On April 7, you wrote:
> My RD53 is sick. Does anyone have a utility that will low-level
> format the drive?

  You need the [rare] DEC Field Service diagnostic tape to do this.
The only other alternative (which is what I use) is to find a
MicroVAX-2000 (small, very cheap lunchbox-sized vax) which has an
RD/RX formatter in ROM.  The only formatting difference is the '2000
sets the interleave differently than the diag tape/rqdx3 combo, but I
doubt you'd notice it on a MicroVAX-II-based system.


                     -Dave McGuire
                      mcguire@digex.net