[comp.sys.ibm] PET CBM 8022 ---> IBM PC-DOS Diskette CONVERSION

garlands@athena.mit.edu (Nathanial G Charles) (02/27/90)

I have a 5.25 inch diskette that was created on a PET CBM 8022 using the
program WORDPRO 4.  I desperately need to transfer the data from those
files and put them onto a IBM PC-DOS readable format so I can import
them into WORDPERFECT or something.  

Is there some sort of device driver available that will allow IBM PC-DOS 
to read diskettes created by a PET CBM 8022?

Does the PET CBM 8022 have an RS_232 compatible serial port?  
(I could connect to the IBM PC in host mode and transfer the files.)

Is there a program on the PET that will write files in IBM PC-DOS format?

Are there any other ways that I could at least transfer the file from
PET format diskette to a PC-DOS formatted diskette?  If so, I could use
Norton Utilities to extract the data from the WORDPRO file.

Anyone with any ideas, please contact Nate Charles ( garlands@athena.mit.edu)
or post to the net, if appropriate.  I'd appreciate any and all leads, no
matter how small.  

Nate Charles     garlands@athena.mit.edu    

Thank you.

geoffw@xenitec.on.ca (Geoffrey Welsh) (02/28/90)

   Please don't take this too personally, as it will no doubt come accross
as very harsh and I don't mean to bite your head off:

In article <1990Feb26.175510.12858@athena.mit.edu> garlands@athena.mit.edu (Nathanial G Charles) writes:
>I have a 5.25 inch diskette that was created on a PET CBM 8022 using the

   No, it wasn't. The 8022 was a printer, and these tend to have VERY
flaky read heads (with a few notable exceptions), so they weren't used
very often for read/write storage.

>I desperately need to transfer the data from those
>files and put them onto a IBM PC-DOS readable format so I can import
>them into WORDPERFECT or something.  

   That's not too difficult, if you can tell me the model of disk drive
used to format it. Your choices are 2040 (unlikely), 3040 (even more
unlikely, unless you're in Europe), 4040, 8050, 8250, or SFD.

   I currently have a 4040 sitting here and could fairly easily get
access to any other format. Therefore I could probably copy the files
from the Commodore format disk to an IBM format (preferrably 360K 5 1/4"),
as long as there aren't too many - the procedure will be manual, slow,
and tedious.

>Is there some sort of device driver available that will allow IBM PC-DOS 
>to read diskettes created by a PET CBM 8022?

   The Commodore drives used, in their native mode, Group Code Record
("GCR"). This is a modulation scheme similar in concept to RLL and, sadly,
beyond the capability of any PC floppy controllers I know of.

>Does the PET CBM 8022 have an RS_232 compatible serial port?  
>(I could connect to the IBM PC in host mode and transfer the files.)

   There are existing routines to do serial I/O on the pins at the back
of the machine, but they are slow and clumsy. Depending on the format of
the disk, I'd be doing the transfers at 4800 or 9600 bps using a C64 or
a Commodore 128.

   This single application doesn't merit porting my fast serial drivers
(and someone's terminal) to the PET.

>Is there a program on the PET that will write files in IBM PC-DOS format?

   The drives that plug into the PET have their DOS in ROM, and use CGR
so they are not capable of writing MFM formats like the PC's.

>Are there any other ways that I could at least transfer the file from
>PET format diskette to a PC-DOS formatted diskette?  If so, I could use
>Norton Utilities to extract the data from the WORDPRO file.
>
>Anyone with any ideas, please contact Nate Charles (garlands@athena.mit.edu)
>or post to the net, if appropriate.  I'd appreciate any and all leads, no
>matter how small.  

   Copy the files onto a new disk and send it to me. I'll transfer them
over and filter the WordPro 4 character set to ASCII so you can read it
into Word Perfect. Note that the result will NOT be a document file, and
it may take a bit of work to make WP format it the way you'd like...
that's strictly up to you.

   If the files don't fit onto one disk, then we should talk about a
nominal fee for time spent, or someone with a bit more time on their
hands could undertake the same task.

   Sound fair?

   Geoff

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