I was thrilled to find disk images to recreate the old disks that I had when we brought our IIes back to life, but shortly after finding the Apple Disk Server online I made a few disks then attempted to reuse an old disk and was met with a disk err on my original duodisk. I bought a single drive which arrived today, verified that it read previously made disks OK and when I went to make a new 3.3 disk it fell to the same fate!
Does anyone know what is going on here? The media on this disk didn't look damaged. I am baffled, frustrated and angry that I lost both of my drives...
Dave Pyatt
Alliance, Ohio USA
dcpyatt@jclay.com
dcpyatt@gmail.com
While others more knowledgeable than I can probably tell you the how's and why's, in doing the same thing as you I have had several floppies that once put into the drive render the drive useless.
The solution I found was a simple head cleaning fixed the problem. No, the head was not dirty per se (no visible dirt like I have seen on other drives) but at first taking the drive cover off and cleaning the head with isopropyl alcohol and later (once I got one) simply putting a cleaning floppy in the drive and running it for 30 seconds brought the drive(s) right back to life.
I know, not the technical explanation you were looking for (because I do not have one!) but doing as I said has now worked for me every time.
By the way, do NOT put that disk back in a drive!
Zan
It went in the trash! Unfortunately, so did my 5-1/6 cleaning disk not more than a month ago too! I will have to clean up the duo first and if it works then tackle the single... I have a 14 day return period so I guess I better get out there and take the duo apart right now!
DaveP
My first guess is you're trying to use High Density (HD) instead of Double Density (DD) media.
Good call, Zan! I forgot that we used to have to maintain these drives... I was the victim of a dirty disk! I now have a working DuoDrive and Apple 5.25 drive! THANKS A MILLION!!!!
DaveP
I had that happen once or twice (HD instead of DD disks) but I have original Apple Disks (one was an old DOS 3.3 original another was a ProDOS User's Disk) and also a Beagle Brother's disk that caused the same thing to a half dozen different drives (yes, glutton for punishment and determined to make it work!!!!....it didn't
Glad everything is working.
Zan
Recycling old DSDD IBM disks, David... just happened to get a dirty one second disk I pulled to use and mudded up the heads... Then stuck the same disk in the new drive... DUH!
I figure I'll NEVER fire up an IBM with low-density drives ever again, so the disks are getting re-used for Apple and Commodore.
Really would like to get a SCSI system for the Apples. I was just blaming the new unproved technology and trusting the ancient technology... dang... and I'm an I.T. helpdesk specialist... Need to go back 30 years and just be a GEEK again!
DaveP