SUMMARY: SPARCstation 1 stopped recognizing boot drive.

From: Richard Dunbar (rdunbar@tonka.gsfc.nasa.gov)
Date: Mon Apr 15 1991 - 09:43:12 CDT


Last week I asked for help with a Quantum Drive which just stopped working
because the machine was shut/powered down.

My favorite quote which describes the problem was from
curt@ecn.purdue.edu (Curt Freeland):

Sounds like the old "sticktion" problem. Some drives (Quantum/Seagate/...)
have a tendency to let the heads stick to the platters when they get spun
down. This happens because the lubricant on the platters acts more like
maple syrup than a lubricant when it cools down. Most of the drives have
very lightweight motors, and do not have enough muscle to turn the platters
once they get "stuck" to the heads.

After smacking, wacking, turning and twisting the drive in progressivly
more violent motions, the drive finally decided to work again.

Thanks to all who replied:

holle@ASC.SLB.COM,
curt@ecn.purdue.edu,
lamour@maestro.mitre.org,
kevinmac@ll.mit.edu,
roche@cs.rochester.edu,
trinkle@cs.purdue.edu,
williams@nssdcs.gsfc.nasa.gov,
rackow@antares.mcs.anl.gov,
rodney@snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca,
hanson@pogo.fnal.gov,
sam@john-bigboote.ICS.UCI.EDU,
kenton@space.mit.edu,
carlo@white.stanford.edu,
trc@uludag.ESD.3Com.COM,
fabrice@yosemite.ATMOS.Ucla.EDU,
mrwallen@UCSD.EDU,
censun1!fox!cb@uunet.UU.NET,
Stephen.Lopez@West.Sun.COM,
rk@hotsc.att.com,
sundev!ronin!kevin@Sun.COM,
todd@flex.Eng.McMaster.CA,
tsacas@issy.ilog.fr,
ndd@sunbar.mc.duke.edu,
roberto@minerva.gsfc.nasa.gov

--rick d.

-- 
Richard Dunbar				rdunbar@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov
STX/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center	(301) 286-9430
Code 930.4, Greenbelt, MD 20771



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