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[planetzero]

hi. ive just purchased a A1200 but have trouble formatting the disks i have for it. i'm pretty sure they're the right ones but every time i try i
get a 223. it appears in red `DFO is write protected`. also whenever i try
to formatt the disks via the options on the game(S.S.-96/97) i get more or less the same
message. what does this mean and how can i solve it. i can play games but not save them and it's really bugging me. can anybody help at all?

[KThunder]

Is the little tab at the top underside corner of the disk open or closed?

[Doobrey]

It could be the little switch that senses if the disk is write protected or not.
Either the switch has had it, or it`s stuck down (cos of a load of fluff.)
A quick spray of air and a gentle wallop should free it.

[planetzero]

yeah the switch is down, well that is it is on the unlocked position

[planetzero]

the tab is closed too (on underside of dick) what switch do you mean? is it on the comp or the disk?

[bloodline]

planetzero wrote:
the tab is closed too (on underside of dick) what switch do you mean? is it on the comp or the disk?

in the bottom corner of the floppy disk, there is a little hole. If you can see through the hole you can't write to the disk. If the little black tab is pulled sown it will cover the hole and the disk can be written to.

[Ilwrath]

the tab is closed too (on underside of dick) what switch do you mean? is it on the comp or the disk?

On the floppy disk, the little tab should be set so that the hole is closed. That is Write-Enabled.

On the Amiga, you can get a small flashlight and look in the floppy drive. On the left-hand edge, you should see a little bar (1/16th" thick, or so) that is sticking slightly above the plastic casing. This is the visible portion of the switch for write enable/protect on your floppy drive. As Doobrey said, there may be dust or gunk on this switch. Try a little blast from a compressed air container on it to clean it off.

If neither of these work, you may have a batch of defective disks, a defective floppy drive, or a damaged floppy drive cable, or in the worst case, a damaged A1200 motherboard.

The diskettes are the easiest to check. The A1200 likes 2S/DD (Double-sided double density) 3.5" disks, not HD (High Density) 3.5". There should still be a few places that sell semi-new 2S/DD diskettes. Though they are getting fairly rare. If your disks have a HD logo (or CH, if you're looking at it upside down!) on them, the A1200 MAY still be able to use them in DD mode, but may sometimes encounter read or verify errors.

[realstar]

If using High density disks you should also place
a piece of tape over the open hole on the left side
of the disk or you could have problems. If the
tab on the right is closed and the open hole is
taped over it should work ok...

[Revener]

You'll only need to tape the left hole if yor are going to use it as an PC formatted DD disk (drossDOS)otherwise the PC will think that it is a HD disk.

[planetzero]

thank you, thank you all. you are truly pioneers in your field. the compressed air and tape over the left hole worked a treat. may you all live long and prosper, thanks again people. happy gaming!
planetzero.