Windows NT won't read from Jaz drive

[dnt810]

I Have a computer at work that is running Windows NT 4.0 SP3. It has the hard drive and Iomega Jaz drive running from a SCSI drive interface. It can see (and tries to read from) the Jaz drive, but it always errors out with a "Device not Ready" error after a few minutes.

I tried changing the drive itself, and the cabling. Still no go. I know the discs themselves are good as I can read them from another NT PC just fine.

I thought maybe its the adapter itself, but the SCSI init runs fine with no errors during boot. I disconnect the drive and it disappears from the explorer list, reconnect it and it re-appears, but still won't read from it.

Any ideas on what I'm missing??

Thanks,
Don T.

 

[nj_computer_repair]

What's a jaz drive? j/k Haven't heard that term in a while!

If you tried a different drive, cable and know the discs are good, def. try a different adapter. Could be an issue with NT - Just curious, why are you running NT in 2010?

 

[vdub12]

What's a jaz drive? j/k Haven't heard that term in a while!

If you tried a different drive, cable and know the discs are good, def. try a different adapter. Could be an issue with NT - Just curious, why are you running NT in 2010?

My next question would have been are the workstations windows 95?

 

[dnt810]

LoL, I'm not running NT, but I work in a wafer fab and the robotic tools I'm required to repair are really old in some cases, and yes, the computers running them are THAT old.... I even repair some that run on MS-DOS 6.22!!

Haha... I tried a driver I downloaded from Iomega support, but the driver requires NT SP4 or later, and this dumb thing is only SP3. I can't just update the OS, as we don't know whether the specialized software running the fab process will work or crash after the upgrade.

-Don T.

 

[anonymous Mac Tech]

If I remember correctly Windows NT was Microsoft's bastardized version of Windows that supported only FAT16 and the early NTFS4.0. I say no wonder its having problems communicating with any devices.

 

[nj_computer_repair]

I work in a wafer fab and the robotic tools I'm required to repair are really old

You would think that with wafer fab, the technology would be top of the line but I guess not. LOL. I know exactly what you mean though, they make these applications super specific where you can't update the OS whatsoever or the app will not work any more.

Is there any chance you can re-install NT or would that be too much of a pain?

 

[Xander]

I'm gonna ask: Given the obvious age of the Jaz drive (one of my customers has one built-in but had no idea what it was), do you know the Jaz drive isn't the problem?

 

[dnt810]

I'm gonna ask: Given the obvious age of the Jaz drive (one of my customers has one built-in but had no idea what it was), do you know the Jaz drive isn't the problem?

Yes, I tried three of them, including one that was working just fine in another NT computer this morning.

I'm leaning toward a problem with the OS, or the adapter itself. I just haven't seen a SCSI adapter fail like this before... they usually either see the drives or not, I haven't run into one that saw the drive but couldn't read it before...

LoL... I need a way to rule out one or the other, while I have several of these drives, I'd have to pull a replacement SCSI adapter from the other computer or see if I can find one online. We don't have an available spare lying around. Just my luck. Keeps the job interesting though. Keep in mind, all this time the tool is down and the manufacturing group can't process wafers on it. The other backup tool can't handle the capacity all by itself. What a fun job!!

Re-installing the OS would be a pain, because I'd also have to re-install all of the other processing software and then calibrate the optics, retrain the robot movement points AND restore the recipie database. Fun, fun.

-Don

 

[Alan22]

Just curious, why are you running NT in 2010?

There are many legacy systems out there. I do work for businesses still running Windows 98, NT and 2000. They spent alot of money when these systems were purchased and they are squeezing every last bit of life out of them. In some cases, with the software they're running, the software authors have been long out of business. But, it works and to migrate to a new platform would be a nightmare.....a nightmare they'll eventually need to face though.

 

[vdub12]

There are many legacy systems out there. I do work for businesses still running Windows 98, NT and 2000. They spent alot of money when these systems were purchased and they are squeezing every last bit of life out of them. In some cases, with the software they're running, the software authors have been long out of business. But, it works and to migrate to a new platform would be a nightmare.....a nightmare they'll eventually need to face though.

NASA a few years ago started raiding thrift stores for old 8088's because the space shuttle still operates on them. Its the only processor that they can use that does not require a cooling system and can operate in space to there specifications.

Hey on this jaz drive did you make sure the terminator is not messed up?

 

[Bobbing]

Re-installing the OS would be a pain, because I'd also have to re-install all of the other processing software and then calibrate the optics, retrain the robot movement points AND restore the recipie database. Fun, fun.

-Don

Why dont you image it and then update? If there are any problems with what you try, then revert back.

 

[vdub12]

You know that gave me an idea.

This might be totally off the wall but since these systems have to run on an old OS why not build one server and virtualize all the individual NT servers.

That way you can run updated hardware and keep the antiquated operating systems. The best part is you can virtualize 6 or 7 of the NT servers on one box.

Then when a problem arises all you have to do is restore a snapshot and your back in business, could take less then 10 minutes to be back on line.

 

[dnt810]

Why dont you image it and then update? If there are any problems with what you try, then revert back.

Yup, I threw an image onto another disk and was experimenting with it on a desktop PC today. Tested three different drives and found all with the same issue, can't read the disks. (I did find a bad cable going to the drive on the tool, also tried another adapter.)

I think the disks we're trying to use have been destroyed, they're all pretty old. They were originally used to back up the tool databases, but they haven't been used in years. The only reason we need this tool's drive working is that the tool support vendor says he needs it to re-install the processsing software. (longer story than I want to tell here)

Yesterday I took the word of one of my colleages that the drive and disk he gave me was working. I put it on the same setup he "tested" it with today and got the same issue, drive is detected but nothing can be read. This is on the test PC, not the tool PC, so that appears to rule out hardware except for the bad cable I found.

 

[dnt810]

DuH!! I knew I was missing something, dug up an old post in the Microsoft support forums...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/222871

So, apparently I need to try rebooting with a Jaz cartridge IN the drive already.
I'm 90% sure this is the fix, I tried about everything else hardware wise and this fits the symptoms. "So simple... a caveman can do it!!"

-Don