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From: price@vlsiws.unl.edu (Chad Price)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: 3.5" drive in a PC?
Message-ID: <price.656289029@vlsiws>
Date: 18 Oct 90 22:30:29 GMT
References: <40931@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
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Organization: University of Nebraska, Computing Resource Center
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In <40931@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> trljim@ubvmsa.cc.buffalo.edu (James Sonnenmeier) writes:

>I wonder if anyone can answer a question.  I have a 720K 3.5" drive I want
>to install in an origional PC. It had two 5.25" drives so I simply replaced
>one with the 3.5" drive ( I assumed then the mother board switches were set
>already for 2 drives etc ... ) but the machine thinks the 720K drive is
>still a 360K drive! ... Like I said this is an origional PC ( circa 1983)
>if I replace the disk controller with a more modern piece will that let me
>use the drive as 720K??  ( It can *read* a 720K disk but cannot format a
>new disk ... that is it thinks its 360K)


>Anyone have any ideas??  Thanks

Most 3.5's come with device drivers which allow them to be used. I installed a
3.5 in an old Zenith 158 (an 8088 machine ) as an external drive. It took a
special device driver in config.sys and a card which may (or may not) have 
been a separate controler card. One thing is sure - it is not just plug &
play.

so - 1) try for a device driver - call the source of the drive and ask them
if it needs a device driver &/or a different floppy drive controller.

Chad Price
price@fergvax.unl.edu