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From: waldman2@husc8.HARVARD.EDU (Bruce Waldman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: WARNING: Counterfeit 3.5 HD disks!
Message-ID: <2512@husc6.harvard.edu>
Date: 25 Aug 89 00:55:19 GMT
References: <44566@bbn.COM> <40970021@hpindda.HP.COM> <2503@husc6.harvard.edu> <145@bmers58.UUCP>
Sender: news@husc6.harvard.edu
Reply-To: waldman2@husc8.UUCP (Bruce Waldman)
Organization: Harvard University Science Center   Cambridge, MA
Lines: 25

I just purchased and received two boxes of *bulk 3.5 hd disks*
from Lyben Computer Systems, Troy, Michigan.  At the incredibly
low price of $18.50 for 10 disks!  they look just like genuine
high density disks, with the proper hole and even the HD insignia.
But get this:  In my Megamate system drive (on an XT clone),
              8 of the disks would not format at all! 
              6 of the disks would format only with many bad sectors.
                   (some of these only apparent using CHKDSK
                    FORMAT didn't detect the problems!)
              of the remaining 6, 5 immediately showed cross-linked
                files,etc., after having good files copied onto them!
Since with this MicroSolutions add-on drive, I can use ordinary
double-sided disks formatted at high-density, I see the same problems
with these supposed high-density disks as I see when I incorrectly
format low-density disks as if they were high-density.  Actually
these Lyben disks are even worse.  Only one out of 20 holds data!
By the way,using this drive, I have never had any difficulty with
true high-density disks.

My CONCLUSION>>>Lyben has somehow gotten hold of low-density media,
and inserted them in cases marked high-density.  This is truly low!!!
Any suggestions?
 
Bruce Waldman, bw@harvarda.bitnet
               waldman2@husc4.harvard.edu