Date   : Mon, 08 Apr 1985 22:57:06 GMT
From   : Kenn Barry <barry%ames.uucp@BRL-TGR.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Reading Apple II Disks

> In truth, the apple is 'softer' sectoring than anybody else - it
> doesn't look at the sector hole(s) *AT ALL*.  Therefore one can use
> in the apple either soft or hard sectored disks providing that you
> format them first.  It is this 'softer' sectoring that makes the
> apple weird - all other normal machine do look at the index hole -
> a hard sectored disk drives them wild.

       We got in a shipment of hard-sectored disks for our Apples by
mistake. I attempted to use them, as I could also see no reason the Apple
couldn't use hard-sectored disks (you are of course right about the Apple
using soft sectoring). Well, the hard sectored disks formatted perfectly,
and *seemed* to work at first, but quickly began to get habitual write
errors. These were good, name-brand disks, by the way.
       I can't fault your logic - I still don't understand why the hard-
sectored disks didn't work. But I thought I'd better warn those who want
to try it to be cautious - don't be too quick to commit valuable files
to these disks.

-  From the Crow's Nest  -                      Kenn Barry
                                                NASA-Ames Research Center
                                                Moffett Field, CA
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