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WTB: IBM DS/ED diskettes. Either formatted 2.88MB or unformatted 4.0MB

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 11:39 am
by fultontech
I looking for sealed box if possible.

Re: WTB: IBM DS/ED diskettes. Either formatted 2.88MB or unformatted 4.0MB

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 4:30 am
by Johan
... perhaps someone will chime in, but if/when you get tired of waiting, then there's an option almost in your own backyard --> here.

Johan

Re: WTB: IBM DS/ED diskettes. Either formatted 2.88MB or unformatted 4.0MB

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 4:41 am
by olex126
Hi.

I remember early on formatting 1.4 HD disks as 2.88 ED disks, but I can't remember which Thinkpad I tried it on...All I remember is that it came with a 2.88 floppy drive, and I found a procedure somewhere on how to do it (possibly an old DOS manual?). Still have the floppy drive around here somewhere...

Anyway, if the disks don't have to be "IBM" branded, I found these on Fleabay. Don't know if they will suit your purpose:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/10-pk-3-5-DS-ED- ... DkfE97C5UA

Happy experimenting!

Regards.

Dave

Re: WTB: IBM DS/ED diskettes. Either formatted 2.88MB or unformatted 4.0MB

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 7:50 pm
by fultontech
Hi olex126,

I tried a few of the brand name and generic diskettes from ebay and Amazon, and what I found was that the actual IBM brand diskettes are still readable and writable multiple times. Even the media from the 1980's. The off brands that were made after 2003, I'll get maybe 10 reads and 3 writes out of before they start giving errors and can't be read in the older drives.

The high end PS/2 systems had 2.88MB 3.5 drives and 2.4MB 5.25 drives. The ThinkPad 750's came with 2.88MB drives.

I have no idea if the 1.44 media is the same as the 2.88. The hole on the side is in a different location than the 1.44 disk so I would need to cover that and make a new hole. But I'd rather just buy a pack if someone has one or they come up on E-Bay again.
Someone had a sealed 3M box last year. I'd be willing to try the 3M, but the three pack that's on E-bay now had one bad disk out of the box.