Apple 8100/80 manual Using DOS-format disks on your Macintosh, Creating a blank DOS-format disk

Using DOS-format disks on your Macintosh

The format of a disk refers to the way the computer prepares the disk to receive information. Macintosh computers and DOS computers use different disk formats, but with Macintosh PC Exchange installed in your Macintosh system, your Macintosh can read disks of either format.

To use a DOS-format disk on your Macintosh, simply insert the disk into your computer’s floppy disk drive. The disk’s icon appears on the desktop. You can open the disk by double-clicking its icon—the same way you would open an ordinary Macintosh disk.

When you insert a DOS-format floppy disk, you see this icon.

If you see a message that the disk is unreadable, see “Solutions to Common

Problems” in Chapter 9 of this book.

WARNING Do not attempt to repair a DOS-format disk using disk repair programs intended for use on the Macintosh. Doing so is likely to destroy any information on the disk. If you must repair a DOS-format floppy disk, use a disk repair utility on your DOS computer.

Creating a blank DOS-format disk

When you erase or initialize a disk on the Macintosh, you can choose its format—either Macintosh or DOS.

WARNING Before you erase or initialize a disk, be sure that the disk contains no information you want to save.

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