Re: Question

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Tim writes ...
>
> .... 
> I no longer have any 800k 3.5" floppies for my IIgs.  The only ones I can
> still find in this area are the 1.4 megabyte disks with the notch on both
> corners of the disk.
> 
> If I cover up the second notch on the left-hand side, will I have an 800k
> disk that I can use in my IIgs?
> ....
>

     The notch in the upper left corner of 3.5" diskettes does not need
to be covered in order to try using the diskette in the 800k 3.5" GS
drive. The standard 800k GS diskette drives do not check to see whether
or not the hole is present. 1.4MB PC, etc. drives do check.

     As to using HD (High Density 1.4MB) 3.5" diskettes in drives
designed for DD (Double Density 800k) diskettes, it is not recommended.
The following is from the new csa2 FAQs:


007- Can I use high-density 3.5" and 5.25" diskettes
     on my Apple II?

     I did some magnetization tests on Double Density (800kB) and High
Density (1.4MB) diskette surfaces. The tested DD surface produced more
than twice the deflection of the tested HD surface. Clearly, there is a
big difference in signal levels required to reliably store data on HD
vs. DD.

     In fact, 5.25" HD (1.2MB) diskettes will not work at all on Apple
Disk ][ drives. The 3.5" HD's may work fine on your 800k drives; or,
they may just seem to work fine. Either way, there's no question: a
drive optimized for DD will not be optimized for HD. If you'd rather not
'roll the dice' on your software collection, stick with Double Density
diskettes.

--------

 
> Now, if this won't work, where can I still buy 800k disks?  If I go to
> Computer City or CompUSA, I can get the 1.4 meg disks for free (with
> rebate).  I'm sure these 800k guys will cost me a lot more, though, since
> they're not around much any more.
> ....

     As you observe, 800k 3.5" diskettes are no longer a standard item
at many large-volume computer stuff stores. If you do find them locally,
it is likely to be in boxes of 10 at rather high prices. Fortunatelly,
genuine 800k (DSDD) diskettes are still commonly available via mail
order at sane prices:

Alltech ( http://www.allelec.com   phone: 760-724-2404) currently lists
DSDD 3.5" diskettes at $9.50 per 50.



Rubywand