21 December 2009, 21:18 | #1 |
Linux Lover
|
Format Floppy Disk For Amiga
Hi, Just recently purchased my first Amiga, I wasn't alive in the Amiga Days but I Love retro Computers and consoles so i bought an A600. I like it a lot. The only problem I have found is that when i try and format a regular floppy disk in Workbench 2.05 it always comes up as Bad Sector. Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks, Jawsykilla |
21 December 2009, 21:23 | #2 |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Czech republic
Posts: 580
|
try another floppy, is the bad sector on the same place ? if yes, probably something with your drive. anyway when you are using A600, its better to use HDD and winuae for playing
|
21 December 2009, 21:26 | #3 |
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Sidcup, England
Posts: 10,300
|
Hi, Jawsykilla, and welcome to EAB!
I doubt that you're really doing anything wrong. For maximum reliability, you should always use DSDD 1MB unformatted (or 720kB DOS-formatted) capacity 3½-inch floppy disks in your Amiga's floppy drive. |
21 December 2009, 21:33 | #4 |
Linux Lover
|
Well these floppy disks are some ones previously used with a PC back in the WIN95 days, I insert them into the drive and format and it says "Format Failed Bad Sector. Try a Different Disk" but when i format a floppy disk that came with my A600 it works fine so it isn't the Disk Drive. Any Ideas? Also thanks for the welcome these forums are great!
|
21 December 2009, 21:38 | #5 |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Czech republic
Posts: 580
|
If the "bad" diskette is HD, then take stickytape and cover the hole opposite to read-write hole, try format again, if that doesnt help, you probably have to find formatter which can format floppy with bad sectors - it will mark bad sectors as not usable, so you will have less capacity. Try search on aminet.
|
21 December 2009, 21:41 | #6 |
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Sidcup, England
Posts: 10,300
|
The disks previously used in a PC running Win95 are probably DSHD 2.0MB unformatted (1.4MB DOS-formatted) capacity, whereas the disks which came with your Amiga are most likely the DSDD disks I described above.
FYI: DSDD = Double Sided Double Density; DSHD = Double Sided High Density. You may get the DSHD disks to format properly in your Amiga if you cover the disk's HD sensing hole with sticky tape, to "fool" the Amiga's floppy drive into thinking it's a DSDD disk. However, this may not work, because the DSHD disk's magnetic layer is different. PS. Some Amiga floppy drives work fine with DSHD disks, whether the HD sensing hole is covered or not, but some do not. Furthermore, there is no telling how a particular drive will perform until you try it. |
21 December 2009, 21:48 | #7 |
Linux Lover
|
Thanks for the info on HD and DD, I tried covering the hole but to no avail. I realise why it doesn't work due to the way the magnetic layer is read. Any ideas where I can purchase cheap DSDD Floppies for my A600 in England?
Thanks again! |
21 December 2009, 21:50 | #8 |
HOL/FTP busy bee
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 31,601
|
Have a look here : http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/...x.php?cPath=28
|
21 December 2009, 21:50 | #9 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Age: 37
Posts: 11,167
|
|
21 December 2009, 21:55 | #11 |
HOL/FTP busy bee
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 31,601
|
Whoooosh! Sorry guys, but good to see great minds thinking alike
|
21 December 2009, 21:58 | #12 |
Linux Lover
|
Thanks a lot to everyone who helped! How do I close the thread?
|
21 December 2009, 22:00 | #13 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Age: 37
Posts: 11,167
|
You don't, us moderators do and there's no need to close it because someone else might find it handy one day and want to add to it.
|
21 December 2009, 22:06 | #14 |
Linux Lover
|
Ok, thanks!
|
21 December 2009, 23:28 | #15 | |
Da Digger :)
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Monza, Italy
Posts: 2,822
|
Quote:
Prowler gave the right answer: the DSHD disk's magnetic layer is different. |
|
21 December 2009, 23:40 | #16 |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Czech republic
Posts: 580
|
Supamax, you r right, I was wrong, I had 3 external floppies from bastled from PC and they had HD sensors (so I always covered HD holes). I am sorry for confusing ! :-/
|
21 December 2009, 23:45 | #17 |
Da Digger :)
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Monza, Italy
Posts: 2,822
|
|
22 December 2009, 08:03 | #18 |
-
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Helsinki / Finland
Age: 43
Posts: 9,862
|
Most Amiga drives DON'T have the HD sensor, so taping doesn't do anything.
HD disks seem to work best if they are totally unformatted when you jam them into the Amiga for the first time. If they have been formatted with a PC, they won't be reliable in Amiga use any longer. A bit difficult to find unformatted HD disks these days, seems that they're all preformatted. Then again, I don't care, I have thousands of used but formatted DD disks. Anyone want to buy some? ;-) |
22 December 2009, 08:08 | #19 |
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Sector K240
Posts: 338
|
I miss the days when you ordered PD disks for 35p each. It was a brilliant source of blank floppies, since half the material would be rubbish and you could format over it
|
22 December 2009, 10:17 | #20 |
Turpentine
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Kent, United Kingdom
Posts: 744
|
You can wipe the disk and re-format under X-Copy, I've had a fair amount of success this way.
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Can you format a PC HD 1.44 Disk to use on Amiga 4000? | Gribnitz | support.OtherUAE | 2 | 22 August 2013 21:00 |
Amiga Format cover disk. | chris-red | support.Games | 9 | 30 October 2012 18:21 |
Looking for games in ADF format to record the results on a floppy disk | velon | request.Old Rare Games | 9 | 06 April 2011 20:13 |
Format Origianl Amiga Disk HELP | iowtheme | support.Hardware | 9 | 20 March 2010 23:56 |
How can a floppy be a PC 720k disk and an Amiga 880k disk at the same time? | dreamkatcha | New to Emulation or Amiga scene | 33 | 24 July 2004 14:25 |
|
|