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From: dorourke@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (David M. O'Rourke)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Question on new floppy dive formatting
Summary: Yes, but you probably shouldn't
Message-ID: <1989Oct10.171047.25926@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU>
Date: 10 Oct 89 17:10:47 GMT
References: <66043@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Reply-To: dorourke@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (David M. O'Rourke)
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 38

David J Stucki <stucki@cis.ohio-state.edu> writes:
>Once a floppy disk has been initialized by one of the new superdrives
>for 1.4M format is there any way to have it re-formatted for 800K
>by the same drive?

  A real HD floppy disk is "hard coded" to format to 1.4 megs by a
super-drive.  That's what the extra square-hole is for on the left side
of the disk.  There seem to be two offical answers to your questions
{offical ='s I remember reading it somewhere :-) }

  1)  You shouldn't format a 1.4 for 800K, doesn't seem to hold the 800K
      format very well.
  2)  The super-drive offers no alternative to the format process when it
      see's that extra square hole.

  Now what you can do is cover up that little hole with some tape, clear
may/may-not work depending on the sensing mech. that looks for the hole.
Once you cover the hole the drive will attempt to read it as a 400k or 800k
disk, it won't recognize the format, and offer you the option to format
the disk just like normal.  If you format a HD floppy for 800K and want to
use it in a super-drive as an 800K disk you will have to leave the tape
over the hole, once the super-drive "sees" that extra hole it assumes a 1.4
meg format, and if it doesn't find the 1.4 format then it will ask you if
you would like to initialize it....  :-)  So to use a HD disk formated for
800K in a super-drive you HAVE to leave the tape on the disk.

  The easiest alternative is get some real DS/DD disk, they're cheaper and
you won't have as many problems.  But yes you can do it, do I recommend it?
Not really.  I'm presenting this for informational purposes only, it is
not recommended by: me, Apple, Cal-Poly, or anyone else you might want to
hit up with the service bill if the tape comes off in your drive.

  Hope this helps.
-- 
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David M. O'Rourke____________________|_____________dorourke@polyslo.calpoly.edu
| Graduating in March of 1990, with a BS in Computer Science & need a Job.    |
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