-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces at
classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctalk-bounces at
classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Ethan Dicks
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 2:41 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: Repairing original AT hard disk
On 5/29/07, Julian Wolfe <fireflyst at earthlink.net> wrote:
So, I 've got this IBM AT, which is strangely
enough,
fairly rare in
its currently equipped form (EGA, 30M HDD).
I'd like to keep it
original if possible. There is a weird problem with the
hard disk.
When I turn the machine on, the hard disk makes
this 'CLOK' sound,
like the head is trying to retract or something but can't.
One CLOK or multiple CLOKs?
Just one.
When the machine tries to boot the hard disk, it
just sits
there with
the light on and then says it had a seek error or
could not
detect the
disk.
OK... that's consistent with the drive not coming up right.
Any ideas what's wrong? Is it supposed to
make that noise when you
turn it on? It's awfully loud.
I have heard loud noises on startup from Priam V60 drives,
but that's the headlock releasing. Seagates didn't make loud noises.
Not a seagate. This is an actual IBM disk.
Otherwise the platters spin freely and quietly,
no bearing
noise there.
Good.
There isn't a head lock on this drive is
there?
What drive? An ST-251? I don't know what they shipped and
called 30MB, if it was an ST-238 (RLL version of ST-225), or
some other drive, or even an ST-251 restricted to 30MB for
marketing reasons.
The only way to know what noises are normal is to know what
brand and model of drive you have. There are natural
variations that can be easily explained away when one knows
what one has.
This is an IBM brand drive, and after doing some reading, I found out
IBM-brand drives of this era DO NOT park the heads in a landing zone, they
actually retract them. (Perhaps like the Priam disk you refer to)
Would someone on this list with a clean box be willing to unstick the heads
for me if it comes to that?