



rea 4 nor
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Topic 4         Thu Oct 24, 1991
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 04:48 EDT
Sub: HD Series Hard Drives                  

A place to post questions, answers, comments, and suggestions for the  CMD HD
series of Hard Drives for the C64 and C128.
238 message(s) total.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 1         Thu Oct 31, 1991
G.HOYLE                      at 01:13 CST
 
I'm having some big problems using GEOS with the HD-20. Mainly, a lot of
applications crash; sometimes geoWrite files get corrupted; I've even had some
partitions switch names! I have GateWay, but I prefer Geos because it's easier
to rearrange files. Could this have something to do with my problem? --Guy
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 2         Thu Oct 31, 1991
G.HOYLE                      at 01:21 CST
 
BTW--I use a lot of PD GEOS software, which I know may or may not add to the
problem.   What procedures do you recommend for finding out if these are
interfering with the HD?
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 3         Thu Oct 31, 1991
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 10:10 EST
 
 Most of the corruption problems with Geos start with autoexec files that
 change areas or vectors on bootup.  I think one of the ones mentioned that
 causes problems is the one that blanks your screen after a couple of minutes.

 The easiest way to isolate a problem is to start from the bottom up with
 a "virgin" Geos disk, transfer it to the HD into a couple of different 
 partitions and then load up each partition with the different programs you
 use.  Put one or two of the PD programs into each.  Once you start
 getting trouble inside a partition you may be close to finding which
 program that is the cause for your trouble.

 Also, do not use a "MAVERICKed" version of Geos with Gateway!
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 4         Fri Nov 01, 1991
CMD-DOUG                     at 04:00 EST
 
Also check to see which version of HD DOS you are using. Some versions had
problems with corruption. The safest versions to use are 1.46,  1.47, 1.80,
and 1.82. All others should be avoided.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 5         Sat Nov 09, 1991
K.LESTERJR                   at 22:23 EST
 
Hi -  You (Doug Cotton) said at a conference on Q-link some time ago that you
had used a Supra SCSI interface to store information from your Amiga and your
Commodore on a CMD hard drive at the same time. You said that the Supra
software had a provision for "foreign partitions" (probably intended for AMAX)
and that CMD's software had the same. 

I should be getting a CMD hard drive any time now and I'm looking at
purchasing a used Supra interface (specifically because you said that their
software would allow the two computers to share a drive). Could you please
explain exactly how this is done? My confusion comes from seeing how other
hard drive software works - you can specify tracks and cylinders and such,
while RamLink's (which I assume is similar to the HD's) sets things up by
size.

Maybe if I had both pieces of equipment and their accompanying set-up software
it would all be self explanatory, but right now the best thing I can think of
to do is ask. I don't want to accidentally trash either side because I
"overlapped" the two sections.

By the way, the Hard Drive is the 40 meg model and I plan to divide it equally
between the two computers.

Thanks much.

 -Ken
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 6         Sun Nov 10, 1991
CMD-DOUG                     at 15:11 EST
 
First, be aware that setting it up is tricky stuff - you'll have to do some
snooping to get this to work.

The first thing to do is to locate where the system partition is located. This
can be done using the PARTITION INFO program from the HD UTILITIES disk. With
SCSI drives, everything is mapped in SCSI blocks of 512 bytes each, as opposed
to tracks and cylinders as is used with standard MFM or RLL drives. Just try
to remember that there are 2048 SCSI blocks per Megabyte of storage.

Now, you'll have to hook up the HD to the Amiga, and use their utilities to
format it. Then use their software to partition. The bottom-most partition
should be a foreign type (I've forgotten what they called it) of 1 Mb. This
should keep our DOS safe when you re-install it. Now create a partition for
the Amiga to use. Let's say you make that 20 Mb. Then partition the remaining
area as foreign.

Now you need to hook up to your 64/128, and run CREATE SYS (placing the drive
into INSTALL mode). When you are done with that, use HD-TOOLS to create a
foreign mode partition of the same size that you created your Amiga partition
to be plus 1 Mb. You'll have to create more than one if you used more than 15
Mb for the Amiga (example: 20 Mb for Amiga, create 1 16 Mb foreign, then 1 5
Mb foreign for a total of 21 Mb). Note that there are 4096 Commodore blocks
per Megabyte when using HD-TOOLS.

