[en] In the W VII-A stellarator with Ohmic heating, radial profiles of q(r) are similar to those in tokamaks. The m=2, n=1 tearing mode is observed over a wide range of plasma parameters extending to regions where current disruptions usually occur in comparable tokamaks. Typical frequencies are 1-20kHz; the relative amplitude can reach 2.5% without disruptions. The amplitude of the m=2 mode decreases with increasing helical field or external rotational transform. Simultaneously with the onset of a coupling between the m=1 and m=2 mode, a steep increase of the m=2 amplitude is observed, which is caused either by an increase of the plasma current, by the electron density, or by the content of low-Z impurities. The occurrence of disruptions in tokamaks may be connected with the locking of the m=2 mode at the limiter as observed in W VII-A under these conditions. (author)