u13@nikhefh.UUCP (Rene van 't Veen) (05/20/87)
Hi there,
Can anybody tell me, whether it is possible to read IBM-PC floppies on the
ST and vice-versa. I know it says somewhere that the two of them are supposed
to be compatible, but I wonder whether anyone has tried this yet. Hardware
differences are not the point, since I saw somebody advertising a 5 1/4 inch
drive for the Atari and I know that the new PS/2 IBM machines are using 3 1/2
inch floppies as well as the IBM-PC junior. What I really want to know is :
How easy is it to read a file created on an Atari on an IBM-PC and
vice versa ??
Any comments on this one ?
Has anybody tried it ?
--- Rene
mail : ..!mcvax!nikhefh!u13 or u13@nikhefh.UUCP
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
R. van 't Veen .. mcvax!nikhefh!u13. All opinions are my own.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------bruce@ektools.UUCP (05/21/87)
If you format the 3.5 disk with MS-DOS 3.2 on the IBM (or clone), then
the ST will read/write the disk just dandy. If you use the default formatter
on the ST, MS-DOS won't believe the boot record (!), and won't be able to
read the disk. There is (are) one or more formatting programs for the ST
which format the disk, and then write an MS-DOS style track 0 which the IBM
will then accept. Note that the ST needs double sided drives.
My favorite method, though, is to keep an empty MS-DOS formatted disk sitting
around and doing a disk copy from it whenever I need a disk to go to the IBM.
Bruce D. Nelson, Sr. Appl. Analyst: Software Maint., Tech. Support Svcs.
EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, 901 Elmgrove Rd., Rochester, NY 14650, (716)726-7890
UUCP: {allegra, seismo}!rochester!kodak!ektools!bruce
ARPA: kodak!ektools!bruce@rochester.ARPApes@bath63.UUCP (05/21/87)
Haven't tried this one. Persistent rumour has it, though, that you can swap disks between IBM-PCs and the ST providing: 1 - You've *really* got the same disks; and 2 - You format the disks on the IBM. From study of the IBM docs and the Atari disk software, it looks like that should be true. Issue (1) has to do with the fact that most 3rd party 5-1/4 inch drives for the ST are 80-track drives, while most 5-1/4 incd drives for the IBM are 40-track drives -- and so they are not compatible. However it is said to be possible to get 40 track, or switchable 40/80 track, drives for the ST; and some of the top-line IBM models use 80-track drives. The IBM 3-1/2 inch drives are *supposed* to be 80-track, like the ST's, but we haven't actually seen one yet. Issue (2) has to do with the fact that the ST appears to know more about the PCdos/MSdos family of disk formats (which both use) than the IBM does; the IBM is more insistent on having its own particular flavour. I'd expect file-by-file copying to work, though (on the ST); but probably not 'whole disk' copying (dragging Drive A icon onto Drive B icon). We're hoping to try this soon as we can come up with a compatible pair of drives (issue 1 above) -- probably within a month (given I'm about to go away for 2 weeks)...
akw@osupyr.UUCP (Andrew Weaver) (05/22/87)
In article <282@nikhefh.UUCP> u13@nikhefh.UUCP (Rene van 't Veen) writes: > > Can anybody tell me, whether it is possible to read IBM-PC floppies on the >ST and vice-versa. I know it says somewhere that the two of them are supposed >to be compatible, but I wonder whether anyone has tried this yet. Hardware Yes, it is possible and does work. Although I haven't had a serious application for it yet, I did try and put my SS ST disk in my friend's Toshiba laptop. It gave me a little trouble at first, but finally gave a directory. The articles I've read said it should be no problem... maybe the Toshiba was at fault; I don't know. >differences are not the point, since I saw somebody advertising a 5 1/4 inch >drive for the Atari and I know that the new PS/2 IBM machines are using 3 1/2 >inch floppies as well as the IBM-PC junior. What I really want to know is : > > How easy is it to read a file created on an Atari on an IBM-PC and > vice versa ?? > Should be no problem. I saw an ingenious device that plugs into the back of a standard ST drive that converts the drive port into a standard 40-pin IBM drive port, looking like this: +-+ | | +---+ | <- Into ST drive | | <- cable from IBM floppy (5.25 I suppose) +-----+ OK, so ASCII graphics don't look so hot. But that is what it looks like. --- Andy Weaver {ihnp4}|cbatt|osu-eddie|osupyr|akw College of Business Computing Services TS6471@OHSTMVSA.BITNET The Ohio State University (614) 293-1195 or 292-1741 ___---___---___---___---___---___---___---___---___---___---___---___---___