Now you can create partitions to use from the Commodore side, after you have
made the foreign partitions. Those foreign partitions must be created first
but could be assigned partition numbers that are out of your way for normal
use (like partitions 253 and 254 for instance).

The only other thing I can think of to warn you about is to look out for SCSI
Device Number conflicts.

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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 7         Mon Nov 11, 1991
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 21:10 EST
 
 I just uploaded a small date utility for CS-DOS 128.  It reads the date off
 a CMD HD and adds it to CS-DOS so you do not forget it in your ARC, SDA, or 
 SFX files :)
 I could not resist sharing it because it will give you an idea on how many
 nifty ways you can use the time clock in the CMD HDs.  I do ask that you do
 not upload the file somewhere else because it and other utilities are being
 published in TC128 #31.
 It is also a "kludge" that I use, you are better off using the decimal mode
 vs. ascii for the date and time, but that is a longer article ;)
 Library #22
 datev1.csdos.arc
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 8         Tue Nov 12, 1991
CMD-DOUG                     at 00:24 EST
 
Hmmmm....anyone interested in the code to set the clock in DIALOGUE 128 from
the HD on boot-up of the program?
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 9         Fri Nov 15, 1991
DR.EVIL                      at 22:54 PST
 
 Clock code for Dialogue 128: yes, please do upload the code.

 Kent
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 10        Thu Feb 06, 1992
MIKE.DUNCAN                  at 02:30 EST
 
 Okay! I give up! What Happened?!

     My CMD HD-20 hard drive was whirring. I was one subdirectory up from
 the root, with about "22000 Blocks Free", in a Native Mode partition. I was
 editing a BASIC file that had grown to 22 blocks long, and had just done a
 "@0:SAVE". (It's okay now, right?)  Then I checked the directory and ...
 "WHAT THE ...."!  My BASIC' subdirectory was trashed!  Luckily, there was a
 semi-recent backup of the file I had just been editing.

     So, I broke out the sector editor and went looking around. It wasn't a
 pretty sight. The header block of my subdirectory, and the 21 blocks after
 it, had been overwritten by the file I was replacing! I couldn't believe
 it! Further checks revealed that two other subdirectories were history. One
 was for my store-bought word processor (no big deal). The other contained
 my SwiftCalc data files, for which I had a not-so-recent backup copy.  Boy!
 Talk about learning the hard way!

     The next day, my goal was to see if I could salvage the directory
 structure by hand. It was worth a shot. It might take less time than a
 format & restore. (Also, I had to keep reminding myself not to SAVE to it!)
 Briefly, here's how it turned out.

 - Discovered that SwiftCalc data files have SC' as the first two bytes.
 Wrote a short file to hunt those down. Got *ALL* of them back. Rebuilt the
 subdirectory and updated the BAM. Copied the files to floppy.

 - Marked the scrapped subdirectories as DELeted in the root directory, then
 performed a VALIDATE which aborted with an error. 66,Illegal Block,160,00'

 - Using Disk Cracker & appendix D of the HD Users Manual, checked memory at
 $2800-283F, immediately following the VALIDATE. That led me to the header
 of the just-rebuilt subdirectory, at Track 1 Sector 70'. Checked and
 rechecked it. Over & over again. It looked okay.

 - So, I don't know any better. Wrote a not-so-small file to chain through
 all of the directory entries on the HD, and report any errors along the
 way. It doesn't find anything. Hmmm...

 - Called CMD for insight. Doug said it didn't make sense. He said something
 about checking $0234, which I fully intended to do,  BUT!....

 - That night, showing Dialogue to a friend, I accidentally SAVEd to the
 HD-20 instead of the RL. (Which I didn't find out about 'till later.)  And
 as I was showing how my file scanner' hadn't found any errors - IT DID!
 And it was pointing to Track 1 Sector 70'. The sector editor confirmed it.
 My rebuilt SC-DATA' subdirectory had been clobbered again!

