[rescue] Anybody remember MFM? (Durango Poppy II problem)

[Walter Belgers]

Hi Curtis,

> MFM (and RLL) formatting was not standardized across controllers.  Format
> your drive on a WD controller, and move it to blah controller and it
> won't work... you need to low level format to match the controller.

Ah, I didn't know.

> In this case you need to find out how low level formatting is supposed to
> be performed.

I found a 'test disk' with some tools, but any tool that tries to
read/write the harddisk fails, so the controller is probably broke.

> It sounds like the system has a bridge controller... either SASI or SCSI
> to MFM.  Is there any information on the bridge controller.  Adaptec
> made a SCSI->MFM bridge (Sun used these in Sun-2 and early Sun-3).
> Emulex may have also made one.  Xebec made a SASI->MFM bridge.

There is some sort of ISA backplane, in which there are CPU, memory,
floppy controller, disk controller boards. The disk controller is marked
'Molecular Systems korea'. 

> Low level formatting is probably done through some utility, possibly
> booted off of a diagnostic disc, or since this is PC based,

Probably one of the programs (they all have cryptical names) that fails
to read/write the disc.

> >Why not? SCSI-2 drives should work on a SCSI-1 controller?
> If it is SCSI... it could be SASI.

Hm, then I guess I'm out of luck.

Thanks,
Walter.
-- 
Walter Belgers         "Si hoc signum legere potes, operis boni in rebus
walter at belgers.com       Latinis alacribus et fructuosis potiri potes!"