huisjes@cs.vu.nl (Michiel Huisjes) (10/08/89)
A friend of mine just got hold of a DEC Rainbow 100 running MS-DOS 2.11 and he's having troubles with disk formats. It seems that a DEC Rainbow formats disks at 400K (how odd) and cannot read normal 360K type DOS disks. Trying to read a 360K formatted disk gives the error message "non-DOS disk in drive A:" and if I read a 400K formatted disk in my 386 high-density drive it claims that the disk type is a single-sided double density 8 spt disk with 14K used somewhere in the middle (Norton utilities). What am I doing wrong? Is a DEC Rainbow really that incompatible and more important, how do I transfer my software onto the DEC? Answers will be greatly appreciated. -- Michiel Huisjes. (huisjes@cs.vu.nl)
GTHEALL@PENNDRLS.UPENN.EDU (George A. Theall) (10/09/89)
>It seems that a DEC Rainbow formats >disks at 400K (how odd) and cannot read normal 360K type DOS disks. Yes, the Rainbow and PC disk formats are different. I'm not up on the gory details, but suffice it to say this is both a benefit and a problem. >Trying to read a 360K formatted disk gives the error message "non-DOS disk in >drive A:" and if I read a 400K formatted disk in my 386 high-density drive >it claims that the disk type is a single-sided double density 8 spt disk with >14K used somewhere in the middle (Norton utilities). I suppose your first error arose because (1) the 360K disk was double sided or (2) it was single-sided but you didn't type "MEDIACHK ON" first. Don't forget, the RX50 drives are single-sided. Some Rainbows are capable of reading single-sided, double-density PC floppies, but this definitely requires running MEDIACHK first. Solutions: several exist. (1) You can buy an add-on drive from Suitable Solutions which will give you complete DATA compatibility with a standard PC XT computer. SS