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Apple II FAQs Diskettes
The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-1999. Administrator: Steve Nelson
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2DSKETTE.txt rev016 6/27/1999
Diskettes
001- How many tracks can I use on a 5.25" diskette?
002- Can I use high-density 3.5" and 5.25" diskettes on my A2?
003- How can I tell DD from HD diskettes if they are not labeled?
004- Some old 5.25" disks with splotches don't boot. What gives?
005- How can I defragment a diskette and what is the speed gain?
006- Why aren't my old diskettes recognized by GS/OS?
007- Can I read Apple II diskettes on my PC?
008- Where the heck can I buy double density 3.5" & 5.25" diskettes?
009- Where can I find out about different floppy disk formats?
From: Rubywand
001- How many tracks can I use on a 5.25" diskette? So far,
I've heard 35, 36, and 40. What's the actual number?
The standard number of tracks on a 5.25" diskette is set by DOS 3.3
and ProDOS at 35, numbered 0-34 ($00-$22 in hexadecimal).
The original Disk ][ drive can usually handle 36 tracks with no
problem. Newer 5.25" drives can handle 40 tracks.
Various modified versions of DOS 3.3 allow using 36 tracks and a few
allow using 40 tracks. These mods, especially the 36-track versions, were
fairly popular before the advent of 3.5" diskettes when an extra track
made a noticable difference in capacity. However, unless the extra
capacity is vital for some specific application, it is best to stick with
35 tracks in order to retain full compatibility with disk utilities (such
as Copy II Plus) and other wares.
----------------------------
002- Can I use high-density 3.5" and 5.25" diskettes on my Apple II?
I did some magnetization tests on Double Density (800kB) and High
Density (1.4MB) diskette surfaces. The tested DD surface produced more
than twice the deflection of the tested HD surface. Clearly, there is a
big difference in signal levels required to reliably store data on HD vs.
DD.
In fact, 5.25" HD (1.2MB) diskettes will not work at all on Apple
Disk ][ drives. The 3.5" HD's may work fine on your 800k drives; or, they
may just seem to work fine. Either way, there's no question: a drive
optimized for DD will not be optimized for HD. If you'd rather not 'roll
the dice' on your software collection, stick with Double Density
diskettes.
----------------------------
003- How can I tell the difference between unlabeled DD and HD diskettes?
3.5" HD (1.4MB) diskettes come with a square notch in the upper left
corner. DD (800kB) 3.5" diskettes do not come with this notch. In the
early days of PC computing, some PC users punched or drilled notch holes
in DD diskettes and used them as HD diskettes. If a 3.5" diskette has a
circular notch in the upper left corner, it is likely to be a DD diskette.
DD 5.25" (360kB) diskettes look very much like HD 5.25" (1.2MB)
diskettes. About the only remotely observable difference is that DD
diskette surfaces often exhibit a more brownish cast whereas HD diskette
surfaces are generally dark grey or black.
The surest test for 5.25" diskettes is to place the diskette into an
Apple II 5.25" drive and try to do a DOS 3.3 format. If it formats with no
problem, it is almost certainly a DD diskette.
----------------------------
004- Recently I found that some of my old 5.25" disks would
not boot. A check showed splotches etched on the surface
of the media. What's going on?
As you may recall, a number of the classier 5.25" diskette brands
employed (still employ?) a lubricant on their jacket liners. While the
lube worked to reduce drag and noise, it also, evidently, served as a
growth medium for a particularly nasty plastic and/or oxide-eating fungus!
It's probably a good idea to check each of your old diskettes.
Immediately backup any diskettes with splotchy discolorations.
----------------------------
005- How can I defragment a diskette and what is the speed gain?
You can defragment a diskette by doing a File Copy of all files to a
blank diskette or blank RAM disk. Files on the copy diskette or RAM disk
will be almost completely unfragmented. A whole-disk copy back to the
original completes the process. Tests show that this method produces much
speedier diskettes than using a utility intended for optimizing hard
disks.
For a nearly full 'workhorse' diskette which has seen may deletions
and additions, you can expect the File Copy defragmentation method to
yield a 30% to 40% improvement in access speed.
----------------------------
006- Why aren't my MECC and many other old diskettes recognized
by GS/OS and mounted on the Finder display?
The problem you mention is fairly common. GS/OS via its FSTs has
pretty strict definitions for what qualifies as a valid DOS or ProDOS
diskette. For example, perfectly good 36-track DOS 3.3 diskettes will not
be mounted by the Finder just because the number of tracks is 36 instead
of the expected 35.
Naturally, copy-protected diskettes have practically no chance of
being recognized. Almost certainly, this is the reason the Finder will not
mount your MECC disks.
You can, still, run software from most copy-protected diskettes by
just booting them.
____________________________
From: Chris Norley
007- Can I read Apple II diskettes on my PC?
A while back I requested some information regarding the reading of
Apple II floppies by an PC. There was a hugh response both in solutions
and requests for a summary of solutions.
ORIGINAL POST: --------------------
We have some old data from a small NMR spectrometer that was run from
an Apple IIe. The same spectrometer is now run from a DOS machine and we'd
like to be able to access the old data from the PC.
Does anyone know of or possess some utility to allow the data from
the 5 1/4" Apple II floppies to be read from the PC? Any hints as to
program names, ftp sites, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
SUMMARY OF RESPONSES:
--------------------
>From uli@izfm.uni-stuttgart.de
Les Ferch
It can't be done with software alone. There is a card called the
MatchPoint PC card that will let you read and write Apple II DOS, ProDOS,
and CP/M disks on a PC 5.25" 360K drive. We used to have one installed in
an XT here and it worked fine.
