Re: Platinum 5.25" drive problem

[noone@nowhere.net]

Disk drive heads many times bult up a layer of particles from the media
that can be magnatized.  This may cause problems as it obscures the
intended magnetic signature to be read or applied to the disk.  

Ok, way back when they had bulk erasers and head demagnatizers, most
heads had a steel jacket around them that could be magnatized.  Most
tapes were crude iron oxide that took a good size magnetic field to
utilize their storage capabilities.  The head jacket was also charged
with containing the reletively huge magnetic pulses to be applied to the
media.  These pulses were generally large enough to ovepower the
signature left on the tapes by the bulk erasers or anything else.

Today, most drives are not as powerful as the media is much more
sensitive.  Like wise the heads are smaller and constructed
differently.  I admit it is very unlikely that you will magnatize the
head, but if you bulk erase a diskette you are looing for trouble.  The
field on the bulk disk can erase neighbors and cause other difficulties.

Thankx,
Ed

william strutts wrote:
> I think over time the heads get magnetized from the media.  I still have a head demagnetizer for cassette decks.  When cassettes start getting stuck on the heads, I will try the demag cart first and clean the heads. Normally that fixes the problem.  I have never heard of a demag for a disk drive.