Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!brolga!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!zeus!s64421 From: s64421@zeus.usq.EDU.AU (house ron) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: Re: 360K in 1.2M drives Message-ID: Date: 4 Mar 91 14:22:33 GMT References: <1991Mar1.155859.16874@cbnewsc.att.com> Lines: 41 tjr@cbnewsc.att.com (thomas.j.roberts) writes: >> s64421@zeus.usq.EDU.AU (house ron) writes: >> >>>I have often read that formatting and writing 360K drives in 1.2M 5.25" >>>drives is unreliable. I have now obtained such a drive, and tried it, >>>and it seems to work perfectly every time (even after trying the disks >>>on genuine 360K drives). Have the 1.2M drives got better lately, or >>>am I just lucky? >> >The real key, when writing 360K diskettes on a 1.2 Meg drive is: > HAS THIS DISKETTE EVER BEEN WRITTEN ON BY A 360K DRIVE, > OR BY A 1.2 Meg drive as a 1.2 Meg DISKETTE ?? > If the answer is yes, DO NOT use this particular diskette > as a 1.2 Meg to 360 Kb transfer diskette, use another. >The reason for this rule is simple geometry of the read/write heads >of the two drive types: the 360 Kb drive has a head that is almost >twice as wide as the head on the 1.2 meg drive. When the 1.2 Meg This makes sense. I have had no trouble with my particular drives with disks formatted in either place. However, since posting, I reformatted a disk which was originally formatted on an HP125 CP/M machine, and I have had trouble with this disk. As their drives only placed 248K on the disk, things were probably even worse. Many thanks to all the people who posted or mailed me replies. Everyone basically agreed that I am living dangerously. I am now getting a real 360K drive added to my new machine, but until then I shall continue to risk it, as I can always go back to the 1.2M drive to recover my info. BTW, Why doesn't this same problem occur with 3.5" diskettes? -- Regards, Ron House. (s64421@zeus.usq.edu.au) (By post: Info Tech, U.C.S.Q. Toowoomba. Australia. 4350)