The other common way of moving the data is to connect an Apple II to a PC
using a null modem cable and using comm programs such as Kermit to
transfer the data.
------------------
Curt Schroeder
It is not possible for a 5.25" PC floppy drive to read Apple II disks.
They use incompatible recording technologies. Your options are to get
your data into an Apple that can write MS-DOS 3.5" disks (Apple IIgs or
Macintosh) or transfer via serial link (either via modem or null-modem
cable). The other possibility is to use an Apple II equipped with a PC
Transporter and either has a 3.5" drive or 5.25" PC floppy drive(s)
attached.
-------------------
Michael Hoffberg
About a year ago, I picked up card for my ibm made by TrackStar. It is
basically an apple II that sits inside your IBM. When you enable it, it
can boot off an apple drive, it uses the ibm keyboard and monitor.
When I go home I only use it to play moon patrol (I am too lazy to find my
other games).
In any case, I think that it is possible to transfer files between the ibm
and apple with the card. I have never tried it though.
------------------
Fred R. Opperdoes
Any Apple II (E or GS) owner having an Applied Engineering PC Transporter
card is able to do the job easily. It is maybe not easy to find such a
person in your neighborhood. Another possibility would be that you ask
someone with an Apple IIGS to have your 5 1/4" Dos 3.3 or Prodos disk
transcribed to a 3.5" Prodos disk. Every IIGS owner would be able to do
so. Files on such disks can then easily be converted to MsDOS files on an
MsDOS disk on a Macintosh using the Apple File Exchange Utility that comes
with every modern Mac.
-------------------
Leo Connolly
I don't think this is doable. There are limitations in the PC drive
hardware which make it impossible to read Apple II disks. (And the same
is true in reverse, for exactly the same reasons).
I suggest the following.
Transfer the Apple II data to a 3.5" disk. This is easy on a IIGS if you
use a utility such as Copy II Plus.
Use Apple File Convert on a Macintosh to convert the Apple II files to
MS-DOS format. Caution: older versions of this utility cannot handle
MS-DOS 3.5" disks, but the newer ones can.
Or: send your data through a modem from the Apple to the PC.
------------------
Leonard Erickson
It can't be done without extra hardware. The Apple II didn't use a disk
controller chip, it used an odd circuit instead. So, machines using the
industry standard controller chips can't read Apple disks.
You'll need a COPYIIPC deluxe option board or some such. Check with
Central Point software, they used to sell them.
Another approach is to track down one of the add-on boards that was
essentially an Apple II on a PC card. It hooks to the 5.25" drive and
plugs into the bus. And you've got an Apple II in your PC.
-----------------
tomk@crash.cts.com
The cheapest method to get the data would to do a "NULL MODEM" transfer
between the two computers.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
008- I'm having a hell of a time tracking down a place to buy
double density 3-1/2 & 5-1/4 disks. Any suggestions?
Here are places to try ...
Alltech
Alltech (760-724-2404) still advertises DS-DD 5.25" disketts for
$15/100 with sleeves + shipping. Their price for DD 3.5" diskettes was
pretty good, too. Alltech has done a major revision of their web page
which seems to omit many favorite items; but, although diskettes are no
longer listed, they still sell them as of a check in February 1999.
Thrift shops
Brian Hammack reports finding packs of used 5.25" diskettes at
bargain prices.
____________________________
From: David Wilson
009- Where can I find out about different floppy disk formats?
Here is a table of floppy disk formats I have built up over the
years:
disk speed rate encode trk sector trk/hd size disk
size" rpm kb/s scheme kb cnt*sz count kBytes type
---------------------------------------------------------------------
8 360 500 FM 41.67 26*128 77/1 260 SSSD (8)
8 360 500 FM 41.67 26*128 77/2 520 DSSD (8)
8 360 500 MFM 83.33 26*256 77/1 520 SSDD (9)
8 360 500 MFM 83.33 26*256 77/2 1040 DSDD (9)
5.25 300 250 FM 25.00 8*256 40/1 80 SSSD
5.25 300 250 FM 25.00 8*256 40/2 160 DSSD
5.25 300 245 GCR 49.00 16*256 35/1 140 SSDD (1)
5.25 300 250 MFM 50.00 8*512 40/1 160 SSDD (3)
5.25 300 250 MFM 50.00 9*512 40/1 180 SSDD (3)
5.25 300 250 MFM 50.00 8*512 40/2 320 DSDD (3)
5.25 300 250 MFM 50.00 9*512 40/2 360 DSDD (3)
5.25 300 250 MFM 50.00 9*512 80/2 720 DSDD
5.25 360 300 MFM 50.00 9*512 40/2 360 DSDD (4)
5.25 360 300 MFM 50.00 9*512 80/2 720 DSDD
5.25 360 500 MFM 83.33 15*512 80/2 1200 DSHD (4)
3.5 300 250 MFM 50.00 9*512 80/2 720 DSDD (5)
3.5 300 250 MFM 50.00 5*1024 80/2 800 DSDD (2)
3.5 var var GCR var var*512 80/2 800 DSDD (7)
3.5 300 500 MFM 100.00 18*512 80/2 1440 DSHD (6)
3.5 var var GCR var var*512 80/2 1600 DSHD (A)
3.5 300 1000 MFM 200.00 36*512 80/2 2880 DSED
(1) Apple ][
(2) Applix
(3) IBM PC
(4) IBM PC/AT
(5) IBM PS/2 25,30
(6) IBM PS/2 > 30
(7) Macintosh & Apple //
(8) IBM 3740
(9) IBM System 34
(A) AE 1.6MB drive on Apple //