27 Sep
2010
27 Sep
'10
5:18 p.m.
On 27 Sep 2010 at 12:00, Jay West wrote:
So, the only idea I can think of is would it be
possible to put a
small switch on the front panel that allows me to switch between 3.5
floppy and 5.25 floppy? I realize I'd have to reboot and change BIOS
settings each time, but at least I would have to derack the PC and
open the case and move cables. Any ideas if that is feasible or anyone
have some other ideas?
If you don't require low-level (FDC) access, there are external
drives, such as the MicroSolutions Backpack that interface through
the printer port and are DOS-usable. If you've got a PATA interface,
an LS120 drive could give you access to a 3.5" drive, albeit not at a
low level. There may be DOS-usable drivers to use a USB 3.6" drive
as well.
Your BIOS likely supports only a single drive, so absent the external
drive proposal, yup, you're pretty much stuck with a swich. There
used to be a gizmo that worked off the ISA bus years ago that
provided for 3rd and 4th floppy support by switching drive selects
from a 2-drive controller.
--Chuck