 - Marked SC-DATA' as DELeted in the root. Did a VALIDATE.  "00,OK,00,00"

      I guess *SOMEHOW* these blocks got deallocated in the BAM. I don't
 know. But something just doesn't make sense to me, and I hope you folks can
 help me out with it.  Why did I get the 66 Error, if there was no link to
 Track 160 Sector 00' to be found anywhere on the HD?

 - /\/\ike


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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 11        Thu Feb 06, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 08:34 EST
 
 I hate to think what would have happened if you were not so skilled!
 Backups on any mass storage device on ANY machine or computer is a must.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 12        Mon Feb 17, 1992
W.HAGEN1                     at 18:43 PST
 
do any of the dos upgrades support the aux port on the HD for spooling to the
printer? And, How do I get v1.82? thanks
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 13        Thu Feb 20, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 23:16 EST
 
HD-DOS upgrades since version 1.46 are considered to be minor. Mostly they
have been only to take care of bug fixes and to add RAMLink parallel routines.
Spooling will be part of a more major upgrade, and has not been implemented as
yet. You can download 1.82 from our private library here if you have access to
it.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 14        Fri Mar 06, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 18:47 EST
 
 Moved message from deleted Topic 17 from this category
 ======================================================

 A.KARANTZE [The Maverick]    at 01:22 EST

    Hi there CMD users. I have a question regarding the CMD hard drives. I
want
 to purchase a hard drive, but am torn between which - a less  expensive HD
for
 my A500, a more limited HD for my 128,or both? Since the HD's have SCSI
 connectors, I thought I might purchase a CMD drive and a SCSI controller for
 my Amiga and run the 2 together?
   Of course, they would'nt both be on at the same time......! BUT, my
question
 is,can it be done... I don't want to kill either of my computers just yet,
and
 it would be good for both to have access to bulk storage.
     Now,figures for Commodore access times are widely available, but how does
 it perform as a SCSI drive,etc What is the seek time... 65,48,28,15,9
 millisecs,etc... and how well would they work....
     This is important,because if thehre are too many probs I will go with a
 cheap A590 Amiga hard drive.
                All replies greatfully received....
                             - The Maverick - BTW Doug, how goes it with my
 Jiffydos 128 order... any info received on it yet? Im still waiting for
it....
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 15        Sun Mar 08, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 09:42 EST
 
If you know an awful lot about how SCSI hard drives work and configured you
might be able to use the drive with two systems. Otherwise, I'd say forget it.
It's not a simple thing to do, and you'll need to have flexible tools for the
Amiga side as well as the 64/128 side to be successful. As far as access speed
goes, it depends on the model. Typically, the HD-20 and HD-40 use slower, less
expensive mechanisms, often in the 25-38 ms range. The larger models tend to
get better and faster mechanisms, in the 9-19 ms range. As far as orders go,
such things should be checked directly with the sales department. My schedule
doesn't often allow me the time to check on such things, and this has been
even worse the past few days as I was unable to work for a few days due to an
injury.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 16        Mon Mar 09, 1992
A.KARANTZE [The Maverick]    at 01:42 EST
 
Doug,
     Thank you very much for that information. I guess I will go for an Ami ga
hard drive then.
    BTW what are the latest prices on your Hard drives?
    BTW2 I'll ring up tommorow morning then and find out - hope it
         does'nt take too long, toll charges add up!
                                         Antony karantze
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 17        Tue Mar 10, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 20:51 EST
 
I'll be updating current pricing this coming weekend. Look for it in then. 
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message  18       Sun Apr 12, 1992
J.DONATO3 [QueensCUG-NY]     (Forwarded) 
 
I was given a Seagate ST-4096 80 80mb H/D Serial # K0068984, I thoink its a
MFM drive. I would like to know if this drive is compatible with CMD O?S or 
do I need a special  or different H/D I have this H/D and no CPU to use it on
I own an AMIGA 1000, C64, c-128(flat) If anyone can help me I would appreciate
it I7m planning to start a BBS for my user group... please leave me EMAIL here
or dial my BBS and leave FEEDBACK at 718-296-8151 Thanks
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 19        Mon Apr 13, 1992
D.BURR8                      at 05:23 EDT
 
Don't quote me on this, but I THINK it should work if you hook it up to a CMD
drive via the SCSI connector. Or maybe not ;) Dan
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 20        Fri Apr 24, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 21:57 EDT
 
