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From: andy@cbmvax.UUCP (Andy Finkel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: hard disk flaw problems
Message-ID: <2863@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Nov-87 10:47:44 EST
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.2863
Posted: Wed Nov 25 10:47:44 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Nov-87 01:09:10 EST
References: <1884@cadovax.UUCP> <2605@masscomp.UUCP> <1888@cadovax.UUCP>
Reply-To: andy@cbmvax.UUCP (Andy Finkel)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 49
Keywords: hard disk format flaws

In article <1888@cadovax.UUCP> kaz@cadovax.UUCP (Kerry Zimmerman) writes:
>In article <2605@masscomp.UUCP> rad@masscomp.UUCP (Bob Doolittle) writes:
>>In article <1884@cadovax.UUCP> kaz@cadovax.UUCP (Kerry Zimmerman) writes:
>>
>>I have heard from my local service rep that you can't tell the 2090
>>about a disk with greater than 50Mb capacity :-(.  

Actually, the current file system limits you to 54meg per partition,
not per disk.  You can have multiple partitions on a disk.

And, especially as DiskDoctor currently needs 2 meg of ram per
20 meg of partition to work, there are additional uses
of smaller partitions.

>>
>
>Is this TRUE???  There is no documented limitation of 50Mb I have heard
>or read about.  Could someone at Commodore please confirm or deny this?
>
>>
>>>3.  Why does the format retry so much?  It seems to be wasting its time
>>>    going for fifteen minutes on the same cylinder.  And, why does it
>>>    quit instead of going to the next cylinder?

The hard disk device tries a block 50 (or so) times (write/read/verify) before
deciding its useless and adding it to the bad block table.

It shouldn't quit, unless its filled up the first 2 cylinders with
bad blocks.  Probably something else is wrong;
>>I think this is all due to the 50Mb limit.  Not a particularly graceful
>>or informative error message :-|.
>>
>
>I don't think if there is such a limit, that that is my problem.  Cylindar
>205 is only about 18Mb into the drive.  There are a total of 754 cylindars
>with 11 heads each on this drive, so I am nowhere near 50Mb when format
>starts having trouble.

Ah...the controller card supports drives of up to 8 heads.  11 is right
out.  
-- 
andy finkel		{ihnp4|seismo|allegra}!cbmvax!andy 
Commodore-Amiga, Inc.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from
 a rigged demo."

Any expressed opinions are mine; but feel free to share.
I disclaim all responsibilities, all shapes, all sizes, all colors.