NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/comp/sys/atari/st/19103

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-01 | 1.6 KB

From: [e-mail] (Colin Low)
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 22:05:30 GMT
Subject: A Bomb in the Post
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK.
Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!sdd.hp.com!col.hp.com!news.dtc.hp.com!hpscit.sc.hp.com!hplextra!otter.hpl.hp.com!otter!cal
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Lines: 27

I have a problem which might appeal to the older Atari user. It is a
bug which has been driving me nuts for years, and if I don't get a
fix I'm going to fill my hard disk full of gunpowder and mail it to
Atari.

First, the system. It is one of the "black brick" 520s with external
power and an external floppy. It has been upgraded to 1 Mbyte. It has
been completely, utterly reliable in every respect EXCEPT for the

Atari SH204 Hard Disk which I have had for several years, but rarely use
because there is a bug in the system software which results in a partition
being completely buggered on a regular basis. The symptom is that
all the filenames become something like "zzzzzzzz.zzz", and most
of the files are completely filled with garbage. I have to zero the
partition to resume. It has happened on all my partitions at one time or
another. It has happened three times today.

I am using the Atari supplied AHDI Hard Disk driver, dated 16th. June
1986. Is this the well known 40 folder problem? I am using an Atari
supplied utility to add an additional 100 folders, and despite taking
reasonable precautions to avoid encountering folders, I still get this bloody
bug.

If this stirs a flicker of a memory, and you know of a fix, please let
me know, and I'll donate some money to Greenpeace ;-)

Colin Low