The HD can only be used with SCSI drives. Seagate part numbers for SCSI drives
always end with an "N". The correct version of that drive for use with the CMD
HD would be an ST-4096N. The one you have is probably MFM, and no, that won't
work.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message  21       Thu May 14, 1992
W.SMITH102                   (Forwarded) 
 
I only just bought Maverick v5 and has had some problems trying to copy  some
of my programs to my HD-20...Some how I did get GEOS on the drive with  no
problem...Actually I forgot what I did...but i have problems trying to 
"softwire" my 1571 and the HD20...any help ANYONE...*s ..?
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 22        Thu May 14, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 08:01 EDT
 
 With the latest version of FCOPY in Library #19 there is not much reason to
 use Maverick.  Though I have the 1581 copier on my HD I never use it since I
 have never been able to get V5.0 to work with the HD.

 I would say skip it and use FCOPY and MCOPY.

 Look in the TIPS topic here for sample boot programs with device # swapping.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 23        Thu May 14, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 11:32 EDT
 
It is likely that what you are experiencing is Maverick's pickiness    sj  gJ 
 with serial bus devices. I've seen my share of problems getting Maverick to
work as well, with it working fine on my 128D at work, but not at all on my
128D at home. About the only part of the program that is useful with the HD
anymore is their REL file copier.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 24        Fri May 15, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 19:54 EDT
 
 Which CMD's own FCOPY beats - no contest.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 25        Sat May 23, 1992
AMFORD                       at 11:43 EDT
 
  Is there, or which, a program that will sort the directory on a partition?
Would like to re-group some of my files by name.  Thanks
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 26        Sat May 23, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 14:02 EDT
 
 Try ADDE128.arc in library #41.  Works pretty good.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 28        Sun May 24, 1992
R.LAZAR1 [Shadwell]          at 09:37 EDT
 
 I just uploaded a public domain 128 menu system for CMD HD's called
 hd-menu128. It will be file #9731 if it gets passed by the sysops.  I don't
 know who the author is but it seems to be pretty good.  It offers multiple
 help screens, sets the time from the HD clock, has auto screen blanking, and
 a host of other features including a memo/reminder option.
 I was wondering if any of you expert programmer's out there could adapt this
 to RamLink as well.
                                          Rob
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 29        Sun May 24, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 15:49 EDT
 
 It is now live :)

 Hard drive tip:
 When creating your partitions name them like this:
 #xx - partition name
 or
 #30 - Utilities

 When sending CP commands all over the place within a program, by doing
 a directory you can easily see the partition number without getting
 confused.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 30        Sun May 31, 1992
D.MCLAUGHLI8 [Black Fire]    at 19:22 EDT
 
Just uploaded a file called ADDiskEd075.arc...

This is a disk editor with some interesting options.  Basically its a Beta
release, 'cause its been sitting around for about two years now and I haven't
finished it yet.  Simply because I've never had a use for any of the other
commands I originally planned on emplementing(sp).  I gave it v0.75 since it
is about 75% complete, approximately.

Anyway, if anyone wants me to add a command or two, just let me know and I'll
do it.  Probably won't take long.  If I remember correctly, it only took me
about two weeks to get this far along with the program.  I also included the
source so anyone with "Better Working Power Assemble" can modify it as they
see fit.  But if you don't feel like doing it, just ask me.

Lastly, a WARNING!  Don't use this to w'R'ite a block on a RAMLink or RAMCard.
Due to a bug and my lack of knowledge of DOS at the time, it will offset all
the bytes on a RAMLink by one position.  That's enough to make a mess of
problems for you.  You can read and examine the blocks of a RAMLink or RAMCard
all you want with no harm done. This is another thing I can fix with out too
much trouble, it anyone wants me to.

The program has succesfully been tested on CMD's HD, 1541, 1571, 1581, SFD-
1001, and a D9090 HD as well.

BTW - IMHO, this is a *MUCH* nicer program than what CMD shipped with the
HD!!!!!!

Doug

PS - The docs suck, if you need any help there, too.  Just ask.

