Re: Reading MS-DOS in a Superdrive 3.5

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

mark.REMOVE.percival@videotron.ca (Mark Percival) wrote:

>Rob <roberta@inreach.com> wrote:
>
>>Thanks for the reply.  I did have the MS-DOS FST installed but I was still
>>having problems.  After some investigation I found out that my problem was
>>that I was using Windows 95 long-filenames.  As soon as I gave all the files
a
>>short-name, I was able to read the floppy.
>
>Long file names are not a problem for the MS-DOS FST.  It will only
>show you the short name version.

I have a Superdrive (or rather, a Superdrive clone that's
connected to a Superdrive card).  Long file names ARE
the problem.

>I had the same problem described by you and found that the problem is
>with the volume label.
>
>1) Make sure your MS-DOS disks has a volume label.
>2) Make sure this label is 11 character or less.

This does not fix my problem of the disk not mounting
in the Finder.  The Finder will reject the disk if ANY
file on the MS-DOS disk has been given a long file
name.  Even a file that has later been deleted.

In fact, I've just stuck 3 MS-DOS disks, all unlabelled,
into my IIGS' floppy drive and all three did not mount.
I then grabbed a preformatted disk of the same type
as the 3 MS-DOS disk, this one never been touched
by Windows 95, and it mounted perfectly.

>It is also a good idea to full format of pre-formatted disks.  Most
>pre-formatted disks use a 1:1 interleave whick makes reading these
>disks on a Superdrive horribly slow.

Perhaps without an accelerator this might be true.
Frankly, I do not notice much difference on my
12.5Mhz TWGS enhanced unit.  I like to use the
disks preformatted because I know they have yet
to be molested by Windows 95 or Windows 98.