content: <PAGE>
  
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                        SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, D.C. 20549
  
  
                                     FORM 8-K
  
  
                                  CURRENT REPORT
  
  
                         Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                        the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  
                                   March 9, 2000
                 Date of Report (date of earliest event reported)
  
  
                               READ-RITE CORPORATION
             --------------------------------------------------------
              (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
  
            Delaware                     000-19512                94-2770690
  ----------------------------    ------------------------     -------------------
  (State or other jurisdiction    (Commission File Number)      (I.R.S. Employer
       of incorporation)                                       Identification No.)
  
  
                                  345 Los Coches
                            Milpitas, California 95035
          --------------------------------------------------------------
           (Address, including zip code of principal executive offices)
  
  
                Registrant's telephone number, including area code:
  
                                  (408) 262-6700
  
  
  ================================================================================
  <PAGE>
  
  Item 5.   OTHER EVENTS.
  
       On March 9, 2000 Read-Rite Corporation issued a press release announcing
  that it had amended the terms of its pending exchange offer to eliminate the
  condition which required at least 66 2/3% of the existing notes to be tendered.
  Read-Rite Corporation also announced that it had extended the expiration date of
  the exchange offer to 12:00 midnight, Eastern Standard Time, on March 15, 2000.
  
  Item 7.   FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.
  
  
     Exhibit No.                Description
  
        99.1         Press Release Issued March 9, 2000.
  
                                        -2-
  <PAGE>
  
                                     SIGNATURE
  
       Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
  Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
  undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
  
                                          READ-RITE CORPORATION
  
  
  Dated: March 13, 2000                   By: /s/ Cyril J. Yansouni
                                             -------------------------------------
                                              Cyril J. Yansouni
                                              Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
  
                                        -3-
  <PAGE>
  
                                   EXHIBIT INDEX
  
     Exhibit No.               Description
  
        99.1         Press Release Issued March 9, 2000
  
                                        -4-
metadata_documents: [{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM 8-K", "secsgml_size_bytes": 2923}]
metadata_filer: {"company-data": {"conformed-name": "READ RITE CORP /DE/", "cik": "0000819480", "assigned-sic": "3679", "irs-number": "942770690", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "0930"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "000-19512", "film-number": "567965"}, "business-address": {"street1": "345 LOS COCHES ST", "city": "MILPITAS", "state": "CA", "zip": "95035", "phone": "4082626700"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "345 LOS COCHES STREET", "city": "MILPITAS", "state": "CA", "zip": "95035"}}
text: ================================================================================
  
                        SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, D.C. 20549
  
                                     FORM 8-K
  
                                  CURRENT REPORT
  
                         Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                        the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  
                                   March 9, 2000
                 Date of Report (date of earliest event reported)
  
                               READ-RITE CORPORATION
             --------------------------------------------------------
              (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
  
            Delaware                     000-19512                94-2770690
  ----------------------------    ------------------------     -------------------
  (State or other jurisdiction    (Commission File Number)      (I.R.S. Employer
       of incorporation)                                       Identification No.)
  
                                  345 Los Coches
                            Milpitas, California 95035
          --------------------------------------------------------------
           (Address, including zip code of principal executive offices)
  
                Registrant's telephone number, including area code:
  
                                  (408) 262-6700
  
  ================================================================================
  Item 5.   OTHER EVENTS.
  
       On March 9, 2000 Read-Rite Corporation issued a press release announcing
  that it had amended the terms of its pending exchange offer to eliminate the
  condition which required at least 66 2/3% of the existing notes to be tendered.
  Read-Rite Corporation also announced that it had extended the expiration date of
  the exchange offer to 12:00 midnight, Eastern Standard Time, on March 15, 2000.
  
  Item 7.   FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.
  
     Exhibit No.                Description
  
        99.1         Press Release Issued March 9, 2000.
  
                                        -2-
  SIGNATURE
  
       Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
  Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
  undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
  
                                          READ-RITE CORPORATION
  
  Dated: March 13, 2000                   By: /s/ Cyril J. Yansouni
                                             -------------------------------------
                                              Cyril J. Yansouni
                                              Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
  
                                        -3-
  EXHIBIT INDEX
  
     Exhibit No.               Description
  
        99.1         Press Release Issued March 9, 2000
  
                                        -4-