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From: jca@pnet01.cts.com (John C. Archambeau)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: RLL drives formatted MFM?
Message-ID: <642@crash.cts.com>
Date: 3 Nov 89 03:16:06 GMT
Sender: root@crash.cts.com
Organization: People-Net [pnet01], El Cajon CA
Lines: 26

gjh@galen.acc.virginia.edu (Galen Hekhuis) writes:
>Has anyone successfully run an RLL (specifically a Seagate 238) with an
>MFM format?  Is this the something I should have learned in kindergarten?
>I already know it is fairly dumb, and probably not a Recommended Idea, but
>is it possible?  

Not only is it dumb, but it will invalidate the ST238's warranty.  With
respect to Seagate drives, you had better format it with the data encoding
method that it was designed for or you will run into problems.

In principle, any RLL drive should be able to handle MFM since it is less
taxing on the media and the circuitry, but in Seagate's case they design the
drive so there is a chance that if you format it the wrong way it might ruin
or damage the drive.  If you MFM format that ST238, it won't quite be the same
when you go and RLL format it as it should be.  

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