[svlug] Quantum Drives 12 gigs and Linux client for Winframe?

[Javilk]

> > I am not sure if this is appropriate to post here but I have a contact
> > to a local recycling company in Sunnyvale that is offering me 12 G Quantum drives
> > (recycled 30 day warranty, 17 left in stock) for $190.00 plus tax (wholesale price).
> 
> are these IDE or scsi-2 or scsi-3 ???
> why do they have so many disks ?

    The real question, is why they are surplus.

     Drives become surplus for several reasons:
 
        * Overpurchase.  OEM bought XXXX, but only made XXXX-zzz devices.
            These are the ones you want!  
            Well... if they are not special firmware modifications.
        * End of production run / Model change
            These are often good bargains 
        * Parametric failures.  Something isn't giving the spec'd timing
            + Bad spots on the drive 
            + Logic slightly out of spec, bus noise, etc
            + vibration reject -- bearings/platters not balanced
            + Buffer failure on larger blocks
            + Firmware incompatibilities, non-critical
            + Firmware bugs
        * Dumpster diver special -- Manufacturer threw them out, but
            a dumpster diver picked them out of the trash 
        * Stolen
   
     It is important to check the serial numbers with the manufacturer to
see if these are rejects or special mod firmware items.  A lot of dumpster
divers will recycle the drives in the trash, rather than have them
processed for the scrap metal content. I've been burned on the surplus and
fea markets before. Some of these surplus drives seem ok, and in thirty
days or so, start developing excessive timeouts, then burn up a chip. 
Others just display excessive bad spots when you do a surface scan.  Just
powering a drive up isn't enough, though it helps.  If you do power up,
wait for a little while, as a drive can power up, spin a while, then power
down if the logic can't read the track or sector address data.  It may
then try to power up several times under the assumption that the platters
did not spin up to the proper speed.

     The fact you have a 30 day warranty is very good, but do make sure it
is a refund, not an exchange warranty, so you don't just exchange one
problem for another. Verify that the packaging is the original
manufacturer's packaging, even if open; and not just any old antistatic
bag sealed by the guy selling it to you.

     And remember, it isn't the drive that is expensive; it is your data,
and your time.  12 gig of data is a LOT of data to lose!

- javilk at mall-net.com -----------------------------
-------- MS asks "Where do you want to go?" -------
------- Linux asks "What do you want to do?" ------
-- It is doers, not goers, who built this world! --
--------- Member: http://www.svlug.org/ -----------

--
echo "unsubscribe svlug" | mail majordomo at svlug.org
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ to unsubscribe
see http://www.svlug.org/mdstuff/lists.shtml for posting guidelines.