leadfoot%leftlane@Sun.COM (04/26/88)
He just got an 820-1 with two 8-inch drives, but it doesn't seem to be able to format or use double density disks. He didn't get an 820 docs, he found a format program, but it erased the wrong disk. Any ideas on the disk formats and format programs?
mlinar@eve.usc.edu (Mitch Mlinar) (04/26/88)
In article <50794@sun.uucp> leadfoot@sun.UUCP () writes: >He just got an 820-1 with two 8-inch drives, but it doesn't seem to be >able to format or use double density disks. He didn't get an 820 docs, >he found a format program, but it erased the wrong disk. Any ideas on the >disk formats and format programs? I'll say you have a problem! Simply put, the generic 820-I does *not* read or write double density. However, there are some after-market add-on cards that support it. Two I know of are: SWP double-density card from somewhere in Texas that supports EITHER 5.25 or 8" with no mods to your system; Emerald Microware Plus2 double-density which supports 8" and 5.25, but requires some mods to the board. Emerald also has operating systems, BIOSes, formatters, and sysgens for the 820, but I do not know current prices for any of this stuff. If you need a number to either of these places, let me know. I can scare them up since I have both the SWP and Plus2 package. Single density is just no fun anymore! :-) -Mitch
kurt@splut.UUCP (Kurt Freiberger) (05/02/88)
I have some 8" disks for X820-1. In it, there is IMP for Xerox, and
two flavors of format programs. I doubt that they will format DSDD. As
far as I know, the 820-1 could only do SSSD, but there is a BIOS that will
use the nether sides of A: and B: as C: and D: respectively. Send me a
mailer with about 3-4 disketes and I can send you what I have. I also
have BIOS's for the beast which include hard disk support. These are
from the KX4I (?) implementation of the W0RLI PBBS.
Send the disks to:
Kurt Freiberger
c/o Data General Service, Inc.
7676 Hillmont #240
Houston, Tx. 77040
Cheers, Kurt