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    AST RESEARCH, INC.           TECHNICAL BULLETIN # 1076               3-3-95

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    			 ASCENTIA 700N/BRAVO NB RC HARD DISK DRIVE PROBLEMS

    PROBLEM
    Some Ascentia 700N systems may experience one or more of the following hard
    disk drive (HDD) problems:

    - MS-DOS partition not retrieved or corrupted.
    - FAT corrupted.
    - File with crossed link on allocation units.
    - No HDD boot (permanent or random problem).

    CAUSE
    Some battery contact springs may have sharp edges.  The battery contact spring
    sharp edges may cut through the HDD cable insulator and short the trace on the
    HDD cable (Flex printed circuit). The short circuit may render the HDD not
    functional.

    SYSTEMS AFFECTED
    AST PART NUMBER AND DESCRIPTION

    501595-XXX     ASCENTIA 700N 486SX33
    501595-XXX     BRAVO NB RC 486S/33
    501596-XXX     BRAVO NB RC 486/33 COLOR

    SOLUTION
    Take the Ascentia 700N system to an AST Authorized Service Center(ASC).
    The AST ASC will do one of the following:

    1) Put additional Mylar insulator on the HDD cable.
    2) Replace the HDD cable with P/N 230674-001.