GrandviewCoin Posted May 16, 2004 Share Posted May 16, 2004 I think this is the second or third one of these that has gone this high? Whats the deal? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...8104760706&rd=1 Is the XF 551 rare? And for some reason I remeber a 3 1/2 inch drive for the 8bits as well? Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApolloBoy Posted May 16, 2004 Share Posted May 16, 2004 Yes, the XF551 is quite rare, and it's also capable of taking DS/DD (double-sided/double density) disks. There was never a 3.5" drive officially released (Atari did make a prototype, the XF351), but there is a way to modify the XF551 to turn it into a 3.5" drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandviewCoin Posted May 16, 2004 Author Share Posted May 16, 2004 So then what version of DOS takes advantage of the 551's features? For the record, I lived in Rockford IL, for a month. I normally live in Milwaukee, Wi. When I was in IL the Toy's R US had 2 551's still in box nobody was ever going to buy. So I bought 1 for 19.99 new. They practically pleaded with me to take the other. I didn't have another 20. This was in 1994 If I remeber right. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted May 16, 2004 Share Posted May 16, 2004 So then what version of DOS takes advantage of the 551's features? For the record, I lived in Rockford IL, for a month. I normally live in Milwaukee, Wi. When I was in IL the Toy's R US had 2 551's still in box nobody was ever going to buy. So I bought 1 for 19.99 new. They practically pleaded with me to take the other. I didn't have another 20. This was in 1994 If I remeber right. Dan You'll be able to use the extended capabilities of the XF551 with any good DOS (e.g. Sparta DOS, MyDOS, BiboDOS). I'd recommend contacting the Surburan Chicago Atarians; they'd be more than happy to set you up with something. The average winning auction price for XF551s on eBay seems to be in the range of $50-$75. I wouldn't say they're the rarest 8-bit drive around -- just try to find an Astra 2001! -- and they tend to be rather fragile, but yes, they can be easily modded to the 3.5" format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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