Need help with SCSI devices and other stuff :)

[MarksmanX 0]

Hi, I am going to purchase a Plextor SCSI CD-ROM drive. I need to know what is the BEST SCSI card for Windows 2000 or that is currenly being supported in RC3. Also, is there a command where I can do a clean format to my primary drive(C ? Comments are welcomed

 

thanks guys

[ByronT 0]

I happen to be partial to Adaptec SCSI cards, but as long as the SCSI card is listed on the HCL, you shouldn't have too many problems. (I'm using a Buslogic/Mylex BT-946C PCI adapter that is older than some of my relatives.)

 

But "BEST"?!?!? Who really knows whose is the best.... HP likes Advansys, Dell likes Adaptec, other companies like others...

 

A command to do a clean format of your primary drive? Format works pretty well for me Maybe I didn't understand the question....

 

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J. Byron Todd

Computer Consultant

byron@toddcomp.com

Todd Computer Solutions

[JimmyK 0]

get a tekram I got a guy running a tekram u2w scuzzi card its EXACTLY the same performance as the adaptec (which is the top of the line) and half the price.

 

hes got 1 plextor 8x burner to it, 1 true pletor 40x cdrom, 4 x 9.1 10k scuzzi drives. its runs beautifully

[YuppieScum 0]

Always get an Adaptec. Every OS is supported, and last I heard the internal MS standard for SCSI on their boxes is Adaptec (network cards are 3COM).

 

Spend the extra cash, and you get a card that will ALWAYS work. Support is superb. (no they're not paying me for this)

 

 

[This message has been edited by YuppieScum (edited 07 December 1999).]

[JimmyK 0]

heh this one Im going to have to disagree with you one Yuppie, with adaptec all ur paying for is the name.... I got 3 suite mates all got scuzzi 1 has a tekram u2w and the other 2 have adaptecs. They all work fine and very similiar if not exact performance.

 

plus the tekram has a faster bootup then the identical adaptec. thats a well known fact plsu I got 3 fellas here to compare with.

 

Anyways the tekram phone support may not be as good as adaptecs (im not sure about this but I think it isnt, that extra 100-150 dollars u pay most probably goes into a lil better phone support) but they have better drivers.

 

I gotta disagree with some stuff u said. When my friend got his tekram he got it because the adaptecs drivers for 98 were VERY buggy and the tekram had much better drivers.. thats why he went with the tekram, plus the exact same adaptec model was $100-160 us dollars more.

 

Khan

[JimmyK 0]

oh yeah another thing just cause MS is using it doesnt mean thats the best they got money to throw around anyways. Like you said they use a 3com nicks, but 3com are elite, but there are many other elite nic card companies, I cant remember them but Ill look around and come back and post them. I know intel also makes good nic cards.

[MarksmanX 0]

Thanks guys for the advice on the SCSI card I think Adaptec looks good I have a 3COM NIC with no problems so far. I guess the name can take you so far? Pay the big bucks and be set with compatability issues Can someone recommend a good adaptec model? JimmyK, that's the Plextor CDR drive I am getting the 8X read/write hehe. ByronT, I meant a clean format in C: drive in NTFS. I know you cannot do it in W2K because there is no DOS prompt ( except for CMD ). But I have no idea how to do a clean format on primary drive that is already NTFS. Thanks for the advice guys

 

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[RoGuE 0]

well i dont know about adaptec or plexwhatever, but i run a symbios controller with 4 9.1 gig seagate barracudas{differential drives} and mine runs flawlessly....extremely fast too

[ByronT 0]

Ahhh... you want to wax the NTFS partition... Well, why didn't you say so?

 

You're right - format can't do the job because the NTFS information sits in the Master Boot Record (I think... it's been a while since I did this.) So what you will need to wax the NTFS partition is something that can see the partition and modify it - Partition Magic can do it - as well as some Linux tools. I seem to recall that if you only have a DOS boot disk, then you can put fdisk on it, delete the partition, then run "fdisk /mbr" (I think!) Fdisk /mbr rewrites the master boot record and removes the references that NT/Win2K puts in there. Then use fdisk again to create a clean FAT or FAT32 partition, format it with DOS, and you're ready to go. I also seem to recall, that fdisking away a NTFS partition and then reinstalling NT (without formatting the drive) will bring back the NTFS partition with all the data that was there previously - a restoration of sorts.

 

Hope this helps - and maybe someone with a better memory can fill in the gaps of my information.

 

Regards...

[YuppieScum 0]

JimmyK - what does it matter if the boot-up time is a bit longer when you only reboot once a month

 

Personally, I will always use Adaptec 'cos they've always been very good to me (the cards, not the company) but you pay your money, and make your choice...

 

Regarding the reformat - you can reformat any non-NT-system-boot volume from the UI - just right click and hit "format". doesn't matter if it's NTFS or FAT.

 

If you want to re-format the boot/system volume - you do it from the "text mode" NT setup interface. From there you can delete, recreate and format a partition.

[FeeDBaCK 0]

I suggest and Adaptec AHA-2940U2W if you are looking for excellent performance. However, the truth is, for a cdrom it is not going to make *any* difference whatsoever. The CD-ROM is *way* slower than the scsi bus, so even a cheap card will do. I personally use an Adaptec AHA-3950U2, AHA-2940U2W, Tekram DC310, and a Symbios Logic (NCR 5c8xxx).

[YuppieScum 0]

A final thought or two...if you're planning to go completely SCSI at some point, it's worth investing a little bit more to get a dual-channel card (of whatever brand).

 

That way, you can keep the slower devices like CD-ROM, CD-R(W), ZIP, scanners, etc on one, and the high-speed HDs on the other.

 

Also, some high-end mobos have SCSI built in - take a look at SuperMicro, for example.