[comp.os.cpm] osborne 1 to kaypro 2x

rr2g@COMPOSITE.CE.VIRGINIA.EDU (Rhonda Gaines) (01/05/91)

I have recently acquired dbaseII for the osborne 1 and don't know
how to use it on my kaypro 2x.  When I put the disk in it says it
can't read my diskette.  Any ideas on how to convert these osborne
disks to kaypro so I can use them?

 -thanks


-- 
Rhonda Gaines                   |   University of Virginia
phone:  804-924-6265            |   Thornton Hall
bitnet: gaines@virginia.bitnet  |   Applied Mechanics Program
internet: gaines@virginia.edu   |   Charlottesville, VA  22903-2442

fzsitvay@techbook.com (Frank Zsitvay) (01/07/91)

In article <9101042339.AA12951@composite.ce.Virginia.EDU> rr2g@COMPOSITE.CE.VIRGINIA.EDU (Rhonda Gaines) writes:
>I have recently acquired dbaseII for the osborne 1 and don't know
>how to use it on my kaypro 2x.  When I put the disk in it says it
>can't read my diskette.  Any ideas on how to convert these osborne
>disks to kaypro so I can use them?

   there is a program for the kaypro called mfdisk, which is supposed to
allow you to set one of your disk drives to the osborne format, as well
as format a disk in that format.  while i have not tried it myself,
i would guess that it works.
 
   there is a selection in that utility that is supposed to let you
read/ write, and format an ibm pc disk, but i haven't been able to get
that to work.  would it be safe to assume that only works for cp/m 86
and not msdos??   (msdos has a very different directory structure than
cp/m.  perhaps it works with msdos 1.xx or so...)



-- 
fzsitvay@techbook.COM - but don't quote me on that....

American Oil Company motto - Bend over, We'll pump!!!

A512JANW@HASARA11.BITNET (Jan Wim Wesselius) (01/08/91)

> I have recently acquired dbaseII for the osborne 1 and don't know
> how to use it on my kaypro 2x.  When I put the disk in it says it
> can't read my diskette.  Any ideas on how to convert these osborne
> disks to kaypro so I can use them?
 
> Rhonda Gaines                   |   University of Virginia
 
With my Kaypro-2 came a program which enabled it to read Osborne
disks. If the only problem is the disk format that should solve it.
I suppose you can get it from another Kaypro owner, as it came bundled
with your machine and you have some sort of right to it.
If, however, dbaseII needs to be customized for use on a particular
CP/M machine, it will not be that easy, I am afraid :-( (I simply do
not know)
 
Jan Wim Wesselius - University of Amsterdam
A512JANW@HASARA11 / WESSELIUS@SARA.NL

donm@pnet07.cts.com (Don Maslin) (01/09/91)

rr2g@COMPOSITE.CE.VIRGINIA.EDU (Rhonda Gaines) writes:
>I have recently acquired dbaseII for the osborne 1 and don't know
>how to use it on my kaypro 2x.  When I put the disk in it says it
>can't read my diskette.  Any ideas on how to convert these osborne
>disks to kaypro so I can use them?
>

You should have the utility MFDISK.COM with your 2X which will permit reading
the Osborne disk.

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

tcs@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US (Ted C. Smith) (01/09/91)

Rhonda Gaines writes:

> I have recently acquired dbaseII for the osborne 1 and don't know
> how to use it on my kaypro 2x.  When I put the disk in it says it
> can't read my diskette.  Any ideas on how to convert these osborne
> disks to kaypro so I can use them?

Well, there are a couple of programs around that can handle this.
I use Media Master by Spectre Technologies (22458 Ventura Blvd.,
Suite E, Woodland Hills, CA 91364; phone 818-716-1655).  Uniform is
another program that should be able to do the trick -- I think you
can get it from FOG.  And, a more circuitous route would be to use
a shareware package like 22NICE which permits IBM-compatibles to
emulate an Osborne or Kaypro disk drive (I've used it to move
SuperCalc files from my old Ozzy to my new 386 machine).
 
-- 
           Ted Smith  --  tcs.sactoh0.SAC.CA.US
         California Division of Mines and Geology
        Call our MS-DOS based bbs (CDMG ONLINE) at
                   916-327-1208 8-N-1

rzh@ICF.LLNL.GOV (R. Hanscom) (01/10/91)

In <4615@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US> tcs@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US (Ted C. Smith) writes:

>Rhonda Gaines writes:
>
>> I have recently acquired dbaseII for the osborne 1 and don't know
>> how to use it on my kaypro 2x.  When I put the disk in it says it
>> can't read my diskette.  Any ideas on how to convert these osborne
>> disks to kaypro so I can use them?

>Well, there are a couple of programs around that can handle this.
>I use Media Master by Spectre Technologies (22458 Ventura Blvd.,
>Suite E, Woodland Hills, CA 91364; phone 818-716-1655).  Uniform is
>another program that should be able to do the trick -- I think you
>can get it from FOG.  And, a more circuitous route would be to use
>a shareware package like 22NICE which permits IBM-compatibles to
>emulate an Osborne or Kaypro disk drive (I've used it to move
>SuperCalc files from my old Ozzy to my new 386 machine).
 
I have said this before (tired of hearing it??), but be very careful
about software like MediaMaster before putting big bucks into it.  I
was fooled by their documentation and impressive list of "formats
handled".  It (apparently) works fine with a format like Kaypro's
DSDD, that is quite common.  I can tell you, from personal experience,
that it will NOT read these Ozzy diskettes, if they are single density,
on a vanilla PC clone unless you have a specialized controller/drives.
It has problems with single density diskettes (early Osbournes used SD).
There are other formats that they advertise, that will not work (Cromemco
DSDD is a notable example).  Try before you buy.  Of course the same is
true for Uniform and 22NICE, but I have not had the opportunity to try
them.

Please don't respond with "I have it and love it.  It works with xxxx"
etc.  I'm glad that you like it, but if you're thinking about buying
it for reading some format that you commonly use, and you have no
direct knowledge that it works with that format -- proceed with
caution!!  Flames to /dev/null.

		  roger             icf!rzh@lll-winken.llnl.gov
							 rzh@phoenix.ocf.llnl.gov

roadhog@austex (Lindsay Haisley) (01/14/91)

fzsitvay@techbook.com (Frank Zsitvay) writes:

> 
>    there is a program for the kaypro called mfdisk, which is supposed to
> allow you to set one of your disk drives to the osborne format, as well
> as format a disk in that format.  while i have not tried it myself,
> i would guess that it works.
>  
> 
> -- 
> fzsitvay@techbook.COM - but don't quote me on that....
> 
> American Oil Company motto - Bend over, We'll pump!!!

There is a program called Uniform from Micro Solutions, Inc. (Lord knows
if they're still in business) which is commercial and an excellent 
disk format xlater for CP/M machines.  You must have the version written
for your machine.  It will both copy and format to a large variety of other
CP/M disk formats.  You can also find a friend with a MS-DOS machine and 
use an excellent DOS program called 22DISK (v 12 is current) to read and
write CP/M formats via a DOS machine.  We have 22DISK and MFDISK available
on the Kaypro Club of Austin BBS here.  I'm not sure if they are up, but
if you look and don't find them, leave a msg and they can be posted.


"Everything works if you let it!"
 ---  Travis J. Redfish
 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
uucp: cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!austex!roadhog
 BBS: (512) 259-1261 (Z-Node 77 - aka - Kaypro Club of Austin)