SCSI Experts HELP

[NOSOUP4U]

I'm trying to get the following setup to work: one internal Panasonic scsi CDR writer, one ultra wide Advansys scsi controller, and one external Sony backup tape drive.

Right now, all the devices are recognized by Windows 98. The Panasonic drive works great, and it recognized by windows. The Sony tape drive is recognized by Windows in the System Properties window, and shows no conflicts. HOWEVER, there isn't a drive assigned to the tape drive, and I can't access the drive, either by trying to read data on a tape we have or by writing to it.

I have the tape drive terminated, and I believe the cdr writer is also terminated. Is that the proper set up? How do I get the tape drive to work? What could I be doing wrong? Any help or suggestions would be GREATLy appreciated!

 

[Zach]

Tape drives don't get drive letters. Are you using backup software that can use tape drives? Also, make sure the Advasnsys is set to auto-terminate.

 

[TheBigZ]

Hope you don't mind if I piggyback on your topic. I too have a scsi isssue maybe someone has some insight on.

I have a 9g scsi drive in one of my spare machines. A few months back I shut the machine down & sat it in a corner. The other day I yanked it out to use in another box. I tried to use the bios util to low level the drive, but I noticed that the led on the drive was blinking slow and steady. That told me it wasn't formatting. So I interrupted it and tried a surface test. It gives an error. It's the only scsi device, on the end of the cable, termination double checked, tried on a different machine... there's only one other option left. Someone give me another suggestion other than the drive somehow mysteriously died while it was just sittin there.

 

[Warrenton]

Yep tape drives don't get drive letters. You have to use software to access them. Backup programs.

And for the other question, are you positive it was not formatting?

 

[Zach]

Give it at least a couple hours to try and format before deciding, unless you are absolutly positive about how the LED behaves while formatting. If it's responding to the format command and actually doing something, I'd be hard-pressed to believe that you could determine something's wrong with it without waiting for it to try to finish.

 

[TheBigZ]

But shouldn't the surface test run even if it's not formatted? We're talkin about the test in the scsi bios, not in the os. That's what's throwin me off here, if it can't see the drive for a surface test, how's it gonna see it to format it. "See" is is a bad term I guess, becuase the bios does "see" the drive and identifies it correctly... it just gives an error when I run the test.

 

[Zach]

Oh, I didn't know you were using a BIOS surface test.. destructive one too, I bet? I always wanted to try one of those, my card doesn't support it. Anyway, maybe triple-check things, and it might be worth trying/buying another cable, with the cost of SCSI drives.. that does change things though. I'd still give it time for a low-level or two, just to be sure... you never know and it's only time you're wasting.