Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!necntc!dandelion!ulowell!hawk!msharp
From: msharp@hawk.ulowell.edu (Mike Sharp)
Newsgroups: comp.os.cpm
Subject: Re: 8" floppy drive probles
Message-ID: <6045@swan.ulowell.edu>
Date: 8 Apr 88 19:21:13 GMT
References: <547@auvax.UUCP> <802@nuchat.UUCP> <4735@ozdaltx.UUCP>
Sender: news@swan.ulowell.edu
Reply-To: msharp@hawk.ulowell.edu (Mike Sharp)
Organization: University of Lowell, CS Dept.
Lines: 39
Keywords: Nah! couldn't be....

In article <4735@ozdaltx.UUCP> bill@ozdaltx.UUCP (Billy Bob) writes:
>In article <802@nuchat.UUCP>, phillip@nuchat.UUCP (Phillip 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.
>> -- 
>>Thanks,          Snail Address:  Phillip Keen
>
>It must be true.  The two Qume DT-8's that I'm using are only 9 years
>old.  Had to get them cleaned and re-aligned last year, so they must
>not be very dependable.  Course, my system is only used every day for
>only 6-8 hours. ;-}
>
>
	I have a set of old Shugart 851 (DS/DD 8" drives) which
	I cleaned once (I think - maybe not at all) since a bought
	them 5-6 years ago -- and they were used when I bought them!
	During this time I have also cleaned a great number of 5.25"
	drives repeatedly and replaced two of them (one on a compaq &
	the other on an NEC APC III)

	I guess they just didn't make systems as well back then. :-)

	Moral:  They're like the old V-8s, not as much power/area
		(or in this case tracks/inch) but YOU CAN'T KILL 'EM!


	Also,  if you switch to 5.25" for CP/M, what format will you
	use?  You won't be able to xfer stuff as easily either.
	(or at least I wont)  Remeber: 8" SSSD format is STANDARD
	for all (ok, well 90%) of the CP/M machines!


		Mike Sharp