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From: efv@mbunix.mitre.org (Eugene F. Vogt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: 3.5" High-Density Woes
Keywords: penny wise, pound foolish
Message-ID: <65492@linus.UUCP>
Date: 24 Aug 89 12:33:31 GMT
References: <1001@apctrc.UUCP> <5221@mtuxo.att.com> <1989Aug23.151302.2622@Octopus.COM>
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Reply-To: efv@mbunix (Vogt)
Distribution: usa
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, Mass.
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In article <1989Aug23.151302.2622@Octopus.COM> pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann) writes:

..... lots of detail about 5.25 & 3.5 disks deleted ......
>
>I would personally love to see postings from people who have experience with
>this setup. We've heard from a few people who've just started down that road,
>and are very positive. How about people who've done it longer than a month
>or two?
>

>
>-- 
>Peter Holzmann, Octopus Enterprises   |(if you're a techie Christian & are
>19611 La Mar Ct., Cupertino, CA 95014 |interested in helping w/ the Great
>UUCP: {hpda,pyramid}!octopus!pete     |Commission, email dsa-contact@octopus)
>DSA office ans mach=408/996-7746;Work (SLP) voice=408/985-7400,FAX=408/985-0859

I have had a PS/2 50 since July 1987.  Within an hour of unpacking it,
I discovered the inability of the IBM drive to know which disk was
which.  I can format DD disks to 1.44M, or HD disks to 720k, or vice
versa.  I bought ONE box of HD disks (at $58!!!!) when I bought the
machine.  Turns out I needed at least one.  Apparently the drive in
the PS/2 can sense which disk is in the drive (somehow), but in all
but one case chooses to ignore it.  When you make a backup copy of the
IBM Reference Disk, it won't work with a 720k disk.  Has to be a HD
disk.

Anyway, I used DD disks as high density disks (Nashua brand are my
favorite) EXCLUSIVELY for about 1.5 years.  We're talking 60 or more
disks, some used for compressed hard disk backup (PCTools put 1.6M on
a 1.44M disk!), some used for regular day-to-day use.  I have not lost
ONE BYTE.  NOT ONE.  I have had bad sectors appear on old software
distribution disks that got relegated to the SPARE bin by virtue of
software updates, etc.  In particular, the disks that Microsoft use to
distribute C and ASM on have a tendency to come up with bad sectors on
format.  Whenever a DD disk that was pushed to HD use came up with bad
sectors on format, I would reformat at DD, and not try to use it HD.
The Nashua's I used NEVER ONCE came up with bad sectors on format, and
HAVE NOT EVER FAILED IN ANY WAY YET.

About 6 months ago, I bit the bullet and bought 2 boxes of HD disks to
use in my backups, but for everyday use I STILL do 1.44M formats on
720k disks.  Not a byte lost in two years.

It is clear to me that the quality of disks from manufacturer to
manufacturer varies (as the MS and other distribution disks indicate),
but if the disk manufacturer is known, and its NOT Acme Storm Door and
Disk Company, then why not use them?  Clearly, my purchase of some HD
disks for backup recently indicates that my level of trust is not
absolute.

Your milage may vary.....

Discaimer: I am not connected with Nashua, Central Point Software,
Microsoft, IBM, or any other conflict-of-interest trap explicitly or
implicitly mentioned in this posting.  Nya-nya.