Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uunet!ns-mx!ccad.uiowa.edu!yiannis
From: yiannis@ccad.uiowa.edu (Yiannis Papelis)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: Disk space for FREE (was Re: super high density formatters)
Message-ID: <1990Nov17.045956.9063@ccad.uiowa.edu>
Date: 17 Nov 90 04:59:56 GMT
References: <4319@ruuinf.cs.ruu.nl> <17184@hydra.gatech.EDU> <1990Nov16.184200.21028@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Organization: CAD-Research, U. of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Lines: 33

In article <1990Nov16.184200.21028@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> mig@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu (Meir I Green) writes:
>In article <17184@hydra.gatech.EDU> scott@kong.UUCP (Scott Coulter) writes:
>>In article <4319@ruuinf.cs.ruu.nl> hrbaan@praxis.cs.ruu.nl (Hayo Baan) writes:
>>>There is a better way to gain
>>>diskspace : use DD disks, punch a hole in it (just opposite the write-protect
>>>tab), and format it to HD. This way you gain 100% disk space for FREE!!!
>>>[...]
>>
>>[no problem with it either lines ommited]
>
>I, too have tried this trick.
>I have had one error to date and am no longer practicing the trick.
>If your information is massive and not too vital, this is a useful trick.
>But, don't come running to me when your .COM file crashes DOS!

OK now, I don't want to be the stick in the mud, but from what I've
read the practice of "pushing" disks one way (overformating them) or
the other (using DD as HD) is not recommended.  The most well documented
and complete article I've seen on the subject was published on 
the November issue of PC Magazine, (V 9, #19) at page 549.
The summury: you can 'push' a disk and it will probably work initially.
But it is a matter of time until the magnetic print on the 'pushed' 
disk will wear out and the disk will fail.  I strongly recommend 
reading the article before engaging in massive usage of disks
formated for higher capacities that rated.

I guess it comes down to how much the stuff you have on the disks
is worth to you.

Hope I've been helpfull.
-- 
Yiannis E. Papelis      --------      Electrical & Computer Engineering
yiannis@eng.uiowa.edu   --------      University of Iowa