Recently decided to try to backup the system disk. Booted qdos, tried to format a disk in drive 1. Formatted for a minute or so, then started throwing out errors. Failed. Tried a couple more times, failed. Hmmm. Tried a different disk, same problem.

OK, lets check the drive - swap the 1/0 switch, boot off the left hand drive. Failed. Sh*t. Flip the switch back, boot the system as normal, try to load the test 'beep' from the diagnostics disk using page 2, as normal. 'Disk read/write error'. This *always* worked in the past... ever since I tried to format those disks, drive 1 has not worked at all, in any way. Tried cleaning heads - didn't help.

You're on page 2, it used to go chunkachanka a couple of times when you put the disk in, and give a file list. Now it goes clunk.... clunk.... clunk.... clunk...

OK, has anyone got a clue how attempting to format a floppy can *break the disk drive* so it no longer works at all? Help!

Does anyone have a spare disk drive? Rob Brady has a couple, and he's just up the road from me, but both his spare drives are known to be dead... I've just got a loan of a sound library for a few days, so I have to fix this problem pronto, so I can get the sounds copied!

(nothing wierd about the disks BTW, standard DS/DD soft-sectored, same as the system disks I have).

Mike

Fixed it. I used a cleaning disk with alcohol - didn't help. Pulled both the drives, the heads on the second drive were *filthy*. Not surprised it couldn't read anything. Cleaned thoroughly with a swab & alcohol, everything fine.

Post-mortem showed the problem; the first disk I'd tried to format had two grooves where the oxide was totally worn off, on the outer tracks. All that oxide was on the heads. No idea how it came to happen, something must have gone drastically wrong when the heads loaded - it was a brand-new disk.

Everything fine now, system & QDOS disks backed up successfully.

Mike