Mac 128K boot disks

[sraasch]

I recently came across an original Mac 128K and would like to boot the machine. I've found disk images, and actually have some blank low-density disks, but I've read that my PC (and most current Mac's) can't write the correct format.

Has anyone done this recently? Does anyone have a set of floppies that they'd be willing to dupe for me?

Any help at all would be appreciated.

Thanks!
-Steve

 

[aquajet]

It's not possible to read or write 400k or 800k floppies on a PC.

I've a number of old Macs that can, however. PM me if you would like a 400k boot disk for your Mac.

 

[ReanimationLP]

I believe (if I remember correctly)

WinImage for the PC can read/format the drives. Or was it HFVExplorer.

 

[sraasch]

ReanimationLP:

Everything I've read indicates that the PC floppy controller chip can not write the format.

-S

 

[Anonymous Freak]

sraasch is correct. PC floppy drives (and even external USB floppy drives sold as 'Macintosh compatible',) cannot read or write 400k or 800k Macintosh floppy disks. It is a hardware limitation, NOT software. PCs can read/write 1.4MB Mac floppies with proper software.

This is because Apple came up with a way of formatting low-density 3.5" floppies that crams more data on them than the PC format. It does this by spinning the disk at different speeds for different zones. A standard PC floppy drive spins one speed all the time. That is why the Mac could cram 800 kB on a floppy when PCs could only put 720 kB on. For high density disks, Apple just went with the PC way of doing it. They kept making custom drives, though, which then allowed the Mac to read/write both older Mac disks, PC 720k disks, and both PC and Mac high density disks.

On a side note, Imation's LS-240 drives can format a standard high density '1.4MB' floppy disk to hold 35 MB. I wouldn't trust your data though, as the disks weren't meant to have that high data density.

 

[DZ/015]

Let me know if you still need anything duplicated. I have a stash of 800k floppies and could whip something up for you. And I live right down the road from you.

 

[ileneh]

Mac 128 boot disks...

Hiya,

I actually think this is the first message I've left here!

I DO believe that you cannot use 800K floppies on the 128K Mac. It will only read 400K.

I do have a set of disks for the 128, but its a pain to find a 400K reader to duplicate them. I found a couple of external drives at the dump, but haven't checked them yet to see if they work.

If you email me I can try and dig all that junk out and see if I can make some disks... assuming I can even find 400 K disks in this Mac museum I call a home. It's ileneh at mac dot com.

ilene
Perpetrator of the Hess Memorial Macworld Events List
http://www.ilenesmachine.com/partylist.shtml

 

[DZ/015]

If you initialize 800k disks as single sided instead of double sided, they will be seen and used as 400k disks.