Hobbyist

[Keven]

I'm a novice to all this and grateful for any help. I purchased a Atari STF. Very good machine. I have little software and I'm looking to copy some from a website that offers. My question is  I'm using Windows 10 and I have an external floppy drive. All good. But I need to convert the ST files to copy and then use in the Atari. Thanks!! 

 

[Soonlar]

From what I understand, with TOS 1.04 you should be able to copy files from Windows onto a DOS formatted disk, then take that disk to the ST to run there.  The TOS version matters when wanting proper DOS-compatible disk formatting, so check with TOS version you have.  

 

By the way... I am still fixing up my 1040 ST, currently waiting on video cable and new TOS ROMs so can't verify this first hand.  I am sure others here could confirm or provide additional instructions.

[ParanoidLittleMan]

Yes, TOS 1.04 formats DOS compatible 720K floppy, and it may work under Windows 10 - well, worked with older versions, don't know latest ones. But that's for writing files for using it with Atari.

 

Original question is about writing ST image files onto floppies with PC and external drive - what means USB floppy drive, I guess. That can work, but only with limited number of images. USB floppy drives don't support all formats used by Atari ST - for instance widely used 800 KB . And some can only 1.44 MB format, what means that can not write double density at all. 

SW for writing ST images:

http://www.tehkella.net/retro/?p=361

 

[Keven]

Great help Paranoid Little Man!!    Thank you!

[kogden]

I found trying to write ST images to floppies from a PC a little painful.  

 

What I ultimately ended up doing most since my ST has a SCSI HDD was transfer the images to the ST with a null modem cable and use utilities on ST side to write the MSA and ST images to floppy.  Slow but reliable.  

 

On my 8bit I can use a $5 adapter to have my PC emulate a floppy drive and even had a real floppy drive in SIO chain.  I wish they retained SIO bus for the ST as well.  I need an UltraSatan and an Ethernet interface.

 

[bfollowell]

Honestly, with real 3.5” disks getting harder to find and then becoming less and less reliable every day, and with almost every piece of software ever produced for the system being available online for free download, you’re really better off replacing your floppy drive with a Gotek floppy emulator and loading up a flash drive with every ST disk image you can find.

 

I know many people still enjoy messing with real disks but, personally, I’ve never understood the appeal.

[+DarkLord]

Or just go mass storage with a Lotharek Ultrasatan.

 

https://lotharek.pl/productdetail.php?id=48

 

Not too expensive, excellent construction and support,

as well as already being used by tons of Atarians.

 

You can then take a TOS/DOS formatted SDcard and

easily switch it out between your ST and a Windows

box (although I think Win7 on down will only see the

first partition but that's usually not a problem).

 

HTHs.

 

[bfollowell]

Yeah, but now isn't exactly the best time for that.

 

I ordered a US and a VBXE for my 1088XEL about six weeks ago, received a tracking number, and now they're sitting at Lotharek's house, waiting for international shipping to start back up. I know I'll get them eventually, but waiting is sure a pain.