You can use a double-density diskette in a 1.2MB drive if you format
it as a 360KB (or 320KB) diskette in the 1.2MB drive first. (Your MS-
DOS or other operating system manual explains how to format a disk-
ette in the density you choose.) After you do this, you can read data
from it in both drive types, but write to it only when it is in a 1.2MB
drive. If you write to it in a 360KB drive, it may become unusable in both
drives.
You can use a 1.2MB drive to read data from a double-density disk-
ette that was formatted in a 360KB drive (for example, if you want to
copy files from it). But do not write to this diskette while it is in a 1.2MB
drive. If you do, the diskette may become unusable in both drives.
In general, do not write to a diskette in a drive unless it was format-
ted in that drive (or the same type of drive on another computer). To
avoid accidentally storing data on a diskette while it is in the wrong
drive, you can place a write-protect tab on it before you insert it in the
drive (see “Write-protecting diskettes” in this chapter). Because of these
incompatibilities, always be sure to indicate density and drive type when
you label your diskettes.
Table 3-l shows what
drives.
types of diskettes to use in the two types of
Table 3-1. Drive/diskette compatibility
Diskette types
Diskette types
Drive type
it can read from
it can write to
360KB
double-density double-density
1.2MB
high-density
high-density
I
double-density double-density’
*Do not write to a double-density diskette in a 1.2MB drive unless it was formatted
in a 1.2MB drive as a 360KB (or 320KB) diskette.
Note: Both types of floppy disk drives on
the
Equity II can read and write
to single-sided, double-density diskettes. But do not write to a
single-sided diskette while it is in a 1.2MB drive unless it was for-
matted in a 1.2MB drive as a single-sided, double-density diskette.
If you have both drive types (one 360KB and
one
1.2MB), you can
copy files from one drive to another as long as the
right
diskette type is in
each drive. You can also copy files between a hard disk and any type of
diskette. See your MS-DOS or other software manual for instructions on
how to copy files.
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