Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!hybrid!scifi!bywater!uunet!world!bmarcum From: bmarcum@world.std.com (Bill Marcum) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit Subject: Re: 3.5" Disk Drive for 8-bit Message-ID: <1991Feb25.072510.5024@world.std.com> Date: 25 Feb 91 07:25:10 GMT References: Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA Lines: 33 In article asgardia@unixland.uucp (Craig Rothman) writes: >dddean@bluemoon.uucp (David D. Dean) writes: > >> Thanks for all the help! I am going to check into this right away! >Let me know what you find out about the xf551 mod. >Ive got one of the buggers and its messed up. >IT wont do double sided double density, just single sided single density. What DOS are you using? Atari sold a lot of XF551s with DOS 2.5, which treated the drive as if it were just a 1050. The rest were sold with DOS XE, which recognizes the drive as DSDD, but is incompatible with a lot of other programs. Either Mydos, Spartados, or Spartados-X will work with the 551 in DSDD mode. >ITs still useful, but if i replaced the mech with a 3.5" it would >be a great thing to have. Ive held off because it would be too costly >for the drive mech, and I didnt have directions about how to do it. >If its just a mere $40 I want it!!!! >let me know what it costs and how difficult it is to do it. >-craig >MRNEUTR@RCN.bitnet > You need more than just the 3.5 inch drive mechanism. You also need a new ROM for the drive. Upgrade kits are available from Innovative Concepts in Michigan, or from CSS (who also make the Black Box.) CSS has a new deluxe upgrade that lets you use the 5.25 and 3.5 inch drives as different drive numbers, and they claim it can even read and write IBM or ST disks. The price is something like $139.95, including 3.5 inch drive. (Not sure if that's the exact price--check their ad in STart.) Bill Marcum bmarcum@world.std.com Compuserve:72750,476 Genie:B.MARCUM