Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 16:00:42 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: BLAGUES-L: Proper Care of Floppies

Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 22:51:07 -0700
From: Alexander Chislenko
Subject: HUMOR: Proper Care of Floppies 


   Proper Care of Floppies 


1. Never leave diskettes in the disk drive, as data can leak out of the 
disk and corrode the inner mechanics of the drive. Diskettes should be 
rolled up and stored in pencil holders.

2. Diskettes should be cleaned and waxed once a week. Microscopic metal 
particles can be removed by waving a powerful magnet over the surface of 
the disk. Any stubborn metallic shavings can be removed with scouring 
powder and soap. When waxing diskettes, make sure application is even. This 
will allow the diskettes to spin faster, resulting in better access time.

3. Do not fold diskettes unless they do not fit in the drive. "Big" 
diskettes may be folded and used in "little" disk drives.

4. Never insert a disk into the drive upside down. The data can fall off 
the surface of the disk and jam the intricate mechanics of the drive.

5. Diskettes cannot be backed up by running them through the xerox machine. 
If your data is going to need to be backed up, simply insert two diskettes 
together into the drive. Whenever you update a document, the data will be 
recorded on both diskettes.

6. Diskettes should not be inserted into or removed from the drive while 
the red light is flashing. Doing so could result in smeared or possibly 
unreadable text. Occasionally the red light continues to flash in what is 
known as a "hung" or "hooked" state. If your system is "hooking" you, you 
will probably need to insert a few coins before being allowed to access the 
disk drive.

7. If your diskette is full and you need more storage space, remove the 
disk from the drive and shake vigorously for two minutes. This will pack 
the data enough (Data Compression) to allow for more storage. Be sure to 
cover all the openings with scotch tape to prevent loss of data.

8. Data access time can be greatly improved by cutting more holes in the 
diskette jacket. This will provide more simultaneous access points to the 
disk.

9.Diskettes can be used as coasters for beverage glasses, provided they 
have been properly waxed beforehand. Be sure to wipe the diskettes dry 
before inserting into drive. (see item #2 above.)

10. Never use scissors and glue to manually edit documents. The data stored 
is much too small to be seen with the naked eye, and you may end up with 
data from some other document stuck in the middle of your document. Razor 
blades and scotch tape may be used, provided the user is equipped with an 
electron microscope.

11. Periodically spray diskettes with insecticide to prevent system bugs 
from spreading.