53 lines
2.9 KiB
Plaintext
53 lines
2.9 KiB
Plaintext
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Cheap 1.44mb Disk!
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For those of you out there that like me are tired of paying
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OUTRAGEOUS prices for 1.44meg floppies here are two ways to get
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around the problem. But first a little insight as to what the
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actual difference is between the two disk types.
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The reason a 720K disk will not format out to 1.4mb is that
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there is a second window on the high density disk. This window is
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picked up by a switch in the drive to determine the type of disk.
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If the window is not present the drive sends a fault to the
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controller and you get a message of invalid media. The people
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making the disks would like you to believe that the high density
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disk are totally different then the 720K disks. In reality they
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are all made in the same factories under the same conditions and
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with the same materials. The only difference is that the HD disks
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are guaranteed to format out to 1.44mb while the DSDD disk are
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not. I really don't think that this guarantee is worth 4 to 5
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times the price in disks!
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The first and most obvious way to get around the problem is to
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simply put a hole in the disk case at the proper location. This
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works well and with care is very acceptable. I prefer to use a
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5/32" drill bit in a chuck that can be used by hand. This
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eliminates the possibility of getting dust on the inside of the
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case as you will get only one long chip if your bit is sharp. The
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hole must be place exactly opposite of the one for the write
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protect window. For the average person this is the best way. For
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those of you that are more confident in your abilities read on!
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The second and by far the better way to solve this problem is to
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modify the drive so as to bypass the media detect switch all
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together. This requires the removal of the drive from the
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computer. Hold the drive upside down with the disk slot facing
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out. You will see the switch for the write protection on the left
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side just in back of the disk slot. Directly opposite this switch
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on the right side you will find a switch with two solder
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connections on it. This is the media detect switch. Simply
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install a jumper across the two pads and you can now use cheap
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disk for high density storage! NOTE..IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS ABOUT
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HAVING THE RIGHT SWITCH USE A HOLE IN THE DISK INSTEAD OF THIS
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MOD AS A MISTAKE COULD CAUSE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO YOUR DRIVE! A
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hole in the disk is less of a headache than having to buy a new
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drive!
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For those skeptics or purists who doubt that this truly works
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you should know that out of over 400 disks formatted in this
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matter I have a failure rate of less then .5%. I do however use a
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good quality of disk (BULK 3 1/2" DSDD from the MICRO CENTER). I
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for one do not like holes in the disk and have the other mod.
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However whichever one you choose, just think of all the money you
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can save by just a little time!
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REMEMBER TO MARK YOUR DISKS IF YOU DON'T HAVE A HOLE IN THEM OR
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YOU WILL END UP WITH FAILURES TRYING TO WRITE TO A WRONG FORMAT!
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