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 diskette 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 diskette 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 formatted 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 types of diskettes to use in the two types of drives.

 

Table 3-1.Drive/diskettecompatibility

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drive type

 

Diskette types

 

Diskette types

 

 

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 formatted 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.

31