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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 31        Sun Jun 07, 1992
J.PEEPLES                    at 05:41 EDT
 
  I have come up with a question that I can't seem to find in the HD manual. 
I have asked some IBM-type friends what they recommend...I  asked three people
and got as many answers.
  My question:  if your computer (except your monitor) stays on for  EXTENDED
periods of time, like days, weeks, or forever, what should you do about the
hard drive?
  Should you just let it run normally and not worry about it?  (If you stay in
GEOS a lot, this is the only option that doesn't involve repeatedly rebooting
the system).  My HD-40 does get pretty hot when the motor runs for hours, but
not hot enough (I think and hope) to damage the mechanism or the electronics.
  Or, should you use the PARK HD program to park the drive heads but leave the
drive on?  This way the electronics are not subjected to the strain of
repeatedly turning them off and on, but I speculate it may actually be better
for the drive mechanism (mine is a Rodime, by the way) to let it get hot and
stay that way rather than have these repeating heat-up then cool-down temp
alterations.
  Or, should you simply power down the HD when not in use for a while, and
power it back when you are ready again.  Again, this will involve rebooting a
program like GEOS or GateWay, but with an HD, rebooting is NOT the chore it
used to be when I just had two 1571's.
  Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.
  --James P.

  PS: Most of the IBM people thought it was best to leave the drive on but
park the heads when the system is not in use, for whatever that's worth. These
are also the same "friends" who tell me to get a *real* computer so I'm not
inclined to trust their objective judgement overmuch.  ;)
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 32        Sun Jun 07, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 11:25 EDT
 
 No matter if you own a PC or C= it is best to avoid turning the HD on and off
 constantly.  It is better to run it all the time.  Even if the HD drive is
 auto-parking I always feel better parking it myself before turning it off.

 If you are not going to use it for 8 hours, turn it off.  Why waste the
 electricity?  If you are going to leave it only for 1/2 hour I wouldn't
 bother turning it off.

 Most drives will start to fail, no matter what you do, after 3-4 years.  HD
 media and parts have a limited lifespand.  The more you use them or the more
 you turn them on and off the more likely they will fail earlier than
 someone else's drive.
 Though considering the usage you get out of a HD under even moderate use
 over a course of 3-5 years it sure beats using floppies!
 Also, 3-5 years from even 200 MB will probably cheaper than 40 MB hard drives
 are now so you will have upgraded it anyway.

 The best way to get maximum mileage out of your HD is to low level format
 (wipe the sucker clean!) it and run a program to find all the bad and
 marginal sectors at least once a year.
 If you want to treat your hard drive really nice invest in a good surge
 and line conditioner.  That will extend the life of your whole system a lot
 longer than anything else you do.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 33        Fri Jun 12, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 00:25 EDT
 
If you do choose to leave the HD running constantly, make sure it has plenty
of ventilation...you might even consider putting a small fan on it. The life
expectancy of most hard drive mechanisms is as JBEE mentioned, but some are
better than others. If yours runs fairly hot, then it is likely that you have
a Seagate mechanism in it, and those do not tend to last as long as others,
especially if allowed to run hot for extended periods of time. As for parking,
I don't usually bother doing it manually myself, as the drive does this itself
if not used for a few minutes.
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 34        Sat Jun 13, 1992
J.PEEPLES                    at 01:59 EDT
 
  Everybody, thanks for the input!  :)
  The mechanism in the hard drive is a Rodime.  It does run hot, but not as
hot as some external hard drives I've encountered with clones.  You could have
fried an egg on some of those!!!  The drive never gets so hot it would be
uncomfortable to leave your hand on top of it.
  Curious...how does the life span of the Rodime mechanisms (45 meg) stack up
to the Seagate and other mechanisms?
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 35        Sun Jun 14, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 00:46 EDT
 
I don't know that I can really say. We used very few of them, and we did see a
batch of them come through which had very poor media quality, though most of
those never made it into the field. After that we moved away from using them
at all. Most of those which we did ship have stayed out in the field, and have
been out there for somewhere around a year. It appears that those which did
not exhibit short-term media problems are doing alright as far as reliability,
but those units do run nearly as warm as the Seagate drives, apparently using
similar technology. I guess I would still suggest keeping a fan on these units
if running for long periods of time in higher ambient temperatures (say mid
90's or higher).
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 36        Tue Jun 16, 1992
B.ENNIS1                     at 02:33 EDT
 
