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From: markg@amd.UUCP (Mark Gorlinsky)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Help with floppy disk problems
Message-ID: <4034@amd.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-May-87 14:30:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: amd.4034
Posted: Wed May 27 14:30:47 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 30-May-87 01:44:10 EDT
References: <399@tifsie.UUCP> <62NETOPRDC@NCSUVM>
Reply-To: markg@amd.UUCP (Mark Gorlinsky)
Organization: Advanced Micro Devices
Lines: 29

(John Miller) writes:
>(Mark Gorlinsky) writes:
>>(Urs Zurbuchen) writes:
>>Formatting a disk other than a high density in a 1.2Mb drive cannot be
>>accomplished. 
>
>I have on numerous occasions formatted 360KB diskettes in 1.2MB drives (using
>"format /4"), written on them with both 1.2MB and 360KB drives, and then
>successfully read them in both 1.2MB and 360KB drives.  

After spending many milliseconds reevaluating my comment on the subject of 
FORMATting a 360Kb in a 1.2Mb drive, I have come to the conclusion that what
I said was infact not the whole fact.  I dicovered that if I were to use the
/4 option, it was possible to FORMAT a 360Kb disk in a 1.2Mb drive.  Silly me!
I should learn to read the manual more carefully and not ass/u/me that the
FORMAT program can tell the difference between a low-density and a high-density
disk.  I still believe that after formatting a low-density disk in a 1.2Mb drive
there will be problems, on some machines, reading the disk.

>It is true, however, that 1.2MB drives write narrower tracks than 360KB drives,
>so disks written on 360KB drives and then written over by 1.2MB drives may then
>be unreadable on 360KB drives, since the wider track of the 360KB drive is not
>completely obliterated by the 1.2MB drive. [deleted]

-- 
 Mark Gorlinsky - AMD Processor Products Division/APPS SQA
 UUCP: {decwrl,ihnp4,allegra}!amd!markg
 AT&T: (408) 982-7811
 DISCLAIMER: My opinions are mine, not my employers.