>Don't be too quick to damn Samsung drives. I put a brand new 60gb >5400rpm Samsung drive in my wife's Pismo last spring. The drive has >performed flawlessly since then.
I'm not "damning" Samsung, not at all. Samsung was (perhaps still is) the "value leader" in state-of-the-art fluid dynamic bearing laptop drives. I was an early tester and adopter of these "Spinrite" drives, and I love 'em, lots and lots. My Wallstreets all have 40 GB Spinrites. However, when it came time to upgrade the then new-to-me Lombard and Pismo PBs, Spinrites turned out to be a no-go. Perhaps Samsung has changed its firmware to accommodate the flaw. It would be in good company as Hitachi and Toshiba also have the same, or a similar flaw in some of their newer drives. Anyway, when it came time to upgrade my Lombard, I bought and installed a Spinrite, and it wouldn't work for the reasons detailed previously. I returned the Spinrite, and took a 15 percent restocking charge. Then I bought a Hitachi/IBM 5K80, and it worked like a champ. Later, I obtained the Pismo and tried a new Spinrite in it, and it also was a no-go. Yet another 15 percent restocking charge. So, I placed an order for an IBM 5K80, but the seller "subbed" a like-sized newer model Hitachi/IBM drive (I don't remember its designation), and that one was a no-go, too. Yet another restocking charge ... waived at my very strong insistence. When I FINALLY got the 5K80 I originally ordered in the Pismo, it was very happy. Thereafter, I went on to experience interface problems, and to solve these, too, with fast DVD recorders, in Lombards and Pismos. So, it is not just hard drives which have problems with Lombards and Pismos! The "fix" for the fast DVD recorder is in hacked DVD recorder firmware. Sadly, this hacked DVD recorder firmware is applicable only to the Pioneer DVR-K15 drive. However, the trials and tribulations were worth it as my Lombard and Pismo work perfectly as portable/field use DVD/CD authoring/duplicating machines, and with the same or better performance as my stationary B&W machines. Lombard: 400 MHz hardware DVD decoder (OS 9)/software decoder (OS X) 60 GB IBM 5K80 Pismo: 500 MHz hardware DVD decoder (OS 9)/software decoder (OS X) 60 GB IBM 5K80 B&W #1: 450 MHz hardware DVD decoder (OS 9)/software decoder (OS X) 300 GB Seagate B&W #2: 400 MHz hardware DVD decoder (OS 9)/software decoder (OS X) 300 GB Maxtor -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:G-Books@mail.maclaunch.com> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
