Section 3: Using The Fd; Before You Start; Modes Of Operation; 1581 Compatible Mode - Commodore FD-4000 User Manual

Section 3
Using the FD
Before
you
Start
Before reading the following information, it is important to understand that
your FD Series drive is a true Commodore-compatible disk drive. In other
words, if you already own a 1541, 1571, 1581 or other Commodore-
compatible drive, you already have the basic skills and knowledge required
to
operate the FD. This section shows you how
to
apply the already familiar
concepts of disk drive operation to the FD, and briefly describes how to
make use of some of the FD's unique and advanced features.
Modes of Operation
FD Series drives can operate in two basic modes: 1581 C()mpatible Mode
and CMD Partitionable Mode. Even though the FD automatically knows
which mode
to
use when a formatted disk is inserted, you should be familiar
with each operating mode and its capabilities.
1581 Compatible Mode
As the name of this mode implies, your FD can emulate a Commodore
1581 disk drive. It can read and write disks that were created on a
Commodore 1581 and can format 800K disks for use on a 1581. Your FD
responds to all 1581 commands and can read all 1581 files and formats
(including GEOS and CP/M) without the need for conversions.
CMD Partitionable Mode
The FD can format disks in a manner that provides storage capacity and
flexibility far beyond that of the 1581 or any other floppy drive. On disks
with a CMD partition able format, you can break up the overall storage
space into as many as 31 segments (partitions). This concept, which is
already familiar to CMD HD, RAMLink and RAMDrive users, is similar
to
dividing a large disk into a number of smaller disks. CMD-formatted disks
can store 800K, 1.6 Megabytes and on the FD-4000, 3.2 Megabytes.
Each partition on a'disk is referred to by number (1-31), has its own
directory, and is treated as if it were a separate disk. Your computer can "see"
the directory, files and storage area of only one partition at a time - making
partitions ideal for keeping different programs separate from one another. On
a partitionable disk, you will work in one partition at a time (the current
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