Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!xanth!rlb
From: rlb@cs.odu.edu (Robert L. Bailey)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: formatting DS/DD to 720K
Keywords: 720K floppy
Message-ID: <9734@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
Date: 13 Aug 89 03:38:43 GMT
References: <35129@ccicpg.UUCP>
Reply-To: rlb@cs.odu.edu (Robert L. Bailey)
Organization: Old Dominion University, Norfolk Va.
Lines: 28

In article <35129@ccicpg.UUCP> swonk@ccicpg.UUCP (Glen Swonk) writes:
>I've seend many references to the fact that you
>can format a DS/DD 5 1/2" floppy to 720K instead
>of the normal 360K. Can someone explain how
>one can set up their machine to do this. I
>assume that one must have a high density drive.
>Any comment on reliability and portability?
>

Check out your local BBS for a program called CONFMT.  This is an excellent
shareware program.  It allows you to format standard DSDD diskettes to 720K.
It works like a champ on many machines.  There are some machines with
brain dead BIOSs that will not recognize the disk after it is formatted.
Fortuanately, mine does not have that problem.  I have formatted  hundreds
of 5 1/4" disks to 720K with no problems.  I use CHEAP (25 cent) disks.  The
few that have bad sectors have also shown the same problem when formatted to
360K.

BTW, CONFMT is a TSR program.  You can pop it up anytime and format disks
in the background!  I find this to be very handy.  Who likes to sit and
twiddle your thumbs while waiting for a disk to format!  With CONFMT, I
can make productive use of my time.  I can edit or whatever while the
disks are formatting.  I just change disks when prompted by the pop up
window.  It supports all the standard DOS formats + a couple of non-std
such as the 720K 5 1/4".  If you can't find it locally, email me & I'll
try to send to on the net.

Bob Bailey