Re-Format DOS Diskettes for XP?

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Guest

I was given some boxes of unused 3-1/2" diskettes. They are DOS formatted,
double-sided, double-density. The capacity states: DOS formatted, 720K, 135
tracks per inch. Can they be reformatted for XP?
 
No need to WinXP will read them as that is the standard format method (other than MAC) but,
720K disks are worthless. Even 1.44MB (twice the capacity) have limited value these days.

--
Dave




| I was given some boxes of unused 3-1/2" diskettes. They are DOS formatted,
| double-sided, double-density. The capacity states: DOS formatted, 720K, 135
| tracks per inch. Can they be reformatted for XP?
 
To format a 720KB diskette from the WinXP command prompt use this
command:
format a: /n:9 /t:80
 
Thank you David & Bert, you've answered my question...and so fast. I'm going
to recommend you guys to everyone. LOL
 
Far from being worthless, they are very useful for storing small files and
low resolution photos. When it is as easy to write to a CD as it is to write
to a floppy, then the floppy will be dead.

Bob
 
Point taken, Bob. Thanks.

rck said:
Far from being worthless, they are very useful for storing small files and
low resolution photos. When it is as easy to write to a CD as it is to write
to a floppy, then the floppy will be dead.

Bob
Click to expand...
 
Yet it takes far longer to save one photo to floppy than many to CD... and
the floppy tends to be much less reliable. The floppy might not be dead
(except on the Mac,) but by now it really should be...
 
I'll certainly agree the floppy should be dead, so why can't the technology
wizards figure out how to make a CD look like a floppy, insofar as the
operating system is concerned? To write to a floppy, open Explorer and drag
& drop. To write to a CD, open your favorite software (I have Nero), try to
figure out which of a dozen icons will do the task you want and then halfway
through, some sort of buffer error locks up the computer and you reboot
while praying.

Bob
 
They have a poor shelf life, are extremely slow and I couldn't store ONE JPEG from my camera
on a 720K disk.

A ZIP disk would be faster, store more and be more reliable. So would a non-volatile RAM
drive (flash) drive.

720K disks are worthless. However, here's a trick. Drill a hole in the same place as a
1.44MB disk and you can format a 720K disk to 1.44MB and it will be just reliable.

--
Dave




| Far from being worthless, they are very useful for storing small files and
| low resolution photos. When it is as easy to write to a CD as it is to write
| to a floppy, then the floppy will be dead.
|
| Bob
|
 
Exactly. Right now, the only purpose is to Boot DOS or other Boot Loader.

--
Dave




| Yet it takes far longer to save one photo to floppy than many to CD... and
| the floppy tends to be much less reliable. The floppy might not be dead
| (except on the Mac,) but by now it really should be...
|
| | > Far from being worthless, they are very useful for storing small files and
| > low resolution photos. When it is as easy to write to a CD as it is to
| > write to a floppy, then the floppy will be dead.
| >
| > Bob
| >
| >
| > | >> No need to WinXP will read them as that is the standard format method
| >> (other than MAC) but,
| >> 720K disks are worthless. Even 1.44MB (twice the capacity) have limited
| >> value these days.
| >>
| >> --
| >> Dave
| >>
| >>
| >>
| >>
| >> | >> | I was given some boxes of unused 3-1/2" diskettes. They are DOS
| >> formatted,
| >> | double-sided, double-density. The capacity states: DOS formatted, 720K,
| >> 135
| >> | tracks per inch. Can they be reformatted for XP?
| >>
| >>
| >
| >
|
|
 
ZIP disk my friend, ZIP disks !

CDROM is based upon a totally different type of media. Both floppy and ZIP are based upon
magnetic storage and not upon "burning" a dot in a film sandwiched within a clear plastic.

ZIP disks are larger than CDROMs. They are now at 750MB. That's almost 50MB greater than a
CD and it is random-read/random-write media. If used in conjunction with a backup
application and assuming a compression ratio of 2:1 that's 1.5GB worth of storage !

--
Dave




| I'll certainly agree the floppy should be dead, so why can't the technology
| wizards figure out how to make a CD look like a floppy, insofar as the
| operating system is concerned? To write to a floppy, open Explorer and drag
| & drop. To write to a CD, open your favorite software (I have Nero), try to
| figure out which of a dozen icons will do the task you want and then halfway
| through, some sort of buffer error locks up the computer and you reboot
| while praying.
|
| Bob
 
ZIP is dieing. Ever hear the "Click of Death" from a ZIP drive. BE AFRAID!
Be very afraid of this noise, since it "chews" up your data cartridge and
the cartridge is "scrap" after it.
 
