Re: Question:Is the AE 3 1/2 HD drive hardware or software?

[speedy@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca ()]

Edhel Iaur (drsmooth@relex.com) wrote:

: I'd just cover it (the HD hole) with tape >:) (I don't know if the
: drive uses a light for a sensor, so clear tape may not work.) If
: you're really fancy, you could fill it in with color-matched epoxy, I
: suppose...

AE 3.5" drives, unlike their Apple 3.5" drive counterparts, will not 
reliably work with HD disks, whether you cover the hole or not. It isn't 
testing it; they just physically don't work. This really baffles me, 
since I always thought that HD disks were just DD disks with a hole in 
them (there used to be marketed a mechanism that would punch the hole and 
save you money.).

Actually, this is not 100% true. I have actually gotten a couple of disks 
that Compuserve sent me to format properly in my AE drive, I think they 
are actually 3M disks, but store bought 3M disks don't work either. Those 
are the only two HD disks I could ever format in an AE drive.

On a similar note, I recently bought a box of TDK disks. I'd never had 
any trouble with them before. But this box wouldn't format. Same symptoms 
as working with HD disks. I'm wondering whether HD and DD disk platters 
have some slight differences, and TDK simply decided to use HD platters 
in all their disks to save money, since PC drives don't seem to care, and 
apparently neither does Apple equipment.

Anyhow,  Ranger Harke