Using Unreadable Floppy Disk -Works-

[Retrofan]

Hi:
Well, this will be a short thread but I hope that useful to you.
Let's see: I have a lot of floppy disks that are shown as "Unreadable" (????) when inserted in the floppy drive.

The other day I was needing to make an Emergency Disk for OS3.9, but I had tried all my floppys and all (the unnecesarys ones) were unreadable. Well, I inserted one of them.... and it made a perfect copy that I can use without problems.

I don't know if there is any program to recover an unreadable floppy, but the use of the disk drive head cleaner hasn't worked with them.

I know that it won't be of much use, but if someone can find the reason that makes OS3.9 to make that floppy readable again, then he could make a program to recover those floppy disks.

It isn't a question of one floppy. I've just made it again (I'm waiting to receive more floppys) and I've got now another readable floppy, that you can then format again.

So, if you urgently need to use again an ureadable floppy, just make an Emergency Disk with it and you're done.

OK.... surely must be a clever explanation, but then tell it here to share the world.

[cosmicfrog]

humm formatting with out veryfiy on then copying stuff to disk can give the illusion of a working floppy

sometimes its only when you come to use that disk and all the files on it you find errors

[FOL]

Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

humm formatting with out veryfiy on then copying stuff to disk can give the illusion of a working floppy

sometimes its only when you come to use that disk and all the files on it you find errors

Aye,

Not using verify is bad. As it will not check whats been written to the disk.
You could also force data on to the disk, but even then your still going to have problems.

If a disk is unreadable, you can always open the slider to check disk physically. I have had a few unreadable disks, due to deep scratching in a ring shape on the disk.

[Retrofan]

Just to recover this ridiculous advice I was giving to recover floppys that don't work with a format, even disabling verify or whatever. Well, it seems all my floppy drives seem to give and stay with the Cf0:???? with the majority of my floppys... and they don't attend to format.

But I want to recommend Formatter: http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/Formatter

It needs arp.library, but I believe all the CWB packs have it; if not, you can use this: http://aminet.net/package/util/libs/arp40_2

It's made to format floppys, and it works with all of the ones I've tried.
You don't have to press but the start button and you have a working floppy. Yes, later you can format it again normally and verify and what you like.

Well, now you owe me a beer

Edit: I have the idea that my floppy drives (2 with the same problem) aren't aligned exactly like lots of floppys want it to be, so after using it the floppy gets "aligned" to work without problems with it, so you can format it again and verify, etc. Can it be?
Anyway, using original floppys -from games, etc- I don't use to have this problems, dunno why. It seems I just need a first format on the floppy.
My blank floppys are brand new Basff2dd, but also others without brand.