Re: Disks for 3.5" drive

[wbaguhn@nyx10.cs.du.edu (Will Baguhn)]

In article <jeffsterDq8Mqx.EA4@netcom.com>,
The Jeffster! <jeffster@netcom.com> wrote:
>I have an Apple 3.5" disk drive, and when I see that there is an 800k 
>capacity of the disks, I worry, because double-sided, or "low-density" 
>disks are formatted to 720k with an IBM. Are regular low-density disks 
>usable on the drive? If not, then can I use a high-density disk and just 
>have the drive format it to 800k? thanks in advance.
>
>jeffster@netcom.com
>-- 
>                                             jeffster@netcom.com

720k (IBM) disks are Double Density.  800k (Apple) disks are also double
density.  the difference lies in the drive mechanism itself... Apple drives
vary the speed slightly with the distance from the center of the media, so
they can cram a few extra sectors toward the outside of the disk, and hence
get a few more k when the disk is in use.

the disks themselvs are the same: 1MB Unformatted Double Density 3.5" floppies.

High Density (2MB unformatter) won't work, because the magnetic particles
are of different characteristic, and incompatible with the read/write head
used on a double density drive.

So... simple answer: Yes.  In fact, I frequently buy IBM formatted 720k disks
and reformat them (more often, however, i just buy unformatted disks).