David H. Lipman said:
ZIP disk my friend, ZIP disks !
Click to expand...
I had a zip drive back when I had my 386. More device conflicts than you
could ever imagine. Seems one type worked better than the other. Don't
remember if it was the parallel port or the IDE drive. Zip disks are
expensive. For a time there was that Swedish company making inexpensive
disks but then Iomega changed their format and drove the other company out
of business....a la Microsoft. Are you old enough to remember that?

Bob
 
Yes I did. When the ZIP 100MB came out. After 3.5 years (or was it closer to 4) my SCSI
ZIP 100MB drive had the "click of death". I replaced it with a, USB v2.0 powered, ZIP 250MB
drive two years ago and have had no problems with the drive.

I managed a LAN consisting of 100 Dell GX240 and GX400 platforms. Each with an ATAPI/IDE
ZIP 250MB drive. They just came off a three year warranty on Sept and Oct of '04. Of the
100 drives only one drive had a problem and it was not the "click of death". During that
same time period I had numerous Western Digital and even more notable IBM hard disk
failures.

--
Dave




| ZIP is dieing. Ever hear the "Click of Death" from a ZIP drive. BE AFRAID!
| Be very afraid of this noise, since it "chews" up your data cartridge and
| the cartridge is "scrap" after it.
 
I am old enough and experienced enough to have installed ST-225 MFM hard disks. During a
time when Gibson was selling spin-rite to change the MFM/RLL drive interleave whiles other
utilities were free.

I have used ALL forms of ZIP. Parallel, USB, IDE/ATAPI and SCSI. Since the initial
problems with the ZIP 100MB drives was corrected, Iomega hasn't had ANY enmasse problems.
They have become very reliable.

I don't know what "format" you are talking about. I use the same 100MB zip disks I got with
my first ZIP 100MB SCSI drive with my USB ZIP 250MB drive.

--
Dave




|
| | > ZIP disk my friend, ZIP disks !
| >
| I had a zip drive back when I had my 386. More device conflicts than you
| could ever imagine. Seems one type worked better than the other. Don't
| remember if it was the parallel port or the IDE drive. Zip disks are
| expensive. For a time there was that Swedish company making inexpensive
| disks but then Iomega changed their format and drove the other company out
| of business....a la Microsoft. Are you old enough to remember that?
|
| Bob
|
|
 
David H. Lipman said:
I am old enough and experienced enough to have installed ST-225 MFM hard
disks. During a
time when Gibson was selling spin-rite to change the MFM/RLL drive
interleave whiles other
utilities were free.

I have used ALL forms of ZIP. Parallel, USB, IDE/ATAPI and SCSI. Since
the initial
problems with the ZIP 100MB drives was corrected, Iomega hasn't had ANY
enmasse problems.
They have become very reliable.

I don't know what "format" you are talking about. I use the same 100MB
zip disks I got with
my first ZIP 100MB SCSI drive with my USB ZIP 250MB drive.
Click to expand...
I don't remember exactly what Iomega did to stifle the competition, that was
15 years ago. Perhaps they changed the housing. Whatever it was, it rendered
the other company's disks incompatible but didn't affect the Iomega drives.
Spinrite! Now there is a trip into the land of nostalgia. I bet you have CPM
experience. But the world marches on and we must deal with what exists
today.

Bob
 
Sure CP/M ! 8080/8085 Assembly and Zenith Z100 platforms. I also worked with the NEC V20
chips for the 8088/8086. Not only were they twice the speed of the Intel chips but given
the correct Register Flag it would emulate the 8080/8085/Z80 CPU.

I even worked on a CP/M Lifeboat 2.2 weather computer than had 9 Z80 CPUs for processing
downloaded satellite weather information for my state's DoT. :-)

The reality Today (to place this discussion back On Topic) is that 720KB disks just don't
cut the mustard for storage in Today's computing environment.


--
Dave




|

| I don't remember exactly what Iomega did to stifle the competition, that was
| 15 years ago. Perhaps they changed the housing. Whatever it was, it rendered
| the other company's disks incompatible but didn't affect the Iomega drives.
| Spinrite! Now there is a trip into the land of nostalgia. I bet you have CPM
| experience. But the world marches on and we must deal with what exists
| today.
|
| Bob
|
|
 
Tafeille said:
Point taken, Bob. Thanks.
Click to expand...

If you want to reformat one, go to All Programs - Accessories - Command
Prompt and use the command
FORMAT A: /T:80 /N:9
for the standard 720K layout
 
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