Drive/Diskette Compatibility - Epson Equity III User Manual

You can use a double-density diskette in a 1.2MB drive if you format it as
a 360KB (or 320KB) diskette in the 1.2MB drive first. (Your MS-DOS or other
operating system manual explains how to format a diskette in the density
you choose.) After you do this, you can read and write to that diskette only
when it is in a 1.2MB drive. If you write to it in a 360KB drive, it may become
unusable in both drives. Also, you may not be able to read the diskette in a
360KB drive.
You can use a 1.2MB drive to read data from a double-density diskette
that was formatted in a 360KB drive (for example, if you want to copy files
from it). But do not write to this diskette while it is in a 1.2MB drive. If you
do, the diskette may become unusable in both drives.
Here is a rule to follow: do not write to a diskette unless it was formatted
in that drive (or the same type of drive on another computer). To avoid
accidentally storing data on a diskette while it is in the wrong drive, you can
place a write-protect tab on it before you insert it in the drive (see "Write-
protecting diskettes" below).
Because of these incompatibilities, always be sure to indicate density and
drive type when you label your diskettes.
Table 3-1 shows what types of diskettes to use in the three types of drives.
*Only write to a double-density diskette in a 1.2MB drive if the diskette was
formatted in that drive as a 360KB (or 320KB) diskette
**If you write to a double-density diskette in a 1.2MB drive, you may not be able to
read or write to this diskette in a 360KB drive.
Note: Both types of 5 '/&inch drives on the Equity III+ can read and write to
single-sided double-density diskettes. However, do not write to a
single-sided diskette while it is in a 1.2MB drive unless it was format-
ted in that drive as a double-density diskette.
If you have both types of 5%inch drives (360KB and 1.2MB), you can
copy files from one drive to the other as long as the right diskette type is in
each drive.
Table 3-1. Drive/diskette compatibility
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