Setting up a 160 Meg Apple SCSI drive

[richard]

I am trying to install a 160meg scsi drive into my A500 HD8

The GVP FastPrep recognises the drive but cant format or do anything with it.

I have tried low level formats, which failed until I changed the SCSI ID from 0 to 1.

Now the drive says that it has one partition. But when I tried to format it, Fastprep says there have to be at least one partition.

Is this Apple drive different to other disks? Should I use different software?

Thanks :-D

[LP]

Setting up HD's isn't my strong side, but I've heard millions of times in here that you DO NOT low level format a HD... So that's maybe why it acts so wierd...

[Amiga4k]

Low level formatting can be performed on SCSI, not IDE/EIDE drives. Understanding the differences, explaining it, is more complicated.

What AmigaDOS is this A500?
The GVP install disk is autoboot, so you should not have your AmigaDOS install disk in use.
In more complicated situations, a patched install disk, with added GVP file can cure the problem.

[richard]

My A500+ is using WB2.04, and I got the latest GVP disk from the net.

The lowlevel format works ok, and the disk appears to have a partition on it (or multiple partitions). But it isnt possible to format it. Also when I read the drive information back, it claims there isnt a partition.

This is becomming frustrating. The GVP tools all recognise the drive without any problems etc. I just cant format/set it up.

[Linchpin]

Apparently low level formatting is to be done once at the factory only, and doing it again can damage the drive.....

[Markus_Bieler]

Try this:

Use HD-Toolbox and enter as tooltyp "scsi_device_name=GVPscsi.device"

start hd-toolbox and read the config.

make a partition and fillup the reserved blocks with filesystms till there is no more space. This will overwrite data comimg fromthe mac which could cause trouble on the amigaside.

If this won't help just make once again a lowlevelfomat (still with hd-toolbox).

SACSI hds will perform a secure lowlevel if the manufacto alows it. If the manufactor doesn't allow it, then lowlevelformating will stop imediatly (just within seconds)

Markus

[richard]

Ok, thanks. I will try the HD_Toolbox first.

FYI: The GVP lowlevel format takes about 2min. So I am assuming that it works ok.

[Markus_Bieler]

Setting up HD's isn't my strong side, but I've heard millions of times in here that you DO NOT low level format a HD... So that's maybe why it acts so wierd...

SCSI disk are smart enough to allow it or to deny. With IDE drives you should be cautios because it could be that you have to enter all the data of defective blocks etc. manualy.

The newer hds just pretend to do it but won't do it.

Performing a verify after lowlevel can cure most troubles