Improved 3.5" Floppy Disk

Creator: Matt

Date: 2001-12-23

Rating:

Description

This mod is quite old but it shouldn't be missing on this website. The goal was to recycle old 3.5" DD disks. These disks can still be used but they have only 720 KB storage capacity. There's a simple modding trick to turn them into HD disks with 1.44 MB. You just have to drill a hole! The difference between DD and HD floppies is that DD floppies only have a hole where the readonly switch is while HD floppies have one on both sides. That way the floppy drive recognizes what type of floppy is inserted. If you drill the second hole you can fool the drive. It will then be able to format the floppy with a higher capacity.

	A normal DD floppy, note the missing hole on the right side. Like that it can only be formatted with 720 KB.
	The same floppy disk after modding. A 4.5mm drill is sufficient. A punching machine would be perfect but most people don't have that kind of tool. If the hole is drilled at the right place the disk will still work. The 1.44 MB option should be available when formatting.
	Be careful when drilling. I arnolded too much here so the disk's corner broke off. It could be fixed by using some glue because the upper part was still intact.
	After formatting with 1.44 MB Windows should show 1.38 MB of free space. Notes: The magnetic discs of the old DD floppies are not designed for a higher data density. This means that data security cannot be guaranteed after modding. Don't store important files on these modded disks. They can still be formatted with 720 KB. If you wreck a floppy while drilling throw it away, it might damage your floppy drive. If you want to be even more 1337 you may try to format them at an even higher capacity. The tool MAXIDISK can get out up to 1.7 MB! You can download it here.

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Prior ratings: 3