[BBC-Micro] DFS on 3.5inch - Is this supposed to work?

[Jonathan Graham Harston]

>Message-ID: <2e00544e0611051654q63f089cayfe42755484f02b8c at mail.gmail.com>
 
"adam colley" <hideki.adam at gmail.com> wrote:
> >From what I understand from my limited testing, the model B prefers
> low density drives, I had that problem with mine with several (3) high
 
No, the model B (if using the 8271 controller and DFS 1.20)
prefers drives that do not mask the index pulse.
 
I've been using all sorts of 3.5" drives with the BBC. Prior to a
few years ago they all worked happily with DFS 1.20, but other
people reported problems with Disk Error 10 occuring. Recently
I've found some of the drives I've bought also give Disk Error 10.
DFS 1.21 indefinately ignores Disk Error 10 until something else
happens.
 
> formatting utilities don't get past track 10... I was also using DFS
> 0.9 if that makes a difference..
 
DFS 0.90 /does/ make a difference. I don't know the exact causes,
but from my testing, any drive that caused DFS 1.20 to give Disk
Error 10 did not cause DFS 0.90 to do so. However, DFS 0.90 if
fairly slow and buggy and I would not recommend it's use just to
be able to use 3.5" drives.
 
-- 
J.G.Harston - jgh at arcade.demon.co.uk - mdfs.net/User/JGH
There are three food groups: brown, green and ice cream.