ST-251 Drives as RLL?

[Karl Denninger]

In article <117 at mnopltd.UUCP> gatech!stiatl!mnopltd!neal writes:
>
>->good to reformat an MFM drive as RLL or not.  I am interested if anyone
>->out there has taken an Seagate ST-251 42MB 40ms MFM drive, and formatted
>
>Yes. This will work.  For 5 months and 27 days.   It will roll over and die
>with skillions of bad blocks at 6 months.   Anyone who tells you otherwise
>is either a computer dealer who has been in business for less than 6 months
>or someone who doesn't really use his machine.  

We have several 251's here that have survived in excess of a year running
RLL.  In fact, not >one< has ever failed to hold a format once it got past
the first 24 hours.

We don't count the one that was physically damaged by having the machine
tossed across the room while turned on (I don't think that counts :-).
There is one here that won't hold a format -- but it dies within a few hours
of power-off when it cools down.

EVERY other drive we've ever tried (251) has formatted and played RLL --
some for more than 2 years.  No trouble at all, and only one or two grown
bad blocks over that time (which happens with about the same frequency on
those which we have MFM).

It will, however, void your warranty with Seagate :-)

--
Karl Denninger (karl at ddsw1.MCS.COM, <well-connected>!ddsw1!karl)
Public Access Data Line: [+1 708 566-8911], Voice: [+1 708 566-8910]
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