Can anyone recommend where to get some 5-1/4" floppies for my Apple IIe?
I have tried some floppies that I have, but they don't appear to work (they're 1.2Mb floppies for one thing, which I believe is going to be a problem)...however, this might also be a drive problem (as the computer and various stuff had been in storage for a while before I got it).
I am using the utility program Master Diagnostics IIe, but to do a disk test, it gives me an "Unable to read/write err" message and says the door is open (it isn't), the disk is write-protected (it isn't) or not initialized (which is quite true).
I am unable to initialize the disk (using the INIT command), as I get an I/O error when I try to do it.
So I would really like to get my hands on some diskettes that WILL work, so I can tell if the drive is in need of some maintenance.
Any suggestions?
I use retrofloppy disks on an Apple II+ and they work great! Very trustworthy products and David is always responsive to any questions - he got me setup with cables for ADTPro along with reliable floppies! Here is his link:
http://www.retrofloppy.com/products.html
Those 1.2meg 'HD' floppies don't always work that well, if at all. Definitely go with the MD medium density disks.
But it sounds like the disk drive may have some issues if it says the door is open.
For use with Apple II 5,25 Diskdrives you
MUST use Double Density disks ( DD = 48 tpi ) !
they may be either single sided or double sided.
In general fact most disks that are stated to be single sided
are in fact double sided.
So you are looking for either DD/SS or DD/DS disks !
cheap ones don't have center ring protection - more expensive one have....
those with center ring protection are better choice.....
speedyG
Hey, thank you for the link! I'll check out those DS/DD floppies!
And it's funny - I used two different diagnostic programs, APTEST and Master Diagnostics IIe, and both gave slightly different results on the Disk Diagnostics test with the unreadable diskette that I have.
APTEST told me the drive was ludicrously slow - but it spun for a while and provided some information, such as it is.
MD IIe simply didn't get started, only said that either the door was open, the disk was useless or write-protected, it didn't even begin the actual test.
Hopefully having a working floppy disk will help assess the actual state of the drive.
As an aside, I have THREE drives to work with, ideally ONE of them will be functional.
EDIT - using the link provided, I can see that the floppy disks are very competitively priced (US$17.95 for 10, plus case!), but shipping to Canada is US$40!! That's killer - I need to find a local source before I pay that much.
They ***NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER*** WORK!!!!!!!!
when performing examination and calibration read before here:
http://www.appleii-box.de/H084_1_AppleIIDiskService1.htm
Thanks, speedyG ! All that stuff I knew 40 years ago, but had forgotten.
Paul
I got mine on ebay. They have to be double density. Double sided or singled sided does not matter. Get a few ten packs of Verbatim, 3M, Maxell, or other good ones.
If Amazon is a good option for you, look no further than here. They are sold by floppydisk.com, come with sleeves and labels, and appear to be brand new. Also despite the picture, they are unbranded (or at least my pack was).
Also if ~$20 seems a little steep for 10 disks, look again and notice thaat there's free shipping :)
You can probably buy in bulk for cheaper, but if you only need a few disks, this is a good deal IMO.
Also you CANNOT use high density floppies formatted as low density. Doesn't work. The issue lies in the fact that the magnetic medium in high density disks takes more to magnetize than low density disks, and a low density drive can't properly write to it. The write head simply isn't designed to create a strong enough magnetic field to magnetize a high density disk. This also goes for 3.5" floppies.