Re: HFS formatter

[dempson@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

In article <d122259@pro-palmtree.cts.com>,
James Poore <jpoore@pro-palmtree.cts.com> wrote:
> It seems to me that one has to have an Apple 3.5 drive to format in HFS. 
> The Unidisk 3.5 does not have the HFS option is the Standard File Dialog
> box.

You are mistaken.  I just tried initializing a disk with a UniDisk
3.5, and I was offered options of ProDOS and HFS.

The File System Translators don't generally care about what device you
are formatting or erasing a disk for - as long as the capacity is
supported, you will be offered the file system.  A 5.25" drive is a
special case: there is a bit in the FST header which tells GS/OS
whether the FST supports initializing 5.25" disks, and HFS doesn't.

> This is based on two indentical ROM 01 systems, one with Apple 3.5
> drives and one with Unidisk 3.5 drives.

The most likely explanation is that the HFS File System Translator has
not been installed on the machine which has UniDisk 3.5 drives (or has
been marked inactive).
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand