Different boot problem...

[Thaddeus P. Floryan]

In article <12843 at helios.TAMU.EDU> n138ct at tamuts.tamu.edu (Brent Burton) writes:
>
>Error: Can't recal:response=10
>  Bad block table write failed.  Disk needs to be re-initialized.
>
>Test: Surface Test
>ERROR:Can't recal:response=10
>
>Test:Park Disk Heads
>ERROR:Can't recal:response=10
>
>Then, the drive parks the heads OK.
>
>Any clues?  What is a 'recal'?  Could it possibly be a problem
>with the drive?

Two suggestions:

1) check if the disk controller chip is a WD2010 instead of a WD1010.  This
   is a 40-pin chip (mfd by Western Digital) and is located several inches
   toward the left rear of the motherboard from the CPU.  Your system "may"
   require the "DRUN Patch" I posted back in December (assuming the HD itself
   is OK and is spinning)

2) check if the HD is spinning when you power up.  Many "older" HDs and most
   HDs from a certain manufacturer (who shall remain nameless but whose name
   begins with the letters "Seagate" :-) will exhibit a phenomenom termed
   stiction (from static friction).  Essentially, the heads are "glued" to the
   platters in the park zone.  Often the condition can be temporarily "fixed"
   by twisting (using one's finger or the eraser end of a pencil) the shaft
   on the head-stepper-motor a few degrees, then powering up the drive and
   getting one's data off ASAP.  I have over 3MB worth of data on this subject
   already (which I started collecting after all 11 of my Seagate drives
   (ST-251 and ST-157) encountered the problem only weeks after their warranty
   periods expired).

   And by twisting the spindle, I do NOT mean to open up the drive!  Simply
   hold the drive upside down so its electronics are facing up, and you should
   see a central main-spindle and, off to one side, the stepper motor shaft.

   You do NOT want to attempt the 2" drop-kick start as suggested by others
   recently!  :-)

Thad Floryan [ thad at btr.com (OR) {decwrl, mips, fernwood}!btr!thad ]