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Diskettes and the
Personal Computer
High-Density Format Versus
Double-Density Format
4 Understanding Diskettes
Diskettes and the Personal Computer
High-Density Format Versus Double-Density Format
Backing Up Diskettes
Write-Protecting Diskettes
When you work with personal computers, you often need to store information
on diskettes. The diskette drive of your computer stores programs and data
on 51/4-inch diskettes. A diskette, or floppy disk, is a circular piece of mylar
coated with magnetic material and packaged in a permanent protective jacket.
The diskette drive(s) of your computer can write information onto the
magnetic surface of a diskette and can read back and change the information
later.
The minimum computer system configuration is equipped with a 1.2MB,
high-density diskette drive. This drive, defined as drive A, is able to both record
and access data equivalent to 700 pages of single-spaced typed text onto and
from compatible high-density disktttes.
■ Note—Always use high-quality diskettes in your diskette drives. Although
diskettes of a lower quality will work in the drives, the failure rate of these
diskettes is considerably greater.
An optional diskette drive for the system is the 360K double-density drive. This
drive uses double-density diskettes, which store only about 180 pages of
single-spaced text. Most software programs are still distributed on double-
density (48 tpi) rather than high-density diskettes. (The MS-DOS system
diskettes and the Setup and Test Diskette that accompany your computer are all
double-density.)
The high-density drive in your system can access, or read, data from both
double-density and high-density diskettes. To read either diskette format, just
insert the diskette into the high-density drive. The drive automatically
determines which type of diskette is present and reads data accordingly.
Chapter 4
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