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3 INCH DISCS.

THE GOOD
AMSOFT	TATUNG	MAXELL	AMSOFT

THE BAD
DIXONS	UNKNOWN	UNKNOWN	WIZ	DISKXPRESS	UNKNOWN

AND THE SHOULD KNOW BETTER
PCWPLUS MAGAZINE

3.5 INCH DISCS.

Whilst the discs illustrated below all indication their formatted size it will be found that many manufacturers (especially suppliers of bulk discs) do not state in plain English the discs capacity, so hopefully the following information will enable anyone to spot the right type for them. All 3.5 inch discs have a hole, containing the write protection shutter, on the bottom left-hand side. It will be found that most new discs come pre-formatted with the IBM D.O.S and will need to be reformatted, prior to use, on, for example, a CP/M operating system such as used by the Amstrad PCW range of machines (not the PcW16).

720K
	The 720K formatted Double Sided/Double Density disc (1mb unformatted) has a single square hole in it's casing containing the write protection shutter. On the other side it will be noted that there is a closed square hole, this is the position to where the disc drive looks to determine what type of disc it is. This type of disc should be the only type used with an Amstrad PCW (other than the PcW16), an Amstrad CPC or a Spectrum +3 fitted with a 3.5 inch drive.
1.44MB
	This Double Sided/High Density disc is the industrial standard and is used by all the IBM PC's and clones. This type of disc is also recommended for use in the Amstrad PcW16. It can be formatted to 720K and used in a 720K disc drive but many reports reveal lose of data after a short period of time --- therefore steer clear of these discs if you use a 720K drive and if you are not sure what drive is fitted to your machine either check your manual or ask an expert. 1.44MB discs will always have two square holes, one is permanently open (and can not be closed) and in line with the shutter hole, also they are usually marked with a largish HD.
2.88MB
	These Double Sided/Extra High Density discs are the latest offering in the 3.5 inch floppy disc market and only time will tell if they are widely accepted. Unless you have the special drive needed to read and write to these discs give them a wide berth, as they will not work in a standard drive. Like the 1.44MB discs they have two square holes and like the 1.44MB discs the one on the right-hand side can not be closed. It is placed in a different position so the drive will know what type of disc it is. They come marked with a largish ED. A 2.88MB disc drive can automatically distinguish between 1.44MB and 2.88MB floppy discs but I am unaware if they can handle, in anyway, the 720K disc. These discs can be formatted to 720K but notwithstanding this they should not be used in a PCW of any type.

• PCW8256:
  One 180K 3 inch floppy drive (drive 'A'). Maintenance required -- Clean head once every six months, more for heavy users. Replace belt every five years.
• PCW8512:
  One 180K 3 inch floppy drive (drive 'A'). One 720K 3 inch floppy drive (drive 'B'). Maintenance required --- Clean heads every six months, more often for heavy users. Replace belt in drive 'A' every five years but if drive 'B' seems to be working OK leave well alone.
• PCW9512:
  One 720K 3 inch floppy drive (drive 'A'). Maintenance required --- Clean heads every six months, or more often if required. Only replace belt if you feel it is absolutely necessary, best left well alone.
• PcW9256:
  One 720K 3.5 inch floppy drive (drive 'A'). Maintenance required -- Clean heads every six months, more often if needed. There is a belt in these drives but it is a very tricky job to replace it, so if working OK, best left alone.
• PcW9512+:
  One 720K 3.5 inch floppy drive (drive 'A'). Maintenance required -- Same comments as for 9256.
• PcW10:
  One 720K 3.5 inch floppy drive (drive 'A'). Maintenance required -- Same comments as for 9256.
• PcW16:
  One 1.44MB 3.5 inch floppy drive (drive 'A'). Maintenance required -- Clean heads every six months or so.
• CPC664:
  One 3 inch 180K floppy drive (drive 'A'). Maintenance required -- Same comments as for PCW8256.
• CPC6128:
  One 3 inch 180K floppy drive (drive 'A'). Maintenance required --Same comments as for PCW8256.
• CPC6128+:
  One 3 inch 180K floppy drive (drive 'A') This is a special 5 volt only drive and other types of 3 inch drives will not work in this machine. Maintenance required --Same comments as for PCW8256.
• DDI-1:
  One 3 inch 180K floppy drive (drive 'B'). Maintenance required --Same comments as for PCW8256.
• FD1:
  One 3 inch 180K floppy drive (drive 'B'). Maintenance required --Same comments as for PCW8256.
• +3:
  One 3 inch 180K floppy drive (drive 'A'). Maintenance required --Same comments as for PCW8256.
• GENERAL COMMENTS:
  Should you be getting read or write errors when trying to boot up your machine or access a data disc, then you need to use the process of elimination to establish where the fault lies.

1. Firstly clean the drive's head(s) and test -- if no better go to step two.
2. A: If you are experiencing boot up problems then test your machine with one of either of the original boot discs as supplied by Amstrad Plc (you do, of course, normally work from copies of these discs!).
   B: If you are having troubles reading a data disc (it could be corrupt) try another and see the problem persists.
   C: If your problem is writing to a disc, it could be faulty or full, try the same operation on a freshly formatted and verified disc.
   D: If your fault is still there go to step three.
3. A: Most read/write problems in the PCW8256/8512 series machines, the CPC664/6128/6128+ series machines, the DDI-1, the FD1 and the +3 are caused by a defective belt in drive 'A' -- replace it.
   B:In the PCW9512 it is normally the 'A' drive and not the belt at fault --try replacing the belt and if this does not help look for a good working machine to replace yours --- the drives are unavailable and if they can be found they are usually more expensive than a complete machine.
   C: Replacing the belt in the drive of the following machines normally cures read/write problems --- PcW9512+, PcW9256 and the PcW10. You will probably need to seek help from someone who knows what is involved when fitting a belt in these drives.

• OTHER COMMENTS.
  
• A: The 3 inch 180K disc drive as fitted to the following models:- 8256/8512/664/6128/DDI-1 and the FD1 are all interchangeable but there is one model of drive having it's motor protruding out of the rear that needs, when fitting into a PCW, it's special cage.
  
• B: The 3 inch 720K disc drive as fitted to the PCW8512 (drive 'B') and the PCW9512 (drive 'A') are not interchangeable as the former is not a boot drive.
  
• C: The 720K 3.5 inch drive as fitted to the PcW9512+ (and probably also the PcW9256 and the PcW10) can be used as either the 'A' boot drive, or by changing over a jumper in the drive, as a 'B' data storage drive.

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