kevin@watnxt3.ucr.edu (Kevin Lund) (06/11/91)
I'm having a bit of trouble with a Compupro 8/16; maybe somebody can help me... I finally managed to get this thing to boot up, and it's now running concurrent cp/m (and running it pretty well too). Problem is, I have only one boot disk, which gives me the heebie-jeebies. No problem, I have two drives, make a copy right? Well, the copy program fails consistently; as far as I can tell the problem is that it wants the two disks to have the same format (understandable, though it would be nice if it would format them itself...). Now, the disks I want to copy are all double-sided, but all the other 8" disks I have come from my imsai which has single-sided drives and so are formatted accordingly (well, I have a box of blanks but they were pre-formatted...single sided...). So, here's the core of the problem: my format program will not (as far as I can tell) re-format a single sided disk as a double sided. I've tried taking my most vicious magnets to SS disks but to no avail! It's like the computer KNOWS! Any ideas? Also, anybody know where I can get reasonably- priced 8" blanks? Next question (as you can see, I have ccp/m but no manuals...), anybody know what I need to do to make the hard drive bootable? It's on a disk 3 controller and was semi-bootable when I got it so I know it can be done (had to be re- formatted though). I've tried sysgen and a couple other things along those lines with no success. I guess that's it for now..oh yeah one other thing, I tried putting more than 1 meg of ram in but it doesn't seem to recognize it...is this a hard limit or did I just blow the dip switches? Thanks... Kevin Lund (kevin@watnxt3.ucr.edu)
syswtr@iowasp.physics.uiowa.edu (06/12/91)
In article <15165@ucrmath.ucr.edu>, kevin@watnxt3.ucr.edu (Kevin Lund) writes: > I'm having a bit of trouble with a Compupro 8/16; maybe somebody can help me... > I want to copy are all double-sided, but all the other 8" disks I have come > So, here's the core of the problem: my format program will not (as far as I > can tell) re-format a single sided disk as a double sided. I've tried taking 8" drives know... The index hole is located differently on a double sided diskette. Your drive has 2 index detectors and can tell when you insert a single sided diskette. Willy
ianj@ijpc.UUCP (Ian Justman) (06/13/91)
kevin@watnxt3.ucr.edu (Kevin Lund) writes: > I'm having a bit of trouble with a Compupro 8/16; maybe somebody can help me. I can. So can Marc Wilson (mwilson@crash.cts.com) > I finally managed to get this thing to boot up, and it's now running concurre > cp/m (and running it pretty well too). Problem is, I have only one boot disk > which gives me the heebie-jeebies. Haven't we all on all of our computers? :-) > No problem, I have two drives, make a copy > right? Well, the copy program fails consistently; as far as I can tell the > problem is that it wants the two disks to have the same format (understandabl > though it would be nice if it would format them itself...). I believe the copy program WILL format a blank, if it deems it necessary. > Now, the disks > I want to copy are all double-sided, but all the other 8" disks I have come > from my imsai which has single-sided drives and so are formatted accordingly > (well, I have a box of blanks but they were pre-formatted...single sided...). > > So, here's the core of the problem: my format program will not (as far as I > can tell) re-format a single sided disk as a double sided. I've tried taking > my most vicious magnets to SS disks but to no avail! It's like the > computer KNOWS! Any ideas? Also, anybody know where I can get reasonably- > priced 8" blanks? That's because your computer DOES know the difference between a SS and a DS diskette. (Actually, the drive knows better than the computer does because there are TWO index sensors on most, if not all, DS drives.) If you put a SS and a DS disk label side up side-by-side, you'll notice that the index holes are in different positions. A SS disk will have its hole about a quarter inch to the right of an imaginary line you could draw down the center parallel the media head access cutout. A DS disk will have its hole about a 3/4" from said imaginary line. Translated: you're shit out of luck trying to format those SS as DS disks. Don't try to punch hole in them either because it doesn't work. It will work with my Dynabyte, but not my CompuPro. > Next question (as you can see, I have ccp/m but no manuals...), anybody know > what I need to do to make the hard drive bootable? It's on a disk 3 controll > and was semi-bootable when I got it so I know it can be done (had to be re- > formatted though). I've tried sysgen and a couple other things along those > lines with no success. How many masters do you have? On top of that, what version of CDOS (I prefer it over CCP/M) do you have? If you have more than one, there should be several files, nameds depending on version, which are loaders for specific controllers/drive types. If you have earlier than 5.0, there will be loaders for whether you use a System Support 1 or a PC Video card as a console, and whether you use 5 1/4" or 8" floppy or a Disk 2 or a Disk 3 as a boot controller (Disk 2 and Disk 3 are hard drive controllers, with the Disk 2 useable on SA-4000 (I think) interfaces, and the Disk 3 with the ST-506 interface.) > I guess that's it for now..oh yeah one other thing, I tried putting more than > 1 meg of ram in but it doesn't seem to recognize it...is this a hard limit > or did I just blow the dip switches? Thanks... Nothing to do with the dipswitches. Even if you're using a CPU 286 (like I do), you're still locked down to a 1 meg limit. Those switches on your RAM cards will let you put up to 16 megs of memory online. BTW, are you using RAM 21 or RAM 22 memory boards? Just kinda curious. If you have any more questions, gimme a call at (916) 344-5360 and I'll try to help ya.
donm@pnet07.cts.com (Don Maslin) (06/14/91)
kevin@watnxt3.ucr.edu (Kevin Lund) writes: >So, here's the core of the problem: my format program will not (as far as I >can tell) re-format a single sided disk as a double sided. I've tried taking >my most vicious magnets to SS disks but to no avail! It's like the >computer KNOWS! Any ideas? Also, anybody know where I can get reasonably- >priced 8" blanks? > Yes, it *does* know! If you will compare the double sided disks with the single sided ones you will see that the sector 0 hole in the jacket for the double sided one is at about 1 o'clock, whereas, the single sided one is at about 12:30. Make a paper template of the DS hole location and mark it on the SS jacket - don't forget the back side too - and with an old fashioned hand paper punch a new hole in one side of the jacket. Turn it over and do the second. Voila! a double sided disk. NOTE!!!! Be very careful that you don't scratch, fold, spindle, or mutilate the disk itself, AND that you DO NOT punch a new hole in that also. Just in the jacket, please. Back before double sided drives were at all common, they used to make 'flippy's' by a variation of that technique, so that both sides were accessible. Keeper of the CP/M System Disk | UUCP: {nosc ucsd crash ncr-sd}!pnet07!donm Archives for the Dino(saur)SIG | ARPA: simasd!pnet07!donm@nosc.mil - San Diego Computer Society - | INET: donm@pnet07.cts.com
swanson@loligo.cs.fsu.edu (Bob Swanson) (06/14/91)
Been some time since I played with 8" disks, but I seem to recall that the sector index hole is in a different spot on double sided disks. That's how your box "knows" it's being fed single sided disks.
azog@gnat.rent.com (Billy D'Augustine) (06/15/91)
kevin@watnxt3.ucr.edu (Kevin Lund) writes: > So, here's the core of the problem: my format program will not (as far as I > can tell) re-format a single sided disk as a double sided. I've tried taking > my most vicious magnets to SS disks but to no avail! It's like the > computer KNOWS! Any ideas? Also, anybody know where I can get reasonably- > priced 8" blanks? > > > Kevin Lund (kevin@watnxt3.ucr.edu) Well, the computer does know if it is a DS or SS disk. On 8" disks, its a hardware feature. Look at the index hole, and youll see that the hole is shifted a few degrees between SS and DS disks. If your feeling brave, you can use a hole punch to change it :-) Try Inmac, or any of those mail order companys, they usually still sell 8" diskettes...
acrosby@uafhp.uark.edu (Albert Crosby) (06/18/91)
Here's a backwards follow-up question.... I'm using 8" single sided drives, but the diskettes I found are doubles... Someone mentioned punching a hole in singles to use 'em as doubles, can I do the same thing with doubles to use 'em as singles? If so, where do I put the hole? Many thanks! Albert
donm@pnet07.cts.com (Don Maslin) (06/20/91)
acrosby@uafhp.uark.edu (Albert Crosby) writes: >Here's a backwards follow-up question.... I'm using 8" single sided drives, but the diskettes I found are doubles... Someone mentioned punching a hole in >singles to use 'em as doubles, can I do the same thing with doubles to use 'em as singles? If so, where do I put the hole? > Yes, the reverse also will work. (Even better, perhaps, because on a DS drive it is sometimes necessary to cover the SS hole in the jacket.) The SS hole would be roughly half way between the DS hole and the vertical center line. *BUT*, the only really accurate way is to make a template from a genuine SS disk and use it to locate the hole. - don Keeper of the CP/M System Disk | UUCP: {nosc ucsd crash ncr-sd}!pnet07!donm Archives for the Dino(saur)SIG | ARPA: simasd!pnet07!donm@nosc.mil - San Diego Computer Society - | INET: donm@pnet07.cts.com