trb@stag.UUCP ( Todd Burkey ) (05/22/87)
I haven't had any problems moving files back and forth between my PC clone (Kaypro 2000 portable) and the ST. This is using 720K formatted 3.5 inch disks. The ST can read and write to disks formatted on the PC with no probs, although you need a special PD formatter program that has been around for a while now if you want the PC to be able to read disks formatted on the ST (PC controllers are a bit pickier.) -Todd Burkey ...ihnp4!meccts!zeke!stag!trb
ger@qtecmuc.UUCP (05/22/87)
> How easy is it to read a file created on an Atari on an IBM-PC and > vice versa ?? > --- Rene I'm using a Toshiba T3100 Laptop with a 3 1/2" drive (720 kB double sided). The toshiba runs MS-DOS. I haven't tried yet, if this format is the same as the one used by the new IBMs, but I think so. There is no problem for the Atari reading files written by the Toshiba. Even subdirectories are recognized and displayed as folders on the desktop. But the toshiba won't accept Atari disks, it just says 'read error'. Gerhard Pehland QUANTEC TONSTUDIOTECHNIK GmbH Munich W-Germany UUCP: ...!seismo!unido!qtecmuc!ger
turner@imagen.UUCP (05/26/87)
in article <282@nikhefh.UUCP>, u13@nikhefh.UUCP (Rene van 't Veen) says:
+---------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+ Hi there,
+
+ Can anybody tell me, whether it is possible to read IBM-PC floppies on the
+ ST and vice-versa. I know it says somewhere that the two of them are supposed
+ to be compatible, but I wonder whether anyone has tried this yet. Hardware
+ differences are not the point, since I saw somebody advertising a 5 1/4 inch
+ mail : ..!mcvax!nikhefh!u13 or u13@nikhefh.UUCP
+
+---------------------------------------------------------
I spent a lot of time trying to do this, there are some format
differences like the size of the FAT's etc. but the biggest problem
i had was that all of the PC's i had access to used quad-density
format which completely confused my drive. However with the correct
drives and some format kludges, it is possible.
--
---------------
C'est la vie, C'est la guerre, C'est la pomme de terre
Mail: 6259 Rainbow Dr. San Jose, CA 95129
UUCP: ...{decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!imagen!turner AT&T: (408) 725-1974john@viper.UUCP (05/28/87)
In article <1254@imagen.UUCP> turner@imagen.UUCP (D'arc Angel) writes: >in article <282@nikhefh.UUCP>, u13@nikhefh.UUCP (Rene van 't Veen) says: >+--------------------------------------------------------- >+ >+ >+ Hi there, >+ >+ Can anybody tell me, whether it is possible to read IBM-PC floppies on >+ the ST and vice-versa. I know it says somewhere that the two of them are >+ supposed to be compatible, but I wonder whether anyone has tried this yet. >+ Hardware differences are not the point, since I saw somebody advertising >+ a 5 1/4 inch >+ mail : ..!mcvax!nikhefh!u13 or u13@nikhefh.UUCP >+ >+--------------------------------------------------------- > >I spent a lot of time trying to do this, there are some format >differences like the size of the FAT's etc. but the biggest problem >i had was that all of the PC's i had access to used quad-density >format which completely confused my drive. However with the correct >drives and some format kludges, it is possible. Funny, I've had no problems with FET size differences... I suspect the problems you had were more due to the very narrow tracks put out by the AT drives. While "in theory" you can format on an AT drive and carry it over to a normal drive and have it work, it's -never- worked for me. You might try formatting the disk on the ST or on a normal PC and then trying to write to it on the AT style drives. That tends to work, but don't use it to backup anything important... I. B. Computer makes 5.25" drives for the ST in normal IBM-PC format and quad-density (IBM-AT 1.2meg) formats. Their address+phone is: I. B. Computers 1519 S.W. Marlow Ave. Portland, OR 97225 (503) 297-8425 Hope this helps... --- John Stanley (john@viper.UUCP) Software Consultant - DynaSoft Systems UUCP: ...{amdahl,ihnp4,rutgers}!{meccts,dayton}!viper!john