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Re: How to use back side of 5.25 diskkette without punching

jsnospam@cimmeri.com wrote:

As a matter of fact, if using good media with a low duty cycle (not running constantly from it day after day), disk heads don't get dirty either.>



True.  Also, my observation has been that head debris buildup is more a
result of how much I'm using the drive.   Modern PCs with such little
floppy use, might go their entire lives without needing any drive
servicing.. but if I'm constantly using the drive all day with lots of
different floppies, the heads seem to get buildup even though the
buildup is being contributed by many floppies.


Exactly.  And using lots of floppies in a drive pretty well guarantees
that some will be "dirty" ones that disproportionately contribute to
the problem.



I'm a pragmatist.  I test the walls from time to time, and if they don't appear to be there, then I conclude that they aren't there--now.>



Interesting.  If the wall was once there and I'm still using the exact
same stuff that had the wall, I assume it's still there. :-)


Anytime something potentially significant changes, like drive size,
media formulation, or head pressure, it's a new ball game, deserving
of collecting new data and re-evaluating.


But note that one set of habits is supported by evidence while the other is based only on an assumption....   Note also that the physical space to keep the disks that must be secured is twice as great if only one surface is used, and that also increases the risk of physical damage.  ;-)>



It's not entirely an assumption.  First of all, many 8" floppies could
not be flipped at all due to index holes.   Also, the earlier
formulations and the much higher linear velocities created more
debris.. thus requiring the felt pads (on SS drives) to be frequently
replaced.   You can clearly see on these diskettes the wear patterns
from the felt pad.. sometimes down to the plastic!   It's also not
clear to me whether an oxide buildup on the pad could begin to have a
magnetic field to it... but anyway, my point is that I think a lot of
8" behaviors got carried over into conversations about the minifloppy.


I think you're right--even though the devices are quite different in
their media wear properties.


With the 5.25" drives, I've seen some very dirty felt pads.. but have
not yet seen wear marks in the diskettes.. because the diskettes are
newer and superior (I've not yet examined the most recent made  8"
floppies to see what improved)... and maybe have an even lighter head
loading pressure.   However, with the Apple II, I was occasionally
encountering diskettes that would go corrupt.. and I always had more
problems with flippy diskettes than single sided.... so always stored
critical stuff on one side only.


I never made using both sides a "habit" either, but I did, and still do,
often put a pair of related disks on front and back of a floppy.  It
also has the benefit of keeping them together.  ;-)


My last and final point on all this.. is that I HATE flipping through a
floppy box, and trying to see what's on side B (when people put labels
on either side).   Or even if A) and B) are written on the front label,
it bothers me to see two different topics on one diskette... unless of
course it's something like Locksmith 6.0 on side A, 5.0 on side B.
This is really persnicketty.. haha.. but again, why I think the flippy
thing boils down to personal preference.


From my first floppy to the present, I have always used a standard
labelling scheme, which involves putting a second label for the back
contents on the front.  Conventions are the key to order.

-michael

New, faster SUDOKU v2.0 solver for Apple II's!
Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/

"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it's seriously underused."