Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att-cb!att-ih!pacbell!ames!oliveb!pyramid!uccba!hal!ncoast!mikes
From: mikes@ncoast.UUCP (Mike Squires)
Newsgroups: comp.os.cpm
Subject: Re: 8" floppy drive probles
Summary: 8" drives are reliable
Keywords: floppy reliability 8 5 1/4
Message-ID: <7564@ncoast.UUCP>
Date: 28 Mar 88 05:17:47 GMT
References: <547@auvax.UUCP> <802@nuchat.UUCP>
Reply-To: mikes@ncoast.UUCP (Mike Squires)
Organization: Cleveland Public Access UN*X, Cleveland, Oh
Lines: 24

Philli Keen writes:

>Robert, although I reallize that 8" floppies are still good, but because you
>cannot find them hardly anymore I think you should get rid of your 8" floppy
>disk drives, but before that get 5 1/4" disk drives then get bunches of
>5 1/4" disks and copy your library over to the 5 1/4" disks and then get rid
>of your 8" disks and disk drives if you can.  Another reason I say this is I've
>heard that 8" disks and disk drives are unreliable.  I don't know if this
>is true or not but it's a rumor I've heard.
>-- 

8" floppies are easily available from mail order houses and at surplus stores.

I have several 8" systems and several 5 1/4" systems; the reliability of the
8" drives is strictly a function of the controller implementation.  My
experience is that the 5 1/4" floppies are less reliable, overall, and the
8" drives are far more reliable than 5 1/4" drives.  I have my IMSAI with two
Tandon 848-2`s and a Tarbell DD controller set for 3ms step rates; it is still
very fast compared to an IBM PC when running WordStar, or a Televideo HD system
running CP/M.

Mike Squires Allegheny College Meadville, PA 16335 814 724 3360
uucp: ..!mandrill!ncoast!{mikes,peng!sir-alan!mikes} or ..!pitt!sir-alan!mikes
BITNET: mikes%sir-alan@pitt.UUCP (VAX) MIKES AT SIR-ALAN!PITT.UUCP (IBM)