CompuServe Thread

#T-3301

10 messages in this thread
#35787From: Frederik LindbergJan 3, 1993 7:26 PM
Hi: I just received (with the OS/2 2.1 beta CD from IBM) an offer to buy the Toshiba XM-3301 or the Toshiba "Porta-drive" T-3301. Drives are discounted to $400/450 (int/ext) with an additional $100 for the adapter ($120 for parallel port adapter). I would much appreciate if anyone could tell me: 1) Is this a good deal? 2) Is the T-3401 available? I'm using a friends Sony at the moment. Plan to use CD-ROM for future installation of OS/2, WinNT(???), occasional games and for reading CD-ROM version of journal (J. Biological Chemistry now on CD-ROM!). The offer is sent to anyone ordering the CD from IBM (at $15), so your answer should hopefully be interesting to others as well. Thanks, Fred
#35789From: Steve LibertyJan 3, 1993 8:15 PM
I bought my XM 3301B for $369 or $379 (I forget which). It was a very good price at the time, so $400 isn't bad. But get a real good controller. For the sake of compatibility, it will make all of the difference in the world. I bought the Adaptec 1542b. Steve
#35910From: Frederik LindbergJan 4, 1993 10:18 PM
> But get a real good controller. > I bought the Adaptec 1542b. Steve Thanks for the info, Steve! I contacted CD-Technology, and they are willing to substitute the T-3401 for the T-3301 (with the OS/2 offer), for an additional $50. Given your info on the T-3301, the new offer should be good too. I'll get the T-3401. I'm not quite clear on the SCSI-controller part. A 8-bit (on CPU side) controller (no-name) is offered with the drive for $100. I suppose compatibility shouldn't be an issue. Will an 8-bit controller degrade the 300kb/s transfer rate? If I might look for a SCSI HDD in the future, do I need a better controller? Would the Adaptec 1542b be adequate for this as well? Last but not least, what would a reasonable price be for this controller? Sorry about all these Qs. I really appreciate the help! Sincerely, Fred
#35927From: Steve LibertyJan 5, 1993 5:13 AM
One example of a compatibility problem is Windows NT. While it will work with the Future Domain 850, it only works on IRQ5. The Adaptec 1542b works on any IRQ under NT. Other incompatibilities are bound to exist now, or down the road. As for performance, with a hard disk I would definitely suggest a 16bit mastering controller or better. Wither the 300Kbps CDROM, I am not sure that it will make much diference. I know that the 150Kbps CDROM drives cannot keep up with a faster controller. Price for the 1542b is in the 200+ range depending upon the software it includes (drivers and such). Steve
#36032From: Frederik LindbergJan 5, 1993 10:52 PM
>Price for the 1542b is in the 200+ range. Thanks Steve! Will have to think about the old $ vs flexibilty again. /Fred
#35933From: RolandJan 5, 1993 7:41 AM
Hello Steve, I am using an Adaptec AHA1542b for my harddrives and the XM3301B is attached at the future domain 850. Since now I've failed to get rid of the FD850 and connect the XM3301B to my Adaptec for the aspidisk.sys wont load because there is no other partitioned drive. Is there a way (a driver to load) to use the CDROM just with the Adaptec without the bundled FD850 ? MSCDEX wont run since there is no valid CDROM driver installed. I didn't get any driber (*.sys) from Toshiba for the AHA1542b. Who can help me? Thanx, Roland
#35938From: Albert DayesJan 5, 1993 8:38 AM
Have you tried CORELscsi drivers? They work with Adaptec and you can contact COREL right here on Compuserve. (GO COREL).
#35989From: Steve LibertyJan 5, 1993 6:07 PM
I don't have any SCSI hard drives on my system yet (I will soon though), but I use the XM3301b with the Adaptec 1542b by using the ASPI driver from Adaptec, and the CDROM driver from CorelSCSI. It works like a charm. Steve
#35889From: Bill SimonsenJan 4, 1993 8:03 PM
I'm quite happy with my 3301, it tests out at 295 ms access rate on my system, and runs multimedia quite well. $400 sounds like a good price. I have heard that the 3401 is due out in February. -Bill
#35911From: Frederik LindbergJan 4, 1993 10:18 PM
> have heard that the 3401 is due out in February. Thanks Bill! I'm constantly amazed about the rapid, friendly, and to-the-point replies in this medium. Please cf my reply to Steve Liberty. Sincerely, Fred