Re: SCSI errors (again!) and //e RAM cards

[dempson@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

In article <805102318wnr@klatch.demon.co.uk>,
John Le Febvre  <John@klatch.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> I don't think I am supposed to get this hard disk working with my GS...
> 
> From the beginning... I have a Seagate ST3610N SCSI-II hard disk, 520Mb.
> I managed to partition and format it with GS/OS but when I tried to copy
> software onto it it would generally fail with 'corrupted volume' 
> messages (can't remember the exact wording) after copying several megs 
> of data.  Anyway, with the Chinook SCSI utilities, I low level 
> formatted and tested the drive, and got 96 bad blocks (out of just over 
> a million).  It gave me the option to fix and re-test which I did which 
> gave me a different set of 96 bad blocks, and then another 96 with the 
> third go.  All the time these were 24 groups of 4 consecutive blocks 
> approximately 50,000 blocks apart.

Sounds like a dead drive.  It might be necessary to do a REAL
low-level format, which requires returning the drive to its
manufacturer (or an agent with the appropriate support software).
This usually requires running special software on a host machine and
replacing the ROM in the drive with a custom one.

The format performed by CSU is only as low-level as the drive supports
via SCSI calls, and might be nothing more than a verify of all
sectors.  Some drives don't do anything in response to a SCSI FORMAT
call.

I assume the "fix and re-test" option you mention is the one where CSU
attempts to reassign the bad blocks.  It is possible that this hard
drive does not support this feature (not likely), or its pool of spare
blocks for reassignment have already been used up.

How many bad blocks are listed if you read the defect map?

(Ah - I see you have the original Apple SCSI card, which doesn't allow
access to this information.)

> Second question is for a friend without internet access - He has some 
> RAM cards he is trying to use with AppleWorks v3 on a //e.  The first 
> is a Titan Neptune 256k/80 Col card and the other is a Cirtech Clipper 
> card (also 256k).  Does anyone know if these are recognised by ProDOS/ 
> AppleWorks or if some patches are available for them?

I'm not sure about these cards.  Are they standard or auxiliary slot
cards?

If AppleWorks does not provide extra desktop space with these cards
installed, then they are not compatible with the cards that are
supported by AppleWorks (AE RamWorks, Checkmate MultiRAM, Apple II
Memory Expansion Card, AE RamFactor, PC Transporter, and at least one
other standard-slot RAM card which is compatible with the Apple II
Memory Expansion Card).

> He also mentioned he had a Checkmate MultiRAM 80 col/1Mb/RGB card for a 
> //e - anyone know anything about it (I'm thinking of getting it for my
> //e).

AppleWorks 3.0 supports an Applied Engineering RamWorks auxiliary slot
RAM card.  Appendix B also mentions the Checkmate MultiRAM as being
supported.
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand