Re: (unrelated) Re: NetBSD on Digital Personal Workstation 433a

[Michael Kronsteiner <alphamike%gmx.at@localhost>]

> 
> I've seen it said - I don't know the truth of it, but it sounds
> plausible to me - that in CD-Rs the reflectance change is
> significantly
> less than in pressed CDs, and that some, usually older, drives have
> sensors and/or analog electronics that are not capable of picking up
> this lesser reflectance change.

clean it up and try yourself. even my RRD42s read burnt discs. be sure
to use quality raws and burn at rather slow speed. alphas are also
picky about boot floppies...

if you feel unsure about this work, send it to me. i will clean it up
and test it for free. (this offer is only for NetBSD related stuff).

but usually its just screw open top cover, q-tip the lens, and check
positioning mechanism lubrication. check for other grime and dust.
close cover and usually tests run fine then. (whole dd's or whatever
you like).

cigarette smoke will degrade these drives rather fast, so expect a
cleanup every ~2 years (it gets worse with dvd media and burning).

ymmv.

michael