At startup Lisa shows a hard drive error 81, what can I do?
This information is applicable to a Lisa 2/10 or Macintosh XL containing a 10MB internal Widget hard drive. • error 81 is not exclusively caused by misadjustment/failure of the Widget brake, other problems can generate this error too, such as a bad cable/connection. When the Lisa is turned on, the Widget drive will spin up and perform its own self-test. This happens independently of, and concurrently with, the Lisa’s self-test. The Widget self-test and brake-release described below does not recur if the reset button is pressed; it occurs once at power-on only. After the Widget spins up, the electric head brake releases with a distinct clunk or clack followed by the characteristic squeaking noise of the Widget head motor. If the brake does not release, the Widget’s self test won’t complete successfully and the drive does not respond to the Lisa; the result is a cross over the internal drive icon with error code 81. Without further information, many people assume that they need a whole n
