| Q: |
How long does it take to copy a floppy disk? |
| A: |
Our machines use 2XSDS high speed drives which can format and copy a full disk in about 20 seconds. That's approximately 200 disks/hour. |
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| Q: |
Do you ever purchase 'reclaimed disks'? |
| A: |
NEVER! Reclaimed disks are previously duplicated disks which have become obsolete - for reasons such as out of date software - and are then sold on for re-manufacturing. Although these disks are very cheap, they are usually of a low quality resulting in reduced
yields and higher than normal disk drive head wear. |
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| Q: |
How do you check the quality of your diskettes? |
| A: |
We use a MediaLogic diskette Certifier/Analyser. Sample batches of blank disks are certified prior to use, and tested against International Standard parameters such as Track Average Amplitude, Window Margins, Head Alignment, etc.. If any disks are found to be
outside tolerances, the drive which wrote the disk is adjusted, recalibrated and then retested. |
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| Q: |
What are 'notchless' disks? |
| A: |
These are simply standard floppy disks
with no 'write protect' tabs on the
back, making them 'permanently' protected.
Our duplicators have a setting which
can ignore the write protect sensor
on the drive allowing data to be written
to notchless disks. This function is
turned off by default. |
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| Q: |
My disk has errors on it and I can't access my data. Why? |
| A: |
Diskette data can be damaged by a variety of factors such as:
A. Misuse & mishandling of the diskette.
B. Debris on the drive head when the file was written or read.
C. High temperature or humidity during storage or writing.
D. Malfunctioning software when the file was written or read.
E. Power fluctuations when the file was written. |
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| Q: |
What is the life expectancy of a 3.5" floppy diskette? |
| A: |
The life expectancy is highly dependent on the storage conditions. Under controlled temperatures, humidity and dust conditions the diskette should last forever. Storing in an area where temperatures are fairly constant (17 to 25 degrees C.), humidity that is
controlled and in a storage box so dust doesn't collect on them should not be a problem. |
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| Q: |
Why will a 2MB diskette only hold 1.44MB of data? |
| A: |
Out of the box, an unformatted diskette
has a capacity of 2MB. However, when
you format the disk, you use some of
that space to create a FAT (File Allocation
Table) on the diskette. This is the
area that is reserved to store file
names and also to store information
about where on the diskette the information
is stored. Without the FAT, you would
not be able to retrieve your saved data.
Think of the FAT as an index in an encyclopedia. |
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