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Can a mini-speedy or 1050 Speedy format MS-DOS disks ?


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The Happy upgrade can use the Sector copier IBMXFR Program This program was included with the Warp Speed Software. It allowed transferring files back and forth between an Atari and an IBM disk using a Happy enhanced 1050 drive. Because the 1050 was a single sided drive with only one head, the disk had to be formatted as SS (180K). The IBM disk could even be formatted on the 1050 drive. (I copied + paste this text from realdos.net)

 

anyhow, does anybody know if there is/are programs that can do the same, but with a mini speedy or 1050 speedy upgrade ? I have both speedy versions, and that would be very handy for me to have such an option, because then i can also transfer files from Atari to PC, without having to use Sio2USB or flash cartridges....

 

at this very moment, i can only transfer files from PC to Atari with the WriteATR program, but i cant transfer back....

 

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The last statement from realdos.net is in gross error unless one uses a

special switch to do what is effectively called in MS-DOS a 'quick' format.

This type of format can be done in MyDOS with /N added to drive number query,

the disk is not really formatted in that case but the directory is cleared

and the VTOC table is set to full free sector count. If realdos and/or

Sparta has this same capability then the statement is true but ONLY when

done using this 'quick' format approach.

 

The issue will always be that the transfer disk MUST be formatted on the IBM platform first.

This is due to the index hole there religiously in use for it's intended purpose.

 

You format a disk on a 1050 and this doesn't happen and so it's not readable on the IBM.

 

http://www.horus.com/~hias/atari/#ataridsk

 

AtariDsk will format the Atari floppy on the IBM and most all DD capable 1050s will be

able to read it with zero issues. You can not write ATR files directly however as you

might be used to doing with WriteATR program. But files themselves can go back and

forth as many times as you can care to do this. The Atari will lay down each sector

as it is found on the IBM formatted floppy and the IBM will read the file just fine.

 

You can use arc version 5 to compress the atr file if that is helpful. Several other

compression programs can do the same thing. Again no direct ATR is possible unles

the transfer disk is first formatted on the IBM which means it can only be a DD ATR

that gets transferred to the IBM, these are very few for the most part.

 

I use mainly AtariDsk myself as the promised I will build one SIO2PC has

never made it's appearance. I really haven't needed it since AtariDsk works

so very, very good for me. It runs just fine in a Windows DOS box under

win98se here brilliantly. I have several disks at the ready both at the 98

box and at the Atari ready for use.

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The last statement from realdos.net is in gross error unless

...

The issue will always be that the transfer disk MUST be formatted on the IBM platform first.

This is due to the index hole there religiously in use for it's intended purpose.

 

You format a disk on a 1050 and this doesn't happen and so it's not readable on the IBM.

 

That's not accurate. You can format the disk on the 1050 and most PCs will read it fine. What happens is that one sector will probably cross the index hole, and some (definitely not all) PC controllers have a problem with that. That's one the methods I used to transfer back at the day. Of course, you can always format the disk on the PC and at the Atari just write the files.

 

If that's the most convenient way to transfer files or not, well, that's another story.

 

Regardless, there is the issue of the different RPM which produces a different bit rate. It is not fatal, but sometimes might produce errors.

 

If realdos and/or Sparta has this same capability ...

This has nothing to do with the specific Atari DOS. It is a feature of the drive firmware and software. A stock drive can't access disks with a standard DOS format. DOS format uses sectors with 512 bytes. An Atari stock firmware won't be able to deal with that sector size.

 

You need an enhanced drive as the Happy. The Speedy should be able to deal with DOS disks, of course. If there is a Speedy program similar to the Happy one or not, I don't know.

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