Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!bu-cs!encore!cloud9!dts
From: dts@cloud9.Stratus.COM (Daniel Senie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: 3.5" 1.44/720K drive question
Keywords: 3.5" drive, 1.44M, 720K
Message-ID: <4505@cloud9.Stratus.COM>
Date: 24 Mar 89 05:58:54 GMT
References: <8168@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc., Marlboro, MA
Lines: 21

In article <8168@xanth.cs.odu.edu>, rlb@cs.odu.edu (Robert Lee Bailey) writes:
> which detects the presence or absence of  a hole to determine whether
> the media is 1.44M or 720K.  Has anyone successfully modified their
> hardware and/or software to defeat this feature?  (I use the term
> "FEATURE" with tongue in cheek!)  I want to use cheap 3.5" diskettes
> at 1.44M, but, this asinine gimmick forces us to format to 720K.

The Toshiba drive I bought has a jumper which, when removed, allows format of
low density disks at high density. I have left this jumper FIRMLY in place.
You have had good luck with a PS/2 Mod 50, but I had so many problems with
this on PS/2 Mod 60s that I won't ever do it. Since I also have a 1.2MB 5.25
drive on this machine (which I use for backups) I don't need all that many
1.44MB disks. Fuji film and BASF are opening a very large plant in Lowell, MA
to produce 3.5" floppies, so I expect the price will come down eventually.
(Currently a large percentage of the disks are shipped from Japan).

-- 
Daniel Senie               UUCP: harvard!ulowell!cloud9!dts 
Stratus Computer, Inc.     ARPA: anvil!cloud9!dts@harvard.harvard.edu
55 Fairbanks Blvd.         CSRV: 74176,1347
Marlboro, MA 01752	   TEL.: 508 - 460 - 2686