[Rob Jarratt] Thanks for the tip. I tried what I think is DS3 but it seems to make no difference, whatever I do this is what I get: KA410-A RDver VSmsv_QUE_unitno (0-1) ? 0 VSmsv_STS_Siz .???? VSmsv_RES_ERR #2 84 FAIL The error is immediate, I hear no head movement, no lights flash on the drive, it just spins. It is as if it was not recognising its presence at all. I suppose it could be the drive electronics, but I have no easy way of knowing that. Regards Rob

and Indeed, I am hoping to format it, but at the moment when I try that all I get is this: KA410-A RDRXfmt VSfmt_QUE_unitno (0-2) ? 0 VSfmt_STS_Siz .?? VSfmt_RES_ERR #2 84 FAIL And this is after setting the jumper for DS3 (if I have got my reading of the jumper orientation correct). Regards Rob

Just for curiosity, do you believe that the new setting is DS3? I don't have an RD31, let alone a MicroVAX 2000. But if DS3 is required, that would confirm my assumption that all DEC systems use DS3 for the RD5n and RD3n drives. WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If two hard drives are being installed in a BA23 box using either a SIX button front panel or other means to enable the second drive to be recognized (I built one for myself out of diodes, resistors and switches), then ONLY the first drive is set for DS3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The SECOND hard drive MUST be set for DS4 in a BA23 box regardless of which DSn is used when it is formatted. If both drives are not WRITE PROTECTED when you attempt to use them, BOTH formats will be lost, probably along with any files that were present. (I still remember the moment when I lost both formats on a BA23 box over 25 years ago after I forgot to switch the second drive to DS4 after it had just been formatted by itself in the box using DS3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) With a BA123 box, the same DS3 setting is ALWAYS used since there is a separate dual distribution board in the 13th slot. That board can hold a total of four drives, including 2 hard drives and two floppy drives or 4 hard drives or maybe 4 floppy drives - although I can't remember how that would be done. Note that each hard drive also requires its own switch panel as well. Since there is room for 2 dual distribution boards, a total of 8 hard drives can be installed for two MSCP controllers, although the user would need to find a place for the additional four switch panels for the second MSCP controller on a BA123. Jerome Fine

Thank you for the information. It confirms what I expected. It certainly is much easier to have 2, 3 and even 4 hard drives. I just looked at my BA123 which I rarely use these days. It has an RQDX3 and an RQDX2 so that I can transfer files between drives which have the different formats. This saved making a copy to a tape first, then formatting the drive and making a copy back. I continued to use the RD53 drives for a while to perform benchmarks during the 1990s. The RD53 drive was about 25% slower than an EDSI drive like the Maxstor 8760E or the Hitachi DK515. SCSI drives were about the same speed as the ESDI drives when used with the CMD host adapters. At this point, RD53 drives should not be used except for scratch. Rarely, I hear of an RD53 that still works unless the sticky bumper has been removed. IN FACT, there are actually 5 switch panels on that BA123 with a blank space for an additional switch panel which only needs the hole cut and a place for the bolt used to anchor the switch panel. So assuming that I attached an RX50 dual drive to the RQDX2, that would be sufficient switch panels to support both the RQDX3 with 4 hard drives and the RQDX2 with 2 hard drives and the dual RX50 drive. It is probably not going to happen at this point, but back when I used that box quite a bit, it would have been useful. Jerome Fine

And it Is It is not labelled RD31 and may have been used in a completely different system, probably a PC. I am happy to enter all the TEST 70 parameters (found a link for this), but it does not prompt me, it gives an error and then just exits the test. Regards Rob

On 2012-12-31 02:46, P Gebhardt wrote: DEC drives had a specific table for the bad block. If the controller doesn't find the table, it assumes that it is not a DEC drive. So if you used the drive on a non DEC system, and low level formatted it (very low actually ;-) ) and removed the information, you have to enter the parameter by hand :(