Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cuae2!ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision!fornax!chapman From: chapman@fornax.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: Re: Hard disk questions Message-ID: <170@fornax.uucp> Date: Thu, 8-Jan-87 14:47:31 EST Article-I.D.: fornax.170 Posted: Thu Jan 8 14:47:31 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 11-Jan-87 05:51:39 EST References: <1982@ptsfa.UUCP> <503@atari.UUcp> Organization: Computing Science Dept, SFU, Burnaby, B.C. Canada Lines: 64 > ptsfa!jmc writes: > > > I've backed up my hard disk (~45 folders) to floppies using MichTron's > > Backup utility (another ~45 folders on various floppies) with no ill > > affects. I believe the problem is with GEM / desktop. > > You are wrong. > > The problem is not with GEM / desktop, the problem is in a limited- > resource manager in GEMDOS. I cannot stress this enough. If you can > live on the edge, with all your hard-disk files in mortal danger of > erasure (well, the directories & FAT, anyway), that's your business. > I choose not to, and urge others to do the same. > > > The problem is also with Atari who refuses to tell us when they will > > fix this (and other) problems except to say "we're working on it" > > and "real soon now" and "the check is in the mail". > > We "refuse" to tell you because we do not know. We ARE working on it. > I am personally working on it (all of GEMDOS). So are other people. > We are also working on a lot of other things. Since this problem is > not a showstopper -- you are able to use your machine -- we don't feel > that fixing it alone warrants a new ROM release. In addition, this > problem reaches to the very core of GEMDOS, and fixing it (and other > GEMDOS irregularities) entails a complete rewrite. Adding blt > (blitter) support, for example, does NOT entail a complete rewrite > (just the conversion of software-blt code in the LINE-A interface to > hardware-blt). > > Please, PLEASE stop spreading rumors to the effect that there is no > limit on the number of folders you can safely have on your hard disk. > There is a limit. Its parameters are nondeterministic, but we have > determined that 40 is a safe number. If you lose your files and you > had more than 40 folders on your disk, WE TOLD YOU SO. > > /----------------------------------------------\ > | Opinions expressed above ARE those of Atari | -- Allan Pratt, Atari Corp. > | Corp. and should be those of everyone else. | ...lll-lcc!atari!apratt > \----------------------------------------------/ Info at last! Allan perhaps you could clear up some of the details for us: Is the 40 folder limit: 1. per disk or per partition 2. a "physical" limit or just the limit of the number of folders Gem/Tos can look at between resets, e.g. can you have >40 folders (safely) as long as you never try and access more than 40 between resets? 3. If it is just a limit between resets do folders on the floppy count towards the 40 limit? 4. Presumably the blitter will require a rom upgrade: will Atari attempt to fix the "40 folder limit" problem in that rom release? Unrelated (but interesting) question: some time ago the net heard that Atari was testing software to allow the ST to boot directly from the hard disk - can you tell us the status of this? will it require a rom upgrade too or just changing the boot sector of the hard disk or both? Thanks in advance for answers..... john