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Q89723: Zenith 8086/8088 720K Floppy Drive with MS-DOS

Article: Q89723
Product(s): Microsoft Disk Operating System
Version(s): MS-DOS:5.x,6.0,6.2,6.21,6.22
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 17-DEC-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft MS-DOS operating system versions 5.0, 5.0a, 6.0, 6.2, 6.21, 6.22 
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SUMMARY
=======

After you install MS-DOS any Zenith 8086- or 8088-based computer, the 3.5- inch
disk drive formats as a 360K drive only.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Neither the DRIVPARM command nor the DRIVER.SYS device driver work on Zenith
8086- and 8088-based computers. If the following DRIVPARM or DRIVER.SYS
statements are added to the CONFIG.SYS file:

  device=[drive:]\[path]\DRIVER.SYS /d:[disk drive number] /f:7

-or-

  drivparm=/d:[disk drive number] /f:7

the following error message is displayed:

  Invalid parameter. This mode not supported, formatting 360K.

If you place a 720K 3.5-inch disk in the drive and attempt to read from the
drive, the following error is displayed:

  Invalid media, non-DOS diskette.

According to Zenith technical support, there is no way to force MS-DOS 5.0, 6.0,
or 6.2 (either retail or OEM versions) to recognize the drive as a 720K disk
drive.

The products included here are manufactured by Zenith, a vendor independent of
Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products'
performance or reliability.

Additional query words: 6.22 msdos dos 5.00 5.00a high low density 6.00 3rdparty 6.20

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbMSDOSSearch kbMSDOS621 kbMSDOS622 kbMSDOS620 kbMSDOS600 kbMSDOS500 kbMSDOS500a
Version           : MS-DOS:5.x,6.0,6.2,6.21,6.22

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