ABN.ISCAMS@USC-ISID.ARPA (06/22/84)
Jim, Is your software asking for a single sided double density (SSDD) option selection? If not, and it just does DSDD -- a disk rated at SSDD DOES still have the magnetic media on that "back" side, and it CAN still be formatted and written to. (You must have missed the Great Double-Sided Disk Debate on the net a few months ago!) It's just that the manufacturer did not certify or warrant or guarantee that "back" side for double density or something. Maybe it WILL do just fine, and maybe it WON'T! Only your trying will tell! Lots of people buy El Cheapo (no offense, please - I do it too) single sided single density disks, punch a couple of holes to tell their disk drive it IS double sided (it's a physical thing, telling the disk drive), and go right ahead and format/use DSDD! Sometimes it works and sometimes... Now, I do NOT understand why your disk drive isn't picking up the physical difference (location of timing holes, square write protect notch) between SSDD and DSDD - maybe one of our Kaypro owners out there can enlighten us? Regards, David Kirschbaum Toad Hall ABN.ISCAMS@USC-ISID
Chris@USC-ECLB.ARPA (06/22/84)
From: Christopher Ho <Chris@USC-ECLB.ARPA> David et al, The physical difference between SS and DS diskettes exists only for 8" diskettes. 5.25" diskettes are basically all identical, and this is the variety used on all the Kaypros. Chris ps:By identical I do not include soft- vs. hard-sectored, which are two different kinds of animal. -------
bridger@Rand-Unix.ARPA (06/22/84)
From: Bridger Mitchell <bridger@Rand-Unix.ARPA> A contributing factor may be the BIOS firmware shipped with the Kaypro 4's and 10's. It doesn't correctly support the CPM disk-reset function call. A drive, once logged in with a double-sided disk, remains double-sided until the next warm boot, despite any disk-reset call. This is a pain in programs that permit disk swapping, if you have both single and double-sided disks. One solution is the CP/M upgrade from Plu*Perfect Systems, which does the disk-resets correctly. --bridger