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                 A COMPARATIVE CHART OF DISKETTE TYPES

                  IN SIZES 3-1/2,  5-1/4,  AND 8 INCH 
                        
     			    Copyright 1992			   
                        by Daniel K. Stoicheff
                       
                FREEWARE                         FREEWARE
                Note: You are encouraged to make copies & 
                      disseminate freely, to upload to
                      BBS,  provided file remains intact
                      and unaltered.

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    This simple listing identifies thirty-four (34) distinct 

varieties of diskettes in the three available sizes. Not all

manufacturers support every diskette type. Eight inch diskettes

are all but extinct, save for some mainframe users or CP/M diehards.

The list contains a brief discription of each diskette type followed

by manufacturers' codes.

    The codes are:

                    3 = 3M

                    B = BASF

                    I = IBM

                    K = KAO

                    M = MAXELL

                    S = SONY

                    V = VERBATIM

                  ALL = All manufacturers shown 

3M is to be commended for their leadership role in the development
of magnetic media. They have continued to support a full line of
diskette types, some of which have long ago fallen from favor.
 
      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

                      3-1/2 inch diskettes:

DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY, 1MB            ALL

DOUBLE SIDE, HI DENSITY, 2MB                ALL

DOUBLE SIDE, EXTRA DENSITY, 4MB             3, M, S, V

CPT COMPATIBLE                              3 (NO HUB RING)

LANIER COMPATIBLE                           3

      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

                      5-1/4 inch diskettes:


DOUBLE SIDE, HI DENSITY, 80 TPI             ALL

SINGLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY,
 40 TRACKS, SOFT-SECTORED                   I

DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY,
 40 TRACKS, SOFT-SECTORED                   ALL

DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY,
 40 TRACKS, 10 HARD SECTORS                 3, V

DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY,
 40 TRACKS, 16 HARD SECTORS                 3

DOUBLE SIDE, QUAD DENSITY,
 SOFT-SECTORED                              3 (80 TRACKS)
                                            M (96 TRACKS)
                                            V (77/80 TRACKS)

DOUBLE SIDE, QUAD DENSITY
 96 TRACKS, 10 HARD SECTORS                 3

DOUBLE SIDE, QUAD DENSITY
 16 HARD SECTORS                            3 (96 TRACKS)
                                            V (77/80 TRACKS)

SINGLE SIDE, QUAD DENSITY
 77/80 TRACKS                               3, V


      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

                      8 inch diskettes          

SINGLE SIDE, SINGLE DENSITY
 128 BYTES, XEROX                           V (WITH WRITE PROTECT)

SINGLE SIDE, SINGLE DENSITY 
 128 BYTES, IBM                             I, M, V

DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY
 UNFORMATTED                                3, V

SINGLE SIDE, SINGLE DENSITY
 32-HOLE HARD SECTOR                        V

SINGLE SIDE, UNINITIALIZED                  3 (DOUBLE DENSITY)
                                            V (DOUBLE DENSITY)

SINGLE SIDE, SINGLE DENSITY
 VYDEC/MEMOREX                              M, V

SINGLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY
 DATAPOINT COMPATIBLE,
 SOFT-SECTORED                              3 (RX02 FORMAT)

DOUBLE SIDE, INITIALIZED                    I (15 SECTORS, DD)
                                            M (26 SECTORS, DD)

DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY                 3 (8 OR 15 SECTORS)
                                            I (8 OR 15 SECTORS) 
                                            M (26 SECTORS)

DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY
 26 SECTORS, 256 BYTES/SECTOR               3, I, M

DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY
 8 SOFT SECTORS                             V

DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY
 32 HARD SECTORS                            3

SINGLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY                 3
 32 HARD SECTORS

SINGLE SIDE, SINGLE DENSITY
 512 BYTES/SECTOR                           V, M
                                            I (FORMATTED)
                        
DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY
 512 BYTES/SECTOR                           3, M
                                            I (FORMATTED

      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^