On Tue, 5 Nov 1996, Brad Walker wrote:

> > > > DEC doesn't make drives these days.  Most often, they put their BIOS on a
> > > > Quantum disk, like they used to put a DEC label on their Micropolis disks.
> > 
> >  What is called OEM'ing.
> > 
> 
> 
> for those of us in the audience who are uninformed, could someone
> please explain to me what the problems with the DEC drive are..
> 

Umm... because "they suck"...

My DEC DSP3105 (1GB) is only a few years old, yet it has 436 bad blocks
mapped out by the drive (my old Quantum LPS52 still doesn't have a single
one!) When I first got it (used), I made the mistake of touching it after
it had been on for about an hour.  Gave me a blood blister because it was
so hot.  I now have one of those 6" Radio Shack fans mounted over it so I
can access the 1st and 2nd platters... w/o it, the first 200MB of the
drive is almost unusable.  

The drive sounds like a jumbo-jet taking off when it first spins up, makes
a constant whining noise when its spinning, and sounds like a building
falling apart in an earthquake when its being accessed.  (ie, its loud)


Note that DEC's high end of drives is totally different... they are
actually quite nice, but Quantum did not buy that line.  8)