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From: shor@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Melinda Shore)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Erasing Disks
Message-ID: <227@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Mar-85 11:57:11 EST
Article-I.D.: sphinx.227
Posted: Wed Mar 13 11:57:11 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Mar-85 05:22:27 EST
References: <1960@sdcc6.UUCP>, <736@ihnp4.UUCP>
Organization: U. Chicago - Computation Center
Lines: 23

[]
> From: cfiaime@ihnp4.UUCP (Jeff Williams)
> if a bulk eraser is used on a floppy for that system,
> servo (head) positioning data is lost on the floppy, and the disk is
> totally useless.  There is no field program to reformat that part of the
> disk, at least according to him.  I have no reason to doubt him.
> 
> Of course, we were talking about one specific system, and one type of
> drive (the RX02).  These comments may not apply to a 5 1/4 inch drive
> on a PC, but do you want to experiment?

I have no idea whether or not using a bulk eraser will extend the
life of a disk, but it certainly will clobber the disk formatting.
This is no big deal -- I have yet to see *any* microcomputer that
doesn't come with disk formatting software.

-- 
Melinda Shore 
University of Chicago Computation Center
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