Re: Apple Disk Drives

["Mark Cummings" <NOTfigjams@primus.com.au>]

I just messed around a bit more...

The 400K was not an option on an external 800K drive on my Classic II
running 7.6.1, so that's not it.

I was able to make a 400K single sided disk on my Q605 internal superdrive
by using Disk Copy 6.3.3 after a bit of messing around. I had to make a 800K
disk image, then convert that image to a custom 400K, then make a floppy
from the 400K image. The program states that it is formatting a single sided
disk, which ends up being 400K. But I don't think it's MFS because I can
create a folder on it and put files in the folder.
If I then try to re-format that from the desktop, it goes back to the 800K
options only.

So I guess the OS would be the next step to try, maybe lower, like 7.1

Mark


David Empson <dempson@actrix.gen.nz> wrote in message
1evqja5.1exfclngtbsyuN%dempson@actrix.gen.nz">news:1evqja5.1exfclngtbsyuN%dempson@actrix.gen.nz...
> Mark Cummings <NOTfigjams@primus.com.au> wrote:
>
> > > MFS continued to be supported up to about Mac OS 8.0 (probably
including
> > > support for formatting an MFS disk).  Mac OS 8.1 dropped it.
> >
> > I have System 7.6 and I can't see a 400K option when formatting an 800K
> > disk. I only have Macintosh 800K, DOS 720K, and ProDOS 800K. Is there
some
> > trick that I am overlooking, or are the disks physically different.
>
> I expect they removed the ability to format MFS disks in an earlier
> system version.  I didn't see it under 7.5.3, which is the oldest system
> that runs on my 7600.
>
> Some obscure memories from the '80s being dredged up...
>
> I recall System 6.x offering a choice between "single sided" and "double
> sided" when formatting a disk in machines around the SE/II era.  I
> didn't touch a Mac from about this time until 1996.  I missed System 7.0
> and 7.1, so I'm not sure what options are offered by them.
>
> Another possibility is that the "single sided" formatting option is only
> offered with an 800K drive, not a SuperDrive.  (It would always apply
> when using a 400K drive.)
>
> It could be tied to the machine type - PowerMacs might not offer 400K
> formatting at all, while 68K Macs might support it right up to the
> Quadra.