i14@nikhefh.hep.nl (Martin Los) (11/18/88)
Is it possible to partially format an atari disk or do you always have to
format the entire disk?
I have heard that the 1050 'is intelligent' ,can you program the 1050
so you can write your own DOS?
please,if somebody has an answer to these questions (perhaps a low level
SIO call that i haven't discovered yet can do the job????) email me
at i14@nikhefh.hep.nl
thanks in advance,
Martin
P.S :the 8bit atari's are very bad supported in holland,
i seem to be the only one with an 800xl !gdtltr@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Gary D Duzan) (11/19/88)
In article <576@nikhefh.hep.nl> i14@nikhefh.hep.nl (Martin Los) writes: > >Is it possible to partially format an atari disk or do you always have to >format the entire disk? As I understand it, the 1050 is intelligent only in the fact that it doesn't have to be completely run from the computer. The Atari sends a format command through the SIO port. Your DOS will then normally wait until the drive is finished with the physical format so that it can write the DOS info to the disk. You may have noticed that if you start formatting a disk and then hit the break key a few times, you would be returned to a DOS menu, but the drive would keep formatting. A drive would have to implement a "format track" command in addition to a "format disk" command to partially format a disk. I understand that this is one of the things that the Happy upgrade does. Other upgrades may do this, but I'm not sure. I don't think my US Doubler will do it. >I have heard that the 1050 'is intelligent' ,can you program the 1050 >so you can write your own DOS? It is not a matter of programming the drive, but the computer. Your DOS will have to patch into HATABS (I think that's the name), set MEMLO, trap RESETs to initialize it, and write the code. Machine Language is the only real way to go for writing a handler. A real C compiler might hack it, and Action! might barely do it, but ML is best. Inside Atari DOS gives you full ML source code for Atari Dos 2.0s and is a real help. Mapping the Atari is a necessity for any true Atari hacking. > >please,if somebody has an answer to these questions (perhaps a low level >SIO call that i haven't discovered yet can do the job????) email me I think $E459 is the address for the SIO call vector. Better check Mapping the Atari on this, but if you set up the device control block (DCB. Note that CIO/IOCB calls require a handler while SIO/DCB calls access the SIO port hardware directly [though I think you can patch in a pseudo-serial device {i.e. SpartaDOS UltraSpeed I/O. Note: I'm not too sure about this one} by rerouting the vector]) and do a "JSR E459" it will executed an SIO call independant of any handlers. >at i14@nikhefh.hep.nl >thanks in advance, > Martin >P.S :the 8bit atari's are very bad supported in holland, > i seem to be the only one with an 800xl ! Sounds like Delaware ;-]. Gary Duzan Time Lord Third Regeneration Atari Enthusiast Extreme
Ordania-DM@cup.portal.com (Charles K Hughes) (11/20/88)
This is actually to Gary Duzan. My mail to you was returned so I am posting here. Could you put me one your mailing list for the 8bit newsletter (Zmag). Thanks Charles K Hughes Ordania-DM@cup.portal.com
hans@umd5.umd.edu (Hans Breitenlohner) (11/24/88)
In article <576@nikhefh.hep.nl> i14@nikhefh.hep.nl (Martin Los) writes: > >Is it possible to partially format an atari disk or do you always have to >format the entire disk? There is no way to program a standard 1050 to format parts of a disk, although some of the enhancements may let you do so. If you want to format only the first n tracks of a disk, you can start a format, listen to the sound of the stepper motor, and open the door when you think it has gone far enough. Even with a disk drive which displays the track number, that takes a bit of practice to get it right.