a2aviator{at}gmail.com wrote:
> I have a couple of Xebec Trustor drives, these are pre-Sider
> manufactured, though actually the date codes on them overlap that of
> what I have in the Sider collection too.
> 
> The one in question, after fixing the controller card issue I found, I
> am able to still only access the drive and get an immediate I/O
> error.
> 
> Patching DOS 3.3 and going in from the outside produces the same
> result on any of the (estimated) volumes within the drive.
> 
> The Trustor is very similar to the Sider except that the Sider is a
> more completed product for the simpler end-user, where as the Trustor
> required some knowledge to set them up.
> 
> the Trustor can be setup with SiderWare, as well- but you will end up
> with the same wasted partitions that SiderWare gives you - unless you
> do it manually, and that includes all the drive geometry and entering
> the defect list manually.
> 
> My question is, this:
> 
> I'm getting a "NON-MEDIA ERROR 8A" on the drive access when using the
> diagnostics that come on the Sider. The drive seeks and accesses. It's
> a Quantum 540 based drive. It does come ready on it's own, it's not
> making any weird noises, etc.
> 
> Spins up, re-calibrates and waits.

Have you ruled out cable/connector issues?  This sounds like a
command error.

-michael

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