john@wpi.wpi.edu (John F Stoffel) (03/30/89)
My wish for 1.4 is the ability to map out bad blocks on a floppy disk. I don't think this would be too hard to do since it is done on Hard Drives, it's just applying it to a smaller device. My problem is I've got a batch of sub-standard disks, and I keep getting errors on them, which is really annoying during a download, since I have to basically stop it and go find a fresh disk. This is even more annoying when you're in the middle of a 400K files... Now I may have missed this before, but is such a program already available for use on floppys? If so, where could I get a copy? If it is on a fred fish, just send me the file name and a disk number and I'll be happy, if it ain't... could you send me a copy? Thanks for your help! John Stoffel | john@wpi.bitnet | What can you expect of a day WPI, Box 2432 | john@wpi.wpi.edu | that begins with getting up Worcester, MA 01609 | husc6!m2c!wpi!john | in the morning? --Damm the Disclaimers! Full flame ahead!--
kevin@uts.amdahl.com (Kevin Clague) (03/30/89)
In article <1600@wpi.wpi.edu> john@wpi.wpi.edu (John F Stoffel) writes: > >My wish for 1.4 is the ability to map out bad blocks on a floppy disk. >I don't think this would be too hard to do since it is done on Hard >Drives, it's just applying it to a smaller device. My problem is I've >got a batch of sub-standard disks, and I keep getting errors on them, >which is really annoying during a download, since I have to basically >stop it and go find a fresh disk. This is even more annoying when >you're in the middle of a 400K files... > >Now I may have missed this before, but is such a program already >available for use on floppys? If so, where could I get a copy? If it >is on a fred fish, just send me the file name and a disk number and >I'll be happy, if it ain't... could you send me a copy? Thanks for >your help! > >John Stoffel | john@wpi.bitnet | What can you expect of a day >WPI, Box 2432 | john@wpi.wpi.edu | that begins with getting up >Worcester, MA 01609 | husc6!m2c!wpi!john | in the morning? > --Damm the Disclaimers! Full flame ahead!-- The terse answer is: no. The verbose answer is that the Amiga reads and writes entire tracks at a time, not individual sectors (blocks). If such a program were to exist, it would have to map out bad tracks. I think the best solution is to format the floppy using format or Tom Rokicki's dfc to format the disks. If the floppy won't format then don't use it. I know this is not the answer you were looking for John, but it seems to be the answer this forum comes up with every time the question is asked. Kevin -- UUCP: kevin@uts.amdahl.com or: {sun,decwrl,hplabs,pyramid,seismo,oliveb}!amdahl!kevin DDD: 408-737-5481 USPS: Amdahl Corp. M/S 249, 1250 E. Arques Av, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 [ Any thoughts or opinions which may or may not have been expressed ] [ herein are my own. They are not necessarily those of my employer. ]
cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (03/31/89)
In article <1600@wpi.wpi.edu> john@wpi.wpi.edu (John F Stoffel) writes: > My wish for 1.4 is the ability to map out bad blocks on a floppy disk. > ... My problem is I've got a batch of sub-standard disks, ... The answer isn't to make it possible to use substandard disks on the Amiga, the answer is to fork over the extra nickel or dime to get real disks. You don't ask GM to fix your car so that you can run it on methanol do you? Do yourself a favor and sell those substandard floppies to someone else. [I'd guess they are not substandard, rather they are only single sided and you get hosed trying to write to the back side of them.] You are only asking for trouble if you continue to use them. The even more insidious problem will be two weeks from now when you go to read back the data and it is now unreadable. Save yourself the hassle. Dump these loser disks. --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you. "A most excellent barbarian ... Genghis Kahn!"
jms@antares.UUCP (Joe Smith) (03/31/89)
In article <1600@wpi.wpi.edu> john@wpi.wpi.edu (John F Stoffel) writes: > ... My problem is I've >got a batch of sub-standard disks, and I keep getting errors on them, >which is really annoying during a download, since I have to basically >stop it and go find a fresh disk. This is even more annoying when >you're in the middle of a 400K files... You may have noticed that the FORMAT program that comes with the Amiga simply writes the formatting info to the disk; it does not verify that it can read what it just wrote. I have been using Tom Rokicki's DFC program that is on Fish Disk #131. It verifys the disk as it is formated, so that you can identify bad flopies and throw them out before they cause you grief. Downloading onto an unverified floppy is not very smart. -- Joe Smith (408)922-6220 | jms@antares.Tymnet.COM or jms@opus.Tymnet.COM McDonnell Douglas FSCO | UUCP: ...!{ames,pyramid}!oliveb!tymix!antares!jms PO Box 49019, MS-D21 | PDP-10:JMS@F74.Tymnet.COM CA license plate:"POPJ P," San Jose, CA 95161-9019 | narrator.device: "I didn't say that, my Amiga did!"
aleneis@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Tony Leneis) (04/05/89)
In article <431@antares.UUCP> jms@antares.UUCP (Joe Smith) writes: >In article <1600@wpi.wpi.edu> john@wpi.wpi.edu (John F Stoffel) writes: >> ... My problem is I've >>got a batch of sub-standard disks, and I keep getting errors on them, >>which is really annoying during a download, since I have to basically >>stop it and go find a fresh disk. This is even more annoying when >>you're in the middle of a 400K files... There is a program called bformat which formats bad floppies. I believe it just marks all the bad blocks as allocated, but I'm not sure. In any case, it seems to work ok. - Tony Leneis