CompuServe Messages

Fred, Attatching an external drive usually isn't any great hassle (assuming you have the appropriate SCSI cables available). Are you using an external housing for your other drives? (such as a Flight Recorder or similar tower) Assuming that you are, and that you were issued one of the Newtek "octopus" sacsi cable assemblies here are the steps. WITH POWER OFF TO YOUR HD's AND FLYER. Attatch one of the three octopus cables to the external drive, then use a SCSI cable (centronic style male at both ends) to run from the external drive into the drive tower which contains your other drives. Make certain that the SCSI address of this new HD conforms to the protocol that NT specifies for the SCSI chain. In other words, if adding a new drive to the "B" SCSI chain where one already exists, then you would first verify (by using the Flyer format utility) that the existing drive is using SCSI address 0. Then you would physically remove the termination from that drive (remember to power off the unit first). Then make certain that the new drive you are attatching externally is set for SCSI address 1 and that it is terminated. There are usually physical terminating resistors or a jumper that will set termination for you. There are also jumpers on the drive itself which will cjange the SCSI address. On most externally installed drives, these jumpers are attatched to externally mounted switches that can be used to set the SCSI address. A few things to remember: Your Flyer expects to see all Video capable drives to be on SCSI chains A & B, and all audio (and other SCSI storage devices not used for video) to reside on SCSI channel C.) It is possible (and some times desireable) to use a seperate SCSI controller to address SCSI devices that are not being used for Flyer audio/video purposes. In which case, the procedures I describe below are not required. Once you have added the drive to the desired SCSI channel, it will need to be formatted by the Flyer format utility (assuming that it is either a FLyer audio or video drive). Before the Flyer can recognize this new drive, you will need to add a device driver and reboot the machine. To add a device driver, locate the system drive on your computer and the storage/dos drivers drawer. open it on the workbench screen or use a utility such as Directory Opus to examine the directory of the drive. You will then open the devs/dos drivers drawer. The required device driver that you are looking for is specific to the SCSI chain and physical address of the new drive. As an example.. If you are attatching the new drive to the "B" channel, and there already is one drive present (using FB0 as it's device driver) then you would copy or move the file called FB1 from the storage/dos drivers drawer into the devs/dos drivers drawer. This would correspond to the SCSI address 1 that you have set for the new drive that you have attatched to drive channel B. Remember that when you use the Flyer format utility, you will have the oppourtunity to give a name to the drive that will be used by Amigados and the Flyer to access the drive. Once you name the drive, be certain not to change it anytime afterwards, or it's highly probable that your software will no longer mount or recognize the drives contents of previously saved projects. If you are using some sort of all-in-one casing (such as a Toaster oven) you will not have the octopus cable and the procedure will vary somewhat from the one I described. In this instance you may need to purchase or make a special ribbon cable that will attach to conventional SCSI/centronics style connectors. Frank