CF2 Compact Floppy Disc

The 3" discs for the Amstrad Disk Drive are called CF2 (Compact Floppy Disc). CF2 discs were produced by AMSOFT, MAXELL, Schneider, Panasonic. In late eighties, cheaper Noname discs were also available (although these were rather unreliable).

Capacity is 180 Kbytes per side (the discs can be flipped to access the other side, giving a total of 360 Kbytes per disc).

(This article, File:Amstrad Computer User8504 072.jpg, also mentions something called Hitachi HFD-2 discs.)

3 Inch Discs Comments from John King

There is not much to be said about these 3 inch discs other than there is only one type but produced by a number of different manufacturers -- some good quality, many bad quality. I have identified what the years have shown me to be good quality, long lasting discs but beware do not judge the discs you might be offered by their paper labels as many cheap copies from suspect makers have appear in the market place, look at the discs themselves.

The Bad

Dixions Store supplied 3": Found to be unreliable and not to servive the rigours of time -- to be avoided at all costs! These discs are found to be unreliable and do not last the rigours of time -- to be avoided at all costs. Copy (or poor quality) Amsoft 3": These discs normally come with an Amsoft label and I am lead to believe that they are cheap copies -- to be aviod at all costs. These discs tend to become corrupt and or fall to pieces.