BARE FEATS asks:
What is 3 timesfaster than a Zip and holds 3 times as much as aCD?
Bare Feats speed test of the newORB 2 gigabyte removable (SCSI) posted 8/21/99.
Updated 8/27/99 withresults from Orb connnected to Grappler 906 controller.
Updated 9/7/99 with Jaz 1 gig results and the Orb connnected to anInitio Miles Bluenote controller.
© 1999 Rob Art Morgan, editor of BARE FEATS
rob-art@barefeats.com

Mac only recognizes ORB Drives with ID 0, you can not connect more than one ORB Drive through a common USB to SCSI cable on the Mac platform. CAUTION: Castlewood only supports a daisy chain of ORB SCSI Drives throught the USB to SCSI cable. Do not configure any other vendor’s SCSI device in the SCSI chain and then. Castlewood's MR product, named ORB, uses 3-1/2' removable media with a capacity of 2.2 GB, more than any other product in its category. Additionally, at 12.2 MB/second maximum sustained data transfer rate - the fastest transfer rate of any removable media product available today - ORB is. Recall that Windows was at that time either 16 or 32 bit and Mac's operating system too, was quite different. If DOS/Windows was used, then you might be able to use a virtual DOS or Windows and install the drivers required. As for Mac, I admit I didn't use Mac then and don't even know if proper software/drivers and Rosetta would work.

Open the target hard drive and manually copy useful files and documents to another device. The other disk formatting manner is called low-level format, which erases the whole disk surface and makes data restoration impossible!No matter which way you'll need to format a disk, to protect important data from completely erasing, always create a backup in advance. Next, you'll learn the details of the product description, advantages and disadvantages.Back up Data Before Formatting a Disk.In general terms, we format a disk using the quick format, which erases data completely but the data is recoverable by some third-party. Some of them are free to use, while some are for commercial use. Hdd low level format tool. Method 1.

Two gigabyte removable storage with 'hard drive' speed for $199? And only $30 per 2 gig cartridge? Sounds too good to be true? Check out the results of my speed tests:

1. Castlewood ORB Tools Driver 1.4.2 is a third party application that provides additional functionality to OS X system and enjoys a popularity among Mac users. However, instead of installing it by dragging its icon to the Application folder, uninstalling Castlewood ORB Tools Driver 1.4.2 may need you to do more than a simple drag-and-drop to the.
2. Castlewood ORB Tools Driver 1.4.2 is a third party application that provides additional functionality to OS X system and enjoys a popularity among Mac users.

(Note the speed difference below usingthree different SCSI controllers on the Orb.)

Here's an interesting test. I burned a CD with a bunch of files. Then I dropped the same folders on the Orb drive. Obviously, CD-ROM's make more reliable backup media but they are limited to 650MB. The Orb presents an interesting alternative for backing up a big chuck of data in a big hurry.

For reliability, it's hard to beat a CD-ROM burner but the Orb is an interesting alternative for quick backup or transfer of data by the gigabyte.

READER QUESTIONS & COMMENTS

• QUESTION: 'How about the 2 gig Jaz drive?'
  ANSWER: I didn't have a 2 gig Jaz to test, although I would be happy to test one when if Iomega sends me one. They claim an average sustained transfer rate of 7.4MB/sec. I don't know how they came up with that figure but I bet it includes the use of their recommended optional Ultra SCSI controller. Even if it was equal in speed to the Orb, it costs more ($450 with controller vs $200) and the cartridges cost a lot more ($125 vs $30). And read these links about unreliable Jaz cartridges and unimpressive speed.
• QUESTION: 'Do you plan to keep the Orb? Do you recommend it?'
  ANSWER: I've decided to keep it. It saved my bacon when my wife's PowerBook refused to boot. I booted from my 8.6 CD but was able to run Norton from the Orb. Even after fixing the directory, things were degrading fast, with corrupted files and all. I was able to quickly back up over 1 gig of critical project data to the Orb before the internal hard drive became completely compromised. I've also used the Orb as a 'staging area' for a special collection of applications and documents before burning on a CD-ROM, thereby not disturbing the organization of my regular hard drive.
• COMMENT: Orb scsi manual says the following:
  'CAUTION! For best data integrity, DO NOT connect your ORB SCSI Drive on the same SCSI chain as scanners, printers or devices other than hard drives, CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs.'

  Test Configurations & Procedures

Castlewood Orb Drivers For Mac Download

Now don't go saying it's unfair to test on different computers. Even when running the same drive on a 266MHz vs 466MHz Beige G3, there was less than a 10% difference in MacBench and no significant difference in the HDT test. The big difference is seen by changing the type of SCSI controller.

• All drives were reformatted before the tests were run.
• MacBench 5.0 attempts to simulate a mix of real world disk operations. The disk cache was set to 512K instead of the default setting to minimize effects of caching.
• FWB's Hard Disk Tookit has an excellent Bench Test module that can give accurate information on Sustained Read/Write, Random Read/Write, Transactions/Second, etc. (There's a special price of $35.95 if you go to the Special Order page and inter '6sum99' in the discount code field.)

