: Need help with zip drive

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Matthew Pearce writes ...
> 
> I have a ROM 03 GS with the Apple revision D SCSI card & am trying to get
> a zip drive to work. The zip drive is connectted between the SCSI card
> and the hard drive (the hard drive is internaly terminated).
> 
> When the zip drive is in the chain, the hard drive light flashes once
> when I try to boot, then nothing. The computer then gives me the 'check
> startup device' message.
> 
> I have checked the connections, tried using scsi ID 5 and 6 on the Zip,
> tried the zip with and without internal termination, tried booting with
> and without a cartridge in the zip drive and botting both with the zip on
> and the zip off.
>

     Our setup, using the current ROM "f" RamFAST interface, has a Zip 
Drive connected (termination OFF) between the RamFAST and an x2 CD-ROM 
drive (which, evidently, is terminated).

     This system works fine; but, it definitely likes for the Zip Drive 
(and CD-ROM if it's going to be used during a session) to be ON before 
powering ON the computer. If everything is powered ON at once, the Zip 
Drive (and/or CD-ROM drive) may or may not get recognized. If the Zip 
Drive is switched ON after powering up the computer, it will not be 
recognized during the session (whether or not I reboot).

     Usually, after powering ON the drive, I insert a Zip disk (with stuff 
on it) and wait for the drive to recognize it-- the yellow light flashes 
for a second or so-- before powering ON the computer. When the Sys 6 
desktop comes up, the Zip disk's partitions show up with no problem.

     If you do the above with a blank, non-partitioned Zip disk, the Finder 
will, most likely, tell you it does not recognize the disk's format and 
offer to format it. Probably, it's best to refuse the offer since a blank 
Zip disk is already formatted. Start a utility which handles partitioning-- 
RamFAST types can use ramfast.system-- and let it create three ProDOS 
partitions on the Zip disk.
        
 
> The cartridge is the standard MSDOS preformmated cartridge.
>

     When first starting with Zip disks, quite a bit of time (about 9-10 
minutes per disk) was wasted doing actual formats because I automatically 
assumed the disks were formatted, specifically, for PC. Fortunately, 
someone on csa2 emailed a note explaining that it was only necessary to 
partition the blank disks for ProDOS-- this operation takes about 20 
seconds!

     Evidently, a blank Zip disk's format is not tied to any particular 
operationg system.

  
> When I booted ProSEL from a floppy drive, it recognized all of my
> partitions on my hard drive (4) and saw the zip as one partition.
> ....

     If ProSel thinks a blank Zip disk is a partition, then it is applying 
a fairly loose definition. If your interface does not have a utility for 
partitioning disks, you could try the moderately infamous Apple Utilities. 
(By the way, it seems best to avoid mixing ProDOS and HFS partitions on a 
Zip disk.)

     Aside from interface cards, a big difference between your system and 
ours is that you have your hard disk on the SCSI chain. I do not know 
whether having the HD at a higher or lower SCSI number than the Zip 
matters. If changing the order is not too much trouble, it may be worth 
trying.  

     If nothing anyone suggests seems to work, one unthinkable (almost) 
thing to consider is that you may have a defective Zip Drive. Discovering 
that my first Zip was defective cost me lots of time; but, at least, the 
testing process led to adding Zip's SCSI interface card to our PC.

     About the only obvious difference between the defective drive and the 
replacement is that the bad drive ejected disks nearly completely whereas 
the good drive pushes them out maybe an inch or so. The defective drive 
also produced somewhat more noise when running (but, that would be 
difficult to judge without a known good Zip Drive for comparison).


Rubywand