Re: Weird DOS INIT bug

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

I remembered the other odd INIT thing I have noticed...

I seem to recall that on the unenhanced ][e (perhaps on other machines; I
have not had this happen in years), I have had "INIT" commands get 'stuck'.

Here's the dangerous situation:

I'm trying to format a disk on S6,D2, and something goes wrong.  The drive
keeps recalibrating, and clearly this INIT is going to fail.  

I do a 3-finger salute and warmstart the machine, which boots from
S6,D1...a good disk.  Here's where the wierdness starts--once DOS has
loaded, but before the greeting program comes up, DOS immediately begins
to format the disk in S6,D1!

Fortunately, there is a distinct sound to a DOS 3.3 format, and it begins
with a recalibrate...something you should not hear in the middle of most disks
boot cycle (PASCAL disks excepted).  After the first time it happened to
me, I was able to do a quick RESET and limit the damage to the first track
or two (well, that disk doesn't boot anymore...).

It requires a very specific set of circumstances for this to happen:  you
must interrupt an INIT by performing a warm boot.  Stopping the INIT with
a RESET, cycling the power, or allowing the INIT to crash will prevent
problems.  

Now...Am I nuts, or has this happened to anyone else?  8-)

--Dave Althoff, ][.
-- 
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