..Interex for the use of the CarrierZIF G3/400

..MacGurus for the use of the Initio Miles Bluenote Fast SCSI-2 Card

..Nicad for the use of the Grappler 906 SCSI Card & Yosemite G3/450

..Blaine & Ken at STARBULLETIN.COM for use of their Jaz drive & G3/300 MT

..David Tasaka of Lyte-On for the use of his Beige G3 DT with the FireBall 4 gig IDE

A big NO THANK YOU to..

..Castlewood who offered a 18 months of excuses instead of an evaluation unit. I had to buy an Orb drive to get the test results. I purchased it from Cyberian Outpost since they shipped it free and offer full refund within 30 days. But I'm not sending it back. I'm hooked.

RETURN to MORESPEEDTESTS

© 1999 Rob Art Morgan,editor of BARE FEATS
Gotta Question? Comment? Want to advertise?
Email Rob Art at barefoot@hawaii.rr.com

Castlewood Orb Drivers For Mac Os

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Tools for ORB This document is divided into the following sections and topics: 1. Instructions for DOS users 1.1 Installing ORB Drive 1.2 ETOOLS application 1.3 Driver command line options 1.4 Installing driver for Removable IDE drive connected to internal disk controller. 1.5 Uninstalling ORB Drive 2. The question I asked was if my Mac Mini with OS 10.6.5 is capable of reading an ORB disk using the ORB SCSI external disk drive with the SCSI to USB (Castlewood ORB USB) Smart Cable. Castlewood ORB USB Drive Free Driver Download (Official) Castlewood Drivers USB Drivers. Supported Models Castlewood USB Mass Storage Class Adapter Driver Castlewood ORB USB Drive Driver Manufacturers Castlewood Castlewood Systems. Castlewood Driver Update Utility.

Contents. 2.2 GB drive specifications This removable-disk drive quiet in operation and incorporates several notable and quite novel features:. The SCSI identity could be altered with a screwdriver. A recessed control located under the unit allowed one of four settings (0; 4; 5 or 6).

The Orb has a protective cover over the front of the unit, completely encasing the data disk. Closure of the cover allows air to be purged for reading and writing operations. A button located at the centre of the front panel raises the cover for insertion or removal of a disk as shown in the adjacent picture (97 mm wide × 103 mm high × 7 mm deep). Disks are fed into the front of the drive and pressed down lightly to engage them with the drive mechanism. Seconds afterwards the lid would flip back down. The Orb is encased completely in smoked transparent plastic through which the power/activity light shines (steady green/flashing amber or flashing red) as disks are loaded, tested and unloaded.

It is also possible to follow movements of the read and write mechanism through the top panel at the rear of the unit. Orb disks were made in Malaysia and Thailand and formatted for Macintosh or IBM compatible computers. Disks arrived in a transparent plastic protective case that was shrink-wrapped and enclosed in a cardboard slip case. The Model ORB2SE00 drive was made in Thailand and the Model 777-052000S-KF power adapter was made in China. It is compatible with the then contemporary PC and Mac hardware and operating systems viz: Intel Pentium, AMD K6, Cyrix MMX, iMac and Bondi-blue Power Macintosh G3, G4+, Windows 98 and Mac OS 8.5.1 with firmware update 1.1 et seq and Mac OS 8.6 onwards. During the Orb drive's general period of relevance, two different SCSI/USB adapter configurations were provided by Castlewood:. The first uses two adapters, one to connect the drive's female HD50 'SCSI IN' socket to a female DB25 socket into which a male DB25 plug to USB cable attached;.

The second is Castlewood's own adapter 'The ORB USB Smart Cable' Part Number 88205-001 made in Taiwan (Male HD50 SCSI to USB). This single unit has two manually operated locking pins to keep it firmly connected. The attached USB cable has a clear transparent cover incorporating eight toroidal ceramic surge suppressing magnets close to the adapter.

5.7 GB drive specifications. Capacity: 5.7 GB. Transfer rate: 17.35 MB/s sustained, 66 MB/s burst. Average seek time: 11 ms read / 12 ms write. Rotation speed: 5400 rpm. Drive head: GMR (Giant Magneto-Resistive).

CPU: 30 MIPS DSP. Start/ Stop Times: 25sec start, 8sec stop including eject, average. Operating System Compatibility: Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows NT 4.0 (SP4+), Windows 2000, Windows ME, Mac OS 8.6+. Drive Life: 5 years. Estimated Disk Shelf Life: 20 years.

Castlewood Orb Drivers For Mac Windows 10

Castlewood Orb Drivers For Macbook Pro

Castlewood Orb Drivers For Macbook Pro

Warranty: 1 year limited The 5.7 GB drive can also read the 2.2 GB cartridges. Interfaces The Orb Drive was available in internal and external versions. The internal version was available with or interfaces. The external version was available with, SCSI, USB, or interfaces.

CastleWood Systems The manufacturer of the Orb Drive was Castlewood Systems. It was formed by several former employees of Technologies. Shortly after the Orb Drive was released, SyQuest brought a lawsuit against Castlewood. Castlewood filed for bankruptcy and ceased operation in 2004. See also. References.