Re: Apple Disk Drives

["william strutts" <wrstrutts1@home.com>]

"David Empson" <dempson@actrix.gen.nz> wrote in message
1evtk50.1rtdkax1ey7bcwN%dempson@actrix.gen.nz">news:1evtk50.1rtdkax1ey7bcwN%dempson@actrix.gen.nz...
> william strutts <wrstrutts1@home.com> wrote:
>
> Formatting a 400K disk to send to someone with an older machine would be
> the obvious use.  It is also worth noting that you can connect a 400K
> drive to a Mac Plus (probably also an SE or II, but I don't know about
> later models).

The Mac Classic II that I got yesterday has a disk drive port like the
older system but I don't know if it will work with 800K drives.  The
system I have crapped out on me and I can't boot it.  It worked for
about an hour before it died.  It is getting a "System Bus Error" when
I try to boot off the floppy and it doesn't find any system files on the
HD anymore (ie Flashing ? Disk icon)

<snip>
> The last system version which works on a Plus is 7.5.5.

I thought the last version that worked with a Plus is system 7.1 because
they discontinued 800k support with later releases.  The disk only
came on 1.44 meg floppies.  In order to get it on my system, I had
to use my friends LC and copy the files manually to 800K floppies
and then copy them onto my HD.

> (7.6 dropped support for all 68000 and 68020 machines, plus 68030
> machines which were not "32-bit clean", i.e. the IIcx and SE/30.)

I think it works with the Classic II though which is a revised SE/30
machine.  Does this mean that the Classic II is 32 bit clean?

> That is what I would expect.  There is no way for the hardware to detect
> a 'single sided' 3.5" disk, so it would have to ask whether you wanted
> to format as 400K or 800K.

True.

> With a SuperDrive, more recent system software gives the option of
> formatting a double density disk as HFS with 720K or 800K formats,
> MS-DOS (720K) or ProDOS (800K).

System 7.0.1 just offered me to format the disk but gave me no options
other than disk name. (on the Classic II before it died)

> For a high density disk, the choice is between HFS, MS-DOS or ProDOS
> (all 1.44M).

What system will support these formats?  I was trying to figure that out
when the Classic II bombed on me.

> Nope.  There is an extra notch on a high density disk, so the system
> software can determine the density automatically.

Right. I should have figured that out.
--
--
William R. Strutts - wrstrutts1@home.com - Whatever!

C'est moi!  http://www.facelink.com/wrstrutts

Just hacking away...