Thread View: comp.os.msdos.misc
2 messages
2 total messages
Started by LJ01066
Tue, 12 Jan 1993 18:20
Re: Using DD disks as HD disks?
Author: LJ01066
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 18:20
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 18:20
67 lines
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3906 bytes
------------------------- Original Article -------------------------
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.misc
Path: butch!kronos.arc.nasa.gov!stanford.edu!agate!spool.mu.edu!mixcom.com!Ray.C
From: Ray.Chramega <Ray.Chramega@mixcom.mixcom.com>
Subject: Re: Using DD disks as HD disks?
Organization: Milwaukee Internet Xchange BBS, Milwaukee, WI U.S.A.
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1993 18:45:48 GMT
Message-ID: <1993Jan07.184548.22741@mixcom.com>
References: <1992Dec23.202219.114@cbnewsm.cb.att.com> <1hb8h7INN4t6@flop.ENGR.OR
Keywords: disks, disk drive
Sender: mmwwmm@mixcom.com (Raymond W. Chramega)
Lines: 42
In <1993Jan5.001013.15268@engage.pko.dec.com> ssmith@ncdel.enet.dec.com (Sheldon
>In article <1992Dec30.104013.28558@Princeton.EDU>,
>bathurst@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Bruce Bathurst) writes:
>|>HD diskettes are coated,
>|>like DD, but then polished more to reduce surface bumps that would
>|>produce magnetic irregularities. This thins the coating. The lower
>|>density drive is designed to penetrate a thick coating with
>|>magnetism;
>|>when it does this to the thin coating, the magntic domains grow
>|>sideways rather than downward and may interfere with other tracks.
>|>
>From this and other things said, can I use (cheaper) 3 1/2 DD disks in my HD
>drive without problems? Assuming I ADD THE SECOND HOLE?
Rebuttle: Although the below statement is somewhat correct, it should be
pointed out that dd and hd disk median is not the same. The drive head
current used to write to the disk depends on what disk the computer thinks
it's writing to. Although you can convert dd to hd via below method and
you may not ever expierence problems, for a master copy of some data you
risk loosing it over time. Hdensity head current is lower than dd and the
dd median is designed for a higher current. Despite that some people feel
disk makers are using the same disk but charging us more for hd is not
true. Also they really don't check the unused side of a dd disk.
***************************USE AT OWN RISK******************************
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Sheldon E. Smith !Email:
>Digital Equipment Corporation ! ssmith%ncdel.enet.dec@decwrl.dec.com
>Minneapolis, Minnesota ! ...!decwrl!ncdel.enet.dec.com!ssmith
>===============================================================================
> Vote for Picard & Riker in '96
I bought a really nice 3 1/2" disk conversion tool from "THE SOFTWARE LABS"
at 3767 Overland Avenue #112, Los Angeles, CA. 90034-6311. Their phone
number is (800) 359-9998. It's made of heavy guage, deep drawn steel and is
endorsed by COMPUTE and PC LAPTOP magazines. I've converted hundreds of
disks that I use all the time and have had no problems at all with their
performance. The conversion tool is the best computer utility I own. I
wouldn't worry at all about backing up a hard drive on converted disks that
were made using this tool. The only caution they make is that certain disks
are constructed with flimsy shells and may crack under the preasure of the
tool. I've had no problems with bulk disks from CompUSA, MidWest Micro or
brands such as Fuji, Maxell or Sony. It's worth your time to try this
miracle utilty at all costs.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email: chramega@mixcom.COM or mmwwmm@mixcom.COM
Re: Using DD disks as HD disks?
Author: WORLEY LAWRENCE JA
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 00:18
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 00:18
36 lines
2543 bytes
2543 bytes
From article <93012.37231.LJ01066@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM>, by LJ01066@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM:
>
>>In article <1992Dec30.104013.28558@Princeton.EDU>,
>>bathurst@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Bruce Bathurst) writes:
>>|>HD diskettes are coated,
>>|>like DD, but then polished more to reduce surface bumps that would
>>|>produce magnetic irregularities. This thins the coating. The lower
>>|>density drive is designed to penetrate a thick coating with
>>|>magnetism;
>>|>when it does this to the thin coating, the magntic domains grow
>>|>sideways rather than downward and may interfere with other tracks.
>>|>
>
>>From this and other things said, can I use (cheaper) 3 1/2 DD disks in my HD
>>drive without problems? Assuming I ADD THE SECOND HOLE?
>
> Rebuttle: Although the below statement is somewhat correct, it should be
> pointed out that dd and hd disk median is not the same. The drive head
> current used to write to the disk depends on what disk the computer thinks
> it's writing to. Although you can convert dd to hd via below method and
> you may not ever expierence problems, for a master copy of some data you
> risk loosing it over time. Hdensity head current is lower than dd and the
> dd median is designed for a higher current. Despite that some people feel
> disk makers are using the same disk but charging us more for hd is not
> true. Also they really don't check the unused side of a dd disk.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I must disagree with you about this last statement. A 3 1/2" DD disk (which
the original writer was referring to) uses BOTH sides of the disk, not one
side. Now, in the "old" days (Atari 8-bit, C-64, TRS-80) the diskettes were
single or double sided, and you could punch out your single-sided 5 1/4" and
use both sides. You may have a point, perhaps the manufacturers of THOSE
diskettes didn't check BOTH sides of a single-sided disk, but 720K DD 3 1/2"
certainly are tested on both sides (because the USE both sides)!
-Jason
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