Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!lll-lcc!ames!think!maynard!campbell
From: campbell@maynard.BSW.COM (Larry Campbell)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: formatting rx50k diskettes w/pc or compatible.
Summary: use a Rainbow
Keywords: rx50,microvax,ibmpc,formatting
Message-ID: <1044@maynard.BSW.COM>
Date: 8 Jan 88 02:59:23 GMT
References: <690@astroatc.UUCP>
Reply-To: campbell@maynard.UUCP (Larry Campbell)
Distribution: na
Organization: The Boston Software Works, Inc.
Lines: 16

In article <690@astroatc.UUCP> tenaglia@astroatc.UUCP (Chris Tenaglia) writes:
<>We have a Microvax I with Microvms. It has an RX50 diskette drive.
<>As far as I know, there is no utility to format RX50K diskettes.
<>I read somewhere in a book by Peter Norton that the diskette controller
<>in the IBM PC is somewhat programmable. Does anybody have or heard
<>of some nifty IBMPC utilty for formatting alien diskettes, namely RX50K.

You can't do it.  The RX50 is a 96 TPI (quad density) drive;  IBM PC drives
are 48 TPI drives (double density) or 96 TPI drives requiring high coercivity
media (high density).  About the only practical way to format RX50 diskettes
is with an RX50 drive.  The easiest and cheapest way is to buy a used Rainbow
and use it as a formatter.
-- 
Larry Campbell                                The Boston Software Works, Inc.
Internet: campbell@maynard.bsw.com          120 Fulton Street, Boston MA 02109
uucp: {husc6,mirror,think}!maynard!campbell         +1 617 367 6846