SIO2SD and blank atari disk images

[repetto74]

Hi guys,

 

I did not really catch up how to use a blank atari disk image with the SIO2SD reader. I have created a blank single density atr disk image using Atari800 emulator and copied on the SD card. Then leaving the D1 empty I power up my Atari 600xl and load the disk image into virtual drive D1. I made a simple basic program for testing but when I give the save command SAVE "D1:test.bas" I am getting an error 130. What is wrong then?

[Guest]

when you say "blank image" do you actually mean completely blank?

no DOS files?

[_The Doctor__]

You can't access any disk without first loading a disk operating system. Mount a bootable DOS disk in drive slot one and turn on the computer. Mount your blank in drive slot 2 and format it.... then write dos to it.... if using spartados 1-3 after format you can copy a dos to the disk and then issue a boot dx:doschoice.dos and it will boot that from this disk when in slot one and powering up..

 

If using SpartaDosX... you still need to format the disk... but you don't need to copy a dos or make it bootable.... Sparta reads most disk types but not all. In my humble opinion making a disk bootable if space permits is always a good idea, so please pick your' best Sparta choice and add it anyway.

please understand that not every dos can read all disk types and sizes....

 

MyDos, SpartaDos, RealDos, OS A+, Dos XE, and SpartaDosX are the most common ones I see in the wild with DOS 2.5 and it's modified variants popping up constantly...followed by tons of gameloader type dos...on those 'archival' games disks

Edited March 20, 2017 by _The Doctor__

[repetto74]

Ok guys this sounds more clear. The thing is that I am a little bit newbie concerning Atari 8bit computing as I was more a C64 users in my childhood and there handling floppy disks was easier with CBM basic.

 

I will try with spartados and format a blank image before trying to write anything on it :-)

[repetto74]

Ok so I managed to initialize a blank disk using DOS 3.0. Now what would be the next step? How do I copy dos on it? I have tried to save a program on it but having an error 130 so I assume the diskette cannot be used

Is there a clear tutorial on how to make a disk usable to save programs on it?

Edited March 21, 2017 by repetto74

[Guest]

ok, here's a very simple walkthru - apols to others who can do it quicker, but OP said he's completely new to atari

 

you can practice with the attached dos 2.5 atr or go straight to adding your files to the blankDOS.atr

 

1] load up atari800win emulator

2] check some settings first: from menu: ATARI>>SETTINGS>>DISABLE BASIC>>OK and ATARI>>MEMORY SIZE (320kb rambo / 576k)

3] file>>autoboot image >> dos 2.5.atr

4] atari>>disk drives>> new image >> 130kb >> attach disk image to drive 2 >> create >> name it newDOS.atr >> save

5] in Emulator Dos Menu - I Format Disk >> 2 >> Y

6] in Emulator Dos Menu - H Write Dos Files >> 2 >> Y

7] atari>>disk drives>> clear all >> ok

now test your disk image

8] file>>autoboot image >> newDOS.atr

 

good luck!!

 

Dos 2.5.atrblankDOS.atrnewDOS.atr

Edited March 21, 2017 by Guest

[repetto74]

Million thanks Brenski I will give this a try it should be ok then!!

[repetto74]

Ok I managed to format the disk now it has DOS booting up. So I can go back to Basic write down a program and save or shall I do it from DOS? I do not understand where shall I give the SAVE command. Straight from Basic It will give error 130 but from DOS how shall I save a basic program?

Edited March 21, 2017 by repetto74

[Guest]

next bit is easier - i'll assume you're using the newDOS.atr we created above

 

in atari800win emulator main menu

go to

2] check some settings first: from menu: ATARI>>SETTINGS>> and untick DISABLE BASIC>>OK

3] file>>autoboot image >> newDOS.atr

4] at READY prompt, type your program listing

5] when complete, on next line type:

6] SAVE "D1:test.bas"

 

now to check you've saved it to the loaded disk image,

7] check some settings first: from menu: ATARI>>SETTINGS>> DISABLE BASIC>>OK

8] file>>autoboot image >> newDOS.atr

9] DISK OPERATING SYSTEM II main menu should appear

10] select item or return for menu - select: A - DISK DIRECTORY, A

11] directory -- search spec, list file: hit RETURN

12] listing should appear:

 

* dos.sys 037

* dup.sys 042

* ramdisk.com 009

* setup.com 070

* copy32.com 056

* diskfix.com 057

test.bas 001

738 free sectors

 

success!

you've just written your first basic file to Dos ATR in an atari emulator

Edited March 21, 2017 by Guest

[repetto74]

Hi Brenski

 

OK that's all clear now!! It works! Sorry I was confused with the Disable Basic setting. Actually I have to enable it for the basic program to be written down and then disable it wen accessing the DOS menu :-)

 

Thanks a lot for your help!

