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From: sparks@corpane.UUCP (John Sparks)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Applied Engineering 3.5" drive...
Message-ID: <2653@corpane.UUCP>
Date: 25 Jul 90 15:30:23 GMT
References: <1@<267941f0-23b9| <46200087@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> <49413@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <31341@cup.portal.com> <1990Jul4.045351.23145@cunix <139346@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
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Organization: Corpane Industries, Inc., Louisville Ky
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cmcmanis@stpeter.Eng.Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) writes:


|"ripped off" by the disk companies. So they go out an buy "punchers"
|which can punch a hole in a single density disk and make it fool a 
|drive or OS into formatting it as a double density drive. This is 
|exactly analagous to putting tires designed for a Honda Accord onto
|a Ferrari Testerossa. They work "fine" except they don't last as 
|long and can blow out on you when you are trying to turn a tight
|corner. It is just as painful when you faked double density disk
|becomes unreadable while sitting in the drawer. 

I've also had trouble going the other way, using a high density disk in 
a low density drive (why would I do that? I just happened to have some
laying around, so I used them) From what I understand the High density
(1.44M) floppies need a higher head voltage to write to them than the
low density (amiga drives) produces. So, although it did work and
wrote the disks out, I started getting errors on the disks very soon
afterward.

But I don't know if there is a real difference between single and double
sided disks. I have heard many rumors for and against using single sided
disks as double sided :

1> don't do it, the back side is not polished and can ruin your drives head.

2> go ahead. They are all the same (single and double sided). It's just that
if one side does not pass the factory verification test, it is sold as
single sided. If you can format the disk with no errors then you can use
it. Just don't put valuable stuff on it 

I think two is more correct. It works and won't harm your drive, but use
at your own risk.


-- 
John Sparks         |                                 | D.I.S.K. 24hrs 2400bps. 
sparks@corpane.UUCP |                                 | PH: (502) 968-DISK
A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of. - Ogden Nash