I own a CMD HD and have been looking for some way to make a backup of it.  I
use mostly native mode partitions with large file sizes (mostly databases)
which tend to be unwieldy for the 1571, and  unreliable on the 1581.  Are
there any backup devices like the tape backup systems for the clones?  Or
better yet, I saw a card that you can put into your clone and make a backup of
your hard drive onto a  regular VHS video tape.  Is there some sort of device
for the CMD HD to do this?
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 37        Tue Jun 16, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 19:34 EDT
 
 Use ARC (C-64) or CS-DOS (C-128) to backup partitions.
 It will compress a large relative file 50% or better.
 Takes a while, but well worth it.

 As long as you have a C-1581 with a WD-1772 controller you should have no
 problems with the 1581.

 One way I back up my data (and it is quicker this way too) is copy the
 native mode files into 1581 partitions and then MCOPY the 1581 partitions
 to a 1581.  This is a LOT faster than file copying, especially with relative
 files.

 If you have a REU, a C-128, and are using PRG or SEQ files than using
 the LHA CS-DOS module will greatly compress your files.
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 38        Wed Jun 17, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 01:14 EDT
 
Good answers by JBEE. Though I might add that the 1581 has quite a few more
problems than just the controller ones he mentioned. I'd have to take off my
shoes to count all the 1581 bugs that can cause data loss, but fortuneately
most of them are rather difficult to cause. As for tape backups, VCR backups,
no, there aren't any routines for supporting such devices that I know of.
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 39        Wed Jun 17, 1992
R.KNOP1 [Rob Knop]           at 01:26 EDT
 
What brands of drives does CMD typically use for it's HD's?  I've heard some
less than stellar things about Seagate drives.  One service guy was telling me
something about the lubricant that they use, which can cause trouble if the
drive is left spinning with the head on one track for too long (too long
being, if I recall correctly, a matter of several days).

-Rob
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 40        Fri Jun 19, 1992
B.ENNIS1                     at 02:24 EDT
 
Oh, sorry, I didn't know that your device wasn't capable of being used in such
a way.  It's a pitty really, it would be so easy to backup a hard drive that
way if all you had to do was insert a tape and let it go. I guess perhaps
getting a hard drive wasn't a good idea since there is no way to easily copy
the data once you have it in there.  I don't know about the 1772 controller,
but I doubt my 1581 has it.  I don't use mine anymore because it's
untrustworthy.  I had hoped that a hard drive would improve things, but now
I'm fearful of losing all that data.
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 41        Fri Jun 19, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 05:39 EDT
 
 One way to make sure your data is intact after ARCing the files
 and getting the ARCs to a floppy disk, is to do a verify
 on the ARC file that you copied to the floppy.
 A verify on the checksum will show up any errors, even if only one bit is
off.
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 42        Sat Jun 20, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 00:10 EDT
 
We have used mechanisms from a number of different manufacturers. The HD-20
and HD-40 have quite often used Seagate drives - where the HD-20 is concerned,
it is almost impossible to find mechanisms at all anymore. On the HD-40, we
try to find drives by other manufacturers, but it is getting difficult to find
40 MB mechanisms as well, and when Seagate is all we can get, it's what we
get. The HD-100 and HD-200 have always used higher quality mechanisms, usually
Connor, Maxtor, Quantum, or Western Digital. At certain times the HD-20 has
been fitted with Connor, and the HD-40 with Connor, Quantum, Rodime, and
Fujitsu.
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 43        Sat Sep 12, 1992
CBM-ED [e.g.bell]            at 18:46 EDT
 
Do the CMD hard drives work with the burst mode routines available for  the
1571/1581?  For example, do the burst routines provided on the 1581  demo disk
work with burst saves?
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 44        Sun Sep 13, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 12:58 EDT
 
Yes, though there are some differences. The HD uses the 1571 burst command set
in all partition types except 1581 and 1581C emulation partitions, where it
uses the 1581 burst command set. For burst reads and writes, I don't think
this matters, as those are pretty much the same on either drive. One thing you
might note is that burst is only possible when the HD is hooked up
serially...parallel can't support it since burst protocol happens over the
serial bus, so you should always test for burst correctly, though you should
do that anyway to make sure that a 1541 isn't being used.
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 45        Mon Sep 14, 1992
R.KNOP1 [Rob Knop]           at 21:25 EDT
 
I assume a CMD HD hooked up parallel-ly means through a RAMLink, right?

Which is faster, a parallel hoookup or burst reads/writes through the serial
port?

-Rob
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 46        Mon Sep 14, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]       at 22:03 EDT
 
 Has anyone been successful with installing Superbase V3.0 on the HD?
 I have the 5.25 floppy version of 3.0 and want to use native mode
 partitions for Superbase.  I need the ability to access 15,000+  300 byte
 records.  I do NOT want to boot from a floppy at all and want to backup
 to 3.5 disks.

 Has anyone installed the compiler Basic128 onto their HD?
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 47        Tue Sep 15, 1992
J.PEEPLES [!CP/M--Man!]      at 06:24 EDT
 
  I have installed Superbase 3.0 on my HD.
  I first used M-Mirror, a beta-test copier here on GEnie in CMD's private
library...then I found that MCOPY works as well on this one.
  --James
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Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 48        Tue Sep 15, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 06:32 EDT
 
 What did you do, install it on a 1541 partition?

 Are you using native mode partitions with the 1581 thingy?
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 49        Wed Sep 16, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 01:06 EDT
 
Parallel is faster. No question about it.

As for Superbase, the 5.25" version (long as you have the latest one) can be
copied to a 1541 partition. After you boot, just use MAINTAIN OTHER to switch
to a 1581 partition. Course, if you get an FD eventually, you could use either
1541SUB or 1581SUB in a Native partition and still be able to back it up.
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 50        Wed Sep 16, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 02:31 EDT
 
 Thank you Doug :)
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 51        Sun Sep 20, 1992
B.ENNIS1                     at 22:42 EDT
 
How are the burst routines used for reading & writing?  And how do you check
for them.
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 52        Wed Sep 23, 1992
CMD-DOUG                     at 22:50 EDT
 
That is probably a much longer subject than I care to attempt to cover here,
and what I could tell you isn't from experience, as I have never attempted to
program in that manner. Suffice it to say that reading and writing data using
burst protocol requires writing all your own read and write routines in ML,
and directly to the serial I/O bus. Perhaps JBEE or someone else up here knows
of some sample routines, but I'm not aware of any, short of some of the
programs which came on the 1581 Utilities disk supplied by Commodore with the
1581 drive.
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 53        Thu Sep 24, 1992
C128.JBEE [* Sysop *]        at 00:01 EDT
 
 There are only so many ways to do burst protocol, I use the ones from
 Devpak 128, which I couldn't upload here without permission.
 I modified them so they use bank one.

 If you can wait a while I am sure I can dig up some PD ones or find
 ones to publish.  I think everyone has just used the ones Commodore
 provided in Devpak128 and the 1581 disk.

 Anyone else with suggestions?
 ------------
Category 12,  Topic 4
Message 54        Thu Sep 24, 1992
R.KNOP1 [Rob Knop]           at 09:44 EDT
 
There is an article in Issue #3 of the Usenet C=Hacking Magazine entitled
"Bursting Your 128" by Craig Bruce, which has an in depth description of burst
loads on the 128, and (I believe) complete source code for burst load
routines.  File numbers in the library here for C=Hacking #3 are 9870 and
9871.

I haven't read that article in detail because I had already written my own
burst routines; when I did it, my primary source was Compute!'s 128
Programmers Guide.  They have a reasonable (if short) section on burst loads,
and do have a complete burst file load routine, though it has two problems:
(1) no comments in the source code (just a 128 ML monitor dump), and (2) a bug-
it speezes on the last block of the file.  If memory servers, it just doesn't
load the last block of the file at all.

I used as a secondary reference the 1581 and 1571 user manuals, which have
very little on burst routines, but at least the 1581 manual has a key
reference to the commands.

Were I to do it now, though, I would probably go first to the C=Hacking
article.

-Rob
 ------------

