Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!ames!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!digi.lonestar.org!mfrohman
From: mfrohman@digi.lonestar.org (Matthew Frohman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Hole puncher to transform DD disks into HD
Message-ID: <810@digi.lonestar.org>
Date: 23 Jul 90 12:49:48 GMT
References: <1990Jul20.185341.9797@ariel.unm.edu>
Distribution: na
Organization: DSC Communications, Plano Tx.
Lines: 26

In article <1990Jul20.185341.9797@ariel.unm.edu> conner@carina.unm.edu (Steven Conner) writes:
>
>In Computer Shopper magazine I saw an advertisment for a tool that would
>punch a hole in the corner of your 3.5" DD disks.  The ad claimed that this
>would allow you to safely format and use it as a HD disk.
>
>Has anyone had any experience with this or a similar tool?
>
>Does anyone have an opinion as to whether this will work in a safe and 
>dependable way?
>
>Steven
>conner@carina.unm.edu

I have used the tool advertised in Computer Shopper for quite some time.  I buy either BONUS
or SONY DD disk and punch them.  I have never had trouble with a single disk, though every
time I copy information to them, I do a COMPARE. The only trouble I have had was with some
mail order disks, but the compares failed, so I did not use them.

However, currently I am trying to install a switch on the drive so I can TELL it that the
disk is either HD, LD, or let it auto-detect.  That way I don't have to punch the disks.

By the way,  if you decide to get the puncher out of Computer Shopper, get the all metal one.
It is about $40 vs. $20 for the plastic one.  The metal one is much easier to handle.  Some
disk take quite an effort to punch through.  Others are flimsy plastic and may crack (like
the mail order disks that wouldn't work).