Date   : Mon, 27 Mar 2006 17:55:01 +0100
From   : "Ian Wolstenholme" <BBCMailingList@...>
Subject: Faulty Drive

Can anybody help me with a faulty floppy drive?

It's a Cumana single 40/80T 5.25" floppy drive which isn't working
properly.  In DFS, I can verify and read the contents of Drive 0
but any attempt at formatting seems to work for a few tracks but then
ends in Disc error 18.  If I try to write to the disc by saving or changing
file access, the command is accepted but nothing actually gets written
as the catalogue is the same as before.

Using drive 2 works OK with formatting and reading and writing so I
guess the problem is with the drive head for the top surface?

By the way - does DFS update the disc catalogue first and then write
data onto the disc when Saving?  If I save something, it will move the
drive head along the disc surface but it doesn't come back to update
the catalogue at the beginning.  

Best wishes,


Ian