Woodie@DOCKMASTER.arpa (02/05/87)
Can anyone point me to some software that will allow a Commodore 64 to write a disk that can then be read by an Osborne Executive (or some other ssdd cpm format? Thanks, Paul Woodie (Woodie -at dockmaster)
prindle@nadc.arpa (02/05/87)
Unless you own the unlikely combination of a C64 and a C1571 (not 1541) disk drive, you cannot write a CP/M diskette for Osborne, Epson, etc. The reason is that the 1541 disk drive *cannot* write MFM or FM format diskettes as used by virtually every other system except APPLE. These drives write only a form of NRZ encoding called GCR (Group Code Recording) - totally unreadable by any other drive without special hardware/controller. This was the basic reason why C64 CP/M never seriously caught on - there was no way, other than via modem, to get programs in or out! And even with a 1571 drive hooked to a C64, I know of no utilities written explicitly for the 64 to do the necessary copy. On the other hand, there are several public domain utilities for the C128 with C1571 disk drive, which will copy files from normal CBM format to any of a variety of CP/M formats, Osborne MFM being one of the defaults. I believe the C128 CP/M program RDCBM20 (see [SIMTEL20]PD:<CPM.C128>RDCBM20.LBR) would be the easiest to use, and it does the necessary translation for text files from Commodore character set to ASCII. The latest Commodore FORMAT.COM utility will allow you to format an Osborne diskette too (not sure about the Osborne Executive though - maybe just the Osborne 1). So if this conversion you require is a one-time process, beg or borrow a 128 to do the job. The 1571 will read the C64/1541 diskettes just fine. Sincerely, Frank Prindle Prindle@NADC.arpa
rayz@csustan.UUCP (02/07/87)
In article <4272@brl-adm.ARPA> prindle@nadc.arpa writes: > The latest Commodore FORMAT.COM >utility will allow you to format an Osborne diskette too (not sure about the >Osborne Executive though - maybe just the Osborne 1). I have not heard of a "new" FORMAT.COM before-- Where/how does one get it? My 128 came with an old cpm version, and the FORMAT doesn't even do single sided disks (the menu says it does, but...). I presume that has been fixed, too?