Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!elroy!cit-vax!oberon!eve.usc.edu!mlinar
From: mlinar@eve.usc.edu (Mitch Mlinar)
Newsgroups: comp.os.cpm
Subject: Re: Help with Xerox 820-1
Message-ID: <8718@oberon.USC.EDU>
Date: 26 Apr 88 03:16:57 GMT
References: <8804191825.AA07759@freedom.llnl.gov> <50794@sun.uucp>
Sender: news@oberon.USC.EDU
Reply-To: mlinar@eve.usc.edu (Mitch Mlinar)
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 20

In article <50794@sun.uucp> leadfoot@sun.UUCP () writes:
>He just got an 820-1 with two 8-inch drives, but it doesn't seem to be
>able to format or use double density disks.  He didn't get an 820 docs,
>he found a format program, but it erased the wrong disk.  Any ideas on the
>disk formats and format programs?

I'll say you have a problem!  Simply put, the generic 820-I does *not* read
or write double density.  However, there are some after-market add-on cards
that support it.  Two I know of are: SWP double-density card from somewhere
in Texas that supports EITHER 5.25 or 8" with no mods to your system; Emerald
Microware Plus2 double-density which supports 8" and 5.25, but requires some
mods to the board.

Emerald also has operating systems, BIOSes, formatters, and sysgens for the
820, but I do not know current prices for any of this stuff.

If you need a number to either of these places, let me know.  I can scare
them up since I have both the SWP and Plus2 package.  Single density is just
no fun anymore! :-)

-Mitch