NetNews Offline 2/NetNews Offline Volume 2.iso/news/comp/sys/cbm/2854

Internet Message Format | 1996-08-05 | 1.6 KB

Path: bcarh8ab.bnr.ca!mwandel
From: [e-mail] (Markus Wandel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm
Subject: Re: MSD Drive
Date: 18 Feb 1996 17:12:41 GMT
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Message-ID: <4g7mm9$[e-mail]>
References: <4g5d9h$rm6$[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
NNTP-Posting-Host: bcars758.bnr.ca

>I've been using High Density without any problems with
>my MSD.  I thought maybe the robustness of the MSD gave it
>stronger heads enabling it to manipulate data on the higher
>density disks.  Anyone have any insight into this?

It's just dumb luck.  The MSD isn't designed for the high density (higher
magnetic coercivity, i.e. harder to magnetize but capable of higher
resolution) disks any more than the 1541 is.  Due to whatever differences,
it may get closer to working OK with 1.2MB disks, but no matter what, you
won't get a recording with as much margin for error as if you'd used the
correct disks ("double density", "360K".)

Lots of people have formatted 720K disks to 1.44MB (and even vice versa,
now that the 720K disks are dying out) and lots of people have mismatched
40- and 80-track drives, 360K and 1.2MB 5.25" floppies and it's worked for
lots of them and they'll always believe that it _should_ work.  But the
fact is, it _may_ work, and the disks you get _may_ not be as likely to
contain readable data 10 years from now, as properly recorded disks would
be.

Markus
--
Markus Wandel     Ottawa Ont. Canada     [phone]
[e-mail]  <-- NOT '[e-mail]' (that's for work only)

*** DISCLAIMER ***  Not speaking for or representing my employer in any way.