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From: jc58+@andrew.cmu.edu (Johnny J. Chin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Formatting cheap 3-1/2" floppy
Message-ID: <MbdHRLa00W45M_qXt7@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: 29 Jan 91 08:50:31 GMT
References: <1991Jan26.015628.15182@usenet@scion.CS.ORST.EDU> <1005@ra.MsState.Edu>,
	<1991Jan27.101629.1@cbrown.claremont.edu>
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Lines: 25
In-Reply-To: <1991Jan27.101629.1@cbrown.claremont.edu>

Okay ... let me see if I can clear the confusion:

DSHD 3.5" disks have two square holes on them.  One for the HD sensor on some
drives (Teac is one).  NOTE:  IBM PS/2 drives DO NOT have a sensor!
And one for the usual write-protection.

DSDD 3.5" disks have only one square hole for the write-protection.

To format a 720kb, DSDD 3.5" disk in a HD drive, all you have to type is:
        FORMAT d: /N:09
                            where d: is the drive letter.

It is ESPECIALLY NECESSARY to use this command on IBM PS/2s since they
don't have a disk sensor and will format a 720kb disk to 1.44mb (if its a
cheap disk ... lots of bad sectors ... if you're lucky).

I hope this helps.

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