I run Windows 2000 and changed the description to "90 mm floppy*". However, if I right-click on the icon in My Computer, and then on Properties, it still shows the type as "3 1/2 inch Floppy Disk", and this CANNOT be changed. Stupid IBM and Microsoft.
*I tried to make it "diskette" but that was too long. I do not know why it is called a "floppy", as the disk is hard, and does not flop, unlike the larger one that came before it. Carleton -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Bill Potts Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2004 04:48 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:29902] Re: Floppy Disks in Australia As I pointed out to Stephen in my reply, you can change drive names in Windows XP and ME. I think you can also do it in Windows 2000. I have Windows 98 SE on one of my older computers and it has no provision for changing the drive names. (I haven't looked into changing it the registry, although I suspect it can't be done there either.) For those who've never heard of a "serviette," it's British, Canadian, Australian, etc. for "napkin." Even though I was born and raised in England and spent 20 years in Canada, I prefer "napkin." "Serviette" sounds so twee (to use a word often used by Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame)). Bill Potts, CMS Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Behalf Of Pat Naughtin >Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2004 01:27 >To: U.S. Metric Association >Subject: [USMA:29900] Re: Floppy Disks in Australia > > >Dear Stephen, > >Unfortunately floppy disks were marketed in Australia not in their original >designed sizes but rather in the sizes that were dumbed down for the USA >market. > >The 90�millimetre disk was marketed as a 3 1/2" floppy, despite the fact >that it was designed and made as a 90�millimetre disk. > >One of the key components of this fiasco was directly built in to the >Microsoft Windows software where the name of the 90�millimetre >disk appeared >as a 3 1/2" and I believe that this was very difficult (impossible) to >change to its real size. I know � I tried. > >The 5 1/4" disk, as I heard the (probably apocryphal) rumour, was designed >by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak at a lunch one day. The story goes >that when >they discussed how big a floppy disk should be, one of them picked up a >folded serviette and said, "It should be about this big'. They >then took the >serviette back to work and used it for a model. As to the original >dimensions of the serviette, I can only guess that it looks a lot like a >400�millimetre serviette folded into three. But this is purely >conjecture on >my part. > >Cheers, > >Pat Naughtin LCAMS >Geelong, Australia >-- > > >on 2004-05-22 02.45, Stephen Gallagher at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> Does anybody know how 3.5 inch and 5.25 inch floppy >> disks were marketed in Australia. Were they marketed >> with metric or imperial sizes and, more importantly, >> how does/did the public refer to them. >> >> Just wondering. >> >> Stephen >> >> P.S. This may have been posted twice. Sorry. >>
