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Conference 7.286::atarist

Title:Atari ST, TT, & Falcon
Notice:Please read note 1.0 and its replies before posting!
Moderator:FUNYET::ANDERSON
Created:Mon Apr 04 1988
Last Modified:Tue May 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1433
Total number of notes:10312

945.0. "SUPRA 40MB hard drive, autoboot fails, crashes!" by TYTAN::MISKINIS () Sun Aug 26 1990 03:27

    Hello,
    
    	My friend just purchased a SUPRA 40MB hard drive for his ST
    after becoming frustrated with the speed/capacity of the floppy.
    I have an SH204 myself, so I'm a little ignorant on the subject
    of SUPRA's products...
    
    	He copied a few accessories to C:, and now it crashes during
    the boot, thus retrying, crashing, etc...  The manual says that
    you can get in a "back door" by turning the computer on with CTRL,
    SHIFT, and ALT held in simultaneously, and boot from a floppy,
    thus not autobooting from the SUPRA hard drive...
    
    	This doesn't seem to work, as it looks at the floopy, but then
    boots from the hard drive...
    
    	Is anybody familiar with how to repair the C: directory when it
    contains a desk accesory that crashes?  We tried turning the computer
    on with the drive off (but connected) and it didn't want to boot from
    the floppy...
    
    	Any ideas/clues?
    
    MANY thanks in advance,
    
    _John_  (who just spent about in hour in OLD_ATARIST and here looking
    	     for info!)
                                                          
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945.1his problem is solved...AISG::MISKINISMon Aug 27 1990 06:535
    OK, he's up and running now...  He was typing "c" instead of "C" for
    the disk identifer...  BUT, I figured I'd leave the note, in case
    anyone has information to share on the 40MB or any SUPRA drives...
    
    _John_
945.2My supra back door worked finePAULJ::HARRIMANDeb in AirMon Aug 27 1990 20:3310

	Hmm. I've had a 30MB Supra drive for a couple of years now, and
	I've had very little trouble with it. However, I also made a backup
	copy of the supra system utilities onto a floppy - that way you can
	still get at the disk by booting from the floppy, then installing the
	disk, then going after the offending program (usually in your AUTO
	folder). I haven't had to do this in almost two years though.

	/pjh
945.3War stories from Supra owners???VINO::OCONNORPassion & WarfareThu Sep 20 1990 13:407
    Anybody else out there got a supra?  I'm looking at buying one and I'm
    looking for comments on how well they work and how good is the software
    etc.
    
    Thanks in advance
    
    Joe
945.4My opinion is mixedPRNSYS::LOMICKAJJeffrey A. LomickaFri Sep 21 1990 15:1813
I once called Supra tech support to buy a replacement power supply for
a 30MB RLL drive that had a fried supply, and they said "I'm sorry, we
have a policy of not selling parts to customers.  If you want it fixed,
you must send the whole drive back io us, and if it is indeed the
supply, it will cost $60 plus shipping."

While the price was good, I thought the policy stunk. I picked a supply
out of my junk pile that fit, and run with that.  It doesn't fit the
factory mounting holes, but it fits inside the box and it works.

If it's second hand at a good price, go for it, otherwise get something
ICD based from Toad.  ICD's driver software is the best in the industry. 
(Although Atari's is getting pretty good too.)
945.5They are smallPRNSYS::LOMICKAJJeffrey A. LomickaFri Sep 21 1990 15:191
One advantage of the Supra drives is that they are smaller than anyone else's.
945.6UPWARD::SANDERSBResist much, Obey littleFri Sep 21 1990 19:4925
        I agree with Jeff that they are indeed smaller, they are also not
        expandable, so one disk is the max you can put into one case.
        
        My mom has a Supra that went bad after a couple of years of
        continous use - the drive itself, not anything else.  So she is
        out looking to upgrade the drive from a 30 mB to a 40 mB.  I
        haven't talked with her lately, but I don't think it is going
        back to Supra, rather just get a drive and stuff it into the box.
        
        I put together an ICD based system last year and it has been
        working great.  I got a cabinet from another vendor, but the Atsi
        to SCSI interface, Adaptec st506 interface and cables all came
        from ICD through my local vendor.  My only complaint is the small
        size of the ICD Atsi interface board wouldn't fit the standard
        board mounts in my case.
        
        The funny thing is that even with the slow drive I have - rates
        at 83 ms avg. according to ICD's testing tool, the overall
        transfer rate is 309k/s which is faster than the poor folks over
        in the Amiga conference can achieve with expensive screaming fast
        drives.  But then, there are other tradeoffs to the Atari, so I
        guess it really is all relative.
        
        Bob