Re: SVD (Semi-Virtual Diskette) support for Apple ][s now documented

[Andy McFadden <fadden@fadden.com>]

Michael J. Mahon <mjmahon@aol.com> wrote:
> I'm curious, Andy--did you try reading them on two different
> drives, and, if so, were the errors "stable"?

It's been a while (six years?), so I don't remember exactly.  I seem to
recall trying two different drives and using the one that gave the best
results.  I was making copies of the disks with ShrinkIt, which won't
ignore errors, so the disks that failed were copied with a copy program
from one disk to another.  In the cases where the failure was in the boot
area of a DOS disk -- which was common -- I copied a new version of DOS
onto the backup disk before archiving it.

I had a lower failure rate with my 800K floppies, which were 5-6 years
newer.

> The biggest problem I've seen with old diskettes are those that
> were apparently stored in a damp environment or had a particularly
> tasty coating--some grow little rings of mold that actually gets
> into the oxide.

The disks have never left California, and have always been kept in a living
area (i.e. not an attic or basement), so mold hasn't been a factor.

Nothing lasts forever...

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