CompuServe Messages

Roy I've been reading your messages on trying to hook up your external harddrive. It sounds very much like the problem I had hooking up an external tape drive. My two internal drives are set up the same as you have yours set up. I'm using a GVP controller in an Amiga 2000. When I first hooked the tape drive up, the computer wouldn't even boot most of the time and when it did I got all sorts of warnings about bad blocks on both internal drives. I was using a 3 foot scsi cable with the terminations right on the tape drive. I sent for a 6 foot cable and an external termination plug. The longer cable solved the bootup problem, if I removed the terminations on the tape drive, but I couldn't get a complete backup tape made without the computer hanging. The external termination plug always caused a 'no bootup'. I tried installing the tape drive in the computer with the number two hard drive external, again warnings of bad blocks on the hard drives. When I put everything back, drives internal – tape external, the computer wouldn't bootup at all if the tape drive was hooked up with the 6 foot cable which had, at least, kind of worked before. Believe me I understand you frustration! I tried the 3 foot cable again and – It Worked! So I tried it with the 3 foot cable and the termination but No Go. I know this isn't the way it's supposed to be but at least it works. Why did it start to work with a cable that it would not work with before? Either reseating the cards and connectors in the computer or possibly I slightly changed the routing of the internal scsi cable. Why will it work with a 3 foot cable and not a 6 foot cable? Perhaps with no terminaton, the cable is acting as an antenna and I am tuning it pick up or not pick up outside noise by changing the length. Why won't it work with the external bus terminated? Damned if I know! Why does scsi it ever work? Voodoo I think. There was one thing that I found that in my case didn't help but is something to check. Be sure that the drive frame is connected to the ground lug built into the external case. Don't count on the mounting screws making a good ground. With the scsi cable hooked up you should see no resistance between the computer chassis and the external drive case and drive frame. I wish I had the answer to your problem, but, if nothing else, know that you're not the Lone Ranger with your scsi problems. Doug Partridge – Helena MT