[repetto74]

I have tested directly from the real 600XL machine using the SIO2SD reader and all is working now! Glad I can save my programs on a virtual disk

[Guest]

glad to help

[repetto74]

Yes sorry, Commodore DOS was much more user friendly as far as I remember

[Kyle22]

Yes sorry, Commodore DOS was much more user friendly as far as I remember

User friendly? Really?

Ick. Ugh... No way. What could be easier than typing DIR at a real DOS prompt? You commies live in BASIC, and don't even have a real DOS.

 

LOAD "$",8

LIST

 

Is just ridiculous, overly complicated, and downright stupid.

 

Also, Commies are slow in case you hadn't noticed.

 

I'm too busy now to really let loose on the commode doors now, but there is so much I could say about those inferior pieces of rubbish.

[BillC]

And with a disk based DOS it is easier to fix bugs than with ROM based.

 

AFAIK the C64/1541 DOS can still scramble disks when using the save with replace command, I encountered this bug in a Commodore PET/dual FDD(2040?) in 1979.

 

 

 

The save-with-replace bug

Commodore DOS also offers a "Save-with-Replace" command, which allows a file to be saved over an existing file without the need to first SCRATCH the existing file. This was done by prepending an @ symbol to the file name during the OPEN or SAVE operation - for instance, SAVE "@MY PROGRAM",8. For years rumors spread, beginning with the 4040 drive, of a bug in the command's implementation. At first, this was denied by some commentators. Prizes were offered to prove the existence of the bug.^[1] By early 1985 Compute! magazine advised readers to avoid using the command.^[2] That year various authors independently published articles^[1][3][4][5] proving that the Save-with-Replace bug was real and including methods by which it could be triggered.

Affected devices included the single-drive 1541 and dual-drive 4040; the 8050 and 8250 did not exhibit the issue.^[1] Some commentators suggested the bug could be avoided by always explicitly specifying the 0: drive number when saving,^[3] though it was later shown that any disk operations without a drive number were sufficient to lead to the bug.^[6] The bug stemmed from the fact that the affected DOS implementations were modified versions of the DOS contained in earlier Commodore PET dual drives such as the 8050. This created a "phantom drive 1:" on single-drive systems, resulting in the allocation of an unnecessary buffer under some conditions. Since the Save-with-Replace command used all five drive buffers, and because the method by which the "phantom" buffer was allocated did not meet specifications, this resulted in scrambled data being written to the disk under some conditions.

In September 1986, Philip A. Slaymaker published an article^[7] describing in great detail the cause of the bug and providing patches to the 1541 drive ROMs; readers with an EPROM burner could produce their own patched ROMs which could be swapped into the drive. Commodore was made aware of Slaymaker's findings, and while they never issued an official update for the original 1541's ROMs, they did fix the bug in Revision 5 of the 1571 ROMs, and also in the ROMs for the 1541-c and 1541-II drives. Although not supported by Commodore, it is known that the 1541-II firmware (but not that of the 1541-c) can also be used in an original 1541 drive by using EPROMs, which will fix the bug for that drive as well.

 

 

[Guest]

Yes sorry, Commodore DOS was much more user friendly as far as I remember

i think this has little to do with what was "more user friendly" and what wasn't so.

 

this is almost entirely to do with platform familiarity, and what environment your cut your teeth in.

 

Think about this:

your're born and bred in the United States, you spend the first 30 yrs of your life there and learn to drive on the right-hand side of the road.

Your career takes you to live in the UK for ten years...initially the "left side of the road" and everything that goes with our road system is daunting, but after some time, you'll become comfortable and familiar with your new "Highway Code".

 

the key message is: leaving the car in the garage and taking the bus to work, won't help...sometimes you got to get behind the wheel.

 

have fun!

Edited March 25, 2017 by Guest