=====================================›        Check the Basics First››          by Thomas J. Andrews, member› of  ACE of Syracuse, and OL' HACKERS.› (Reprinted from the  ACE  of Syracuse› Newsletter with permission)›› 1050 DRIVE PROBLEMS?››      Recently,  one  of my disk drives› started  acting  up.   It  would  have› trouble booting up disks known  to  be› good,  and sometimes would take a long› time writing to a disk, an  indication› that errors were occuring.›› DONT JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS.››      I  began  to assume that the head› was dirty, or a track sensor was gone,› or something even more devastating was› happening.››› THINK BEFORE YOU LEAP.››      I was ready to  pull  the  screws› out  and  try  to  find out for myself› what was wrong, but  I  did  something› smarter  than  that  first.  I checked› the basics.››› THE BASICS FIRST.››      I looked at the cable connections› and found the power supply cable to be› only halfway plugged in.  Don't ask me› how  it  got  that way-it just did.  I› pushed it in  all  the  way,  and  the› drive  problem  disappeared. This sort› of thing  happens  all  the  time,  so› don't  assume all connections are good› just  because  you  haven't  disturbed› them   lately.   When  something  goes› wrong, check  the  basics  first!   It› might just work....and save you a buck› or more!›› (Editor. Just this past week  my  1050› refused  to  boot  up  when a disk was› inserted. I  remembered  reading  this› article   in   preperation   for   the› newsletter, but I was sure that I  had› a  $$  repair  job on my hands. Then I› remembered that just before  the  unit› went down I had heard a funny sound as› I inserted a disk. I  didn't  want  to› open the unit, although I do know how,› but when opened  I  probably  wouldn't› know  what was wrong anyway, if it was› an electrical  problem.  Wait  just  a› minute,  before  I turn the drive over› to a repair person, I decided to  grab› a  flashlight  and  I  looked into the› slot. Yep, there was  the  culprit,  a› small  piece  of  paper  had gotten in› with the disk and was lodged under the› head.  I   often   make   printed   or› handwritten  notes  to  myself and put› them into the sleeve, and they have  a› tendency  to  slide  into the folds of› the disk, and unless you look at  both› sides  of  the  disk before putting it› in, the paper can easily go  into  the› drive  with  the  disk,  and then gets› free of the disk somehow  and  remains› in  the drive. A pair of teezers and I› was back in business. So, as TOM says,› check out the basics before concluding› that you are stuck! A.P.)›› ======================================›