Wild-hair floppy drive question

[Allison]

>
>Subject: Re: Wild-hair floppy drive question
>   From: Scott Stevens <chenmel at earthlink.net>
>   Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2005 09:28:37 -0500
>     To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 20:01:12 -0500
>Doc Shipley <doc at mdrconsult.com> wrote:
>
>> Eric Smith wrote:
>> 
>> > Doc asks:
>> > 
>> >>   Would a DSHD floppy drive with a DSHD disk in it
>> > 
>> > 
>> > You mean a 96 TPI high-density 5.25" disk and drive (e.g., IBM 1.2M
>> > format that was introduced with the PC/AT)?
>> 
>>    Sorry, no, I meant a 3.5" floppy drive.  As soon as Allison replied
>>    I 
>> realized the question was ambiguous.
>> 
>>    I've found something intersting about the Compaq m/b that hosts my 
>> 1.2MB 5.25" disk drive, though.
>> 
>>    That board auto-detects all its hardware on every boot.  If I boot 
>> with a DSQD disk in that drive, the BIOS auto-updates the settings to 
>> '3.5" 1.44MB Drive".
>> 
>>    Which is what prompted my question in the first place.
>> 
>> 
>> 	Doc
>
>Years back, I had good luck using a 720K (DSDD) 3-1/2" drive in place of
>the 720K '80 track' 5-1/4" drive in an Intel PDS workstation.  I
>'converted over' all the original media from 5-1/4" by installing the 3
>and 5 inch drives in a 'dual drive' configuration then ran the disk copy
>utility.
>
>Blank new 720K 3-1/2" media itself has become scarce now, though.

I still do this in my Kapro 4/84.  In a pinch 1.44media will work fine 
if the media select hole (not write protect) is filled.

Fortunatly I have a box of 720k media.


Allison