OPTON@UHVAX1.BITNET.UUCP (12/04/87)
I have an orphan computer (Visual Technology 1050) that runs CPM3 (banked). Does anyone have any experience (rumor?, advice?) on adapting the CPM3 BIOS to run ZCPR3? Following the cookbook instructions in Richard Conn's user's manual were spectacularly unsuccessful. I also tried simply lifting out the calls required for CPM 2.2, and then running SYSGEN on it, to make the system into a cpm 2.2 system, and THEN following the install procedure, but this was also unsuccessfully. (I have a sneaking suspicion that I have to change the boot sector, but I have no proof, and I don't know how to look at the boot sector.) Perusing the postings I have noticed some discussion on other BDOS replacements, such as Z80DOS and some others. What are their claims to fame, and how do they compare with each other and with ZCPR? How do I read and alter the boot sector (trk 0 sec 1 on my disks)? Also, how do I read the first two tracks? Can I change these easily? Is there a program available, preferably in the PD? (I tried to write a quick and dirty one, and the results were less than useful. So I sez to myself, 'Why reinvent the wheel?') Does anyone have any suggestions for a general purpose (and inexpensive) general accounting program for CPM based systems. I realize this is a lot of questions, so I thank everyone for their patience, and help. Lee Thomison BITNET: OPTON@UHVAX1 landline: (713) 749-3127
swillett@PLUTONIUM.CCHEM.BERKELEY.EDU.UUCP (12/07/87)
For tinkering with the boot sector on your disk there is the aged DU, one of the first PD programs I ever ran into. DU stands for Disk Utility, and the last version I saw was DU-V89, which is on SIMTEL20 as PD1:<CPM.DSKUTL>DU-V89.LBR.
bridger%rcc@RAND-UNIX.ARPA (Bridger Mitchell) (12/07/87)
The port of ZCPR3 (v. 3.3) to CP/M 3 systems is in the late-alph-test stage, and release is projected for January. Availability will be announced here. Z3ON3, the workname for this version of ZCPR33, is implemented as a CP/M 3 RSX; it requires no changes whatever to the bios or system tracks, and can be rapidly loaded and unloaded. I expect it will run on most/all z80-based cp/m 3 systems, with no system configuration required. Most Z-tools run without change, and we are cataloging those requiring attention. Programs that use these functions will need upgrading: direct bios file i/o disk size calculation from the allocation vector references to zcpr3 internal addresses (show, h, ...) (Conversion of zcpr3 to an RSX has been a major system-programming task; I would advise against attempting it yourself without a very complete understanding of the internals of the cp/m 3 bdos and ccp). --bridger mitchell