Return to MAIN-Index  Return to SUB-Index    IBM-AUSTRIA - PC-HW-Support    30 Aug 1999

ECA 005 - 3.5 Inch diskette interchange


ECA 005 - 3.5" diskette interchange
3.5" Diskette interchange problem isolation

 

Provide a replacement 3.5" Diskette Drive (1.44MB) for diskette interchangeability problems between 720KB Diskette Drives and 1.44MB Diskette Drives.

The following steps will assist in isolating customer problems with transferring data on 720 kb 3.5" diskettes between the Personal System/2 model 30, PC Convertible, 4865 external 3.5" Diskette Drive or PC AT / XT internal 3.5" diskette option, and the Personal System/2 models 50, 60, or 80.
  1.  Verify the customer has used only 3.5" diskettes labeled  "double sided" or "1.0 mb" in the Personal System/2 model 30,  PC Convertible, 4865 external 3.5" and PC AT / XT 3.5" drive.
  2.  verify the 3.5" double sided diskettes were formatted  correctly. the correct DOS commands are:

     Personal System/2 model 30, PC Convertible, PC AT / XT and 3.5"  external drives: "Format A:" (A: represents logical drive  designation)

     Personal System/2 models 50, 60, 80: "format a: /n:9/t:80"  (A: represents logical drive designation)

  3.  Some customers have reported problems with reading "double  sided" or "1.0 MB" diskettes in a Personal System/2 model 30,  PC Convertible, PC AT / XT or 3.5" external Diskette Drive  which have been both:
    1.  Formatted (or written) in a Personal System/2 model 30,  PC Convertible, PC AT / XT or external 3.5" Diskette Drive;  and,
    2.  written (or reformatted) by a Personal System/2 model 50,  60, or 80 1.44 MB Diskette Drive.
       If a failure of this type is encountered, the following steps  should be taken:
    3.  First, to allow the customer to recover their data, they  must do the following: A new, blank 1.0 MB double sided  diskette must be formatted in the Personal System/2 model  50, 60 or 80 using the "FORMAT A: /n:9/t:80" command.  the diskette which was unreadable can be copied to the  new diskette in the Personal System/2 model 50, 60 or 80  using the DOS copy commands. The new diskette will now  be fully interchangeable between the PC convertible, PC  AT / XT, 3.5" external Diskette Drive, Personal System/2  model 30 and Personal System/2 models 50, 60 or 80.

    4.  Second, if the 1.44 MB Diskette Drive (FRU P/N 72x8523)  in the Personal System/2 model 50, 60 or 80 has a sticker  in the lower left rear corner, labeled D01, D02, D03, D04  or D05, and a BAR code label beginning with "B1BAO", it  should be replaced.

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