Texas Instruments TI-99/4A - Page 165

You can expect to pay from $400 to $650 if you
decide to add a disk drive to your TI-99/4A com
puter system. The Texas Instruments Disk Mem
ory System and disk drive cost about $400. A
disk controller card and software (in the form of
a disk command cartridge) can be purchased
separately for about $250. The disk command
cartridge enables storage of your programs and
information on S'A-inch floppy disks. The disk
controller card serves as an interface (adapter)
between the computer and the disk drive. A
single disk controller card can control up to
three disk drives.
The disk command cartridge, also referred to as
the Disk Manager, is used to perform house
keeping functions for the information that you
will store on a floppy disk. These functions will
include naming disks, copying disks, and delet
ing files or programs. The use of a software car
tridge containing the disk manager software
allows more space on the floppy disk for actual
program storage.
Disk drives can be placed on a smooth surface
near your computer, or one disk drive can be
installed in the Tl Peripheral Expansion System (a
convenient, attractive housing which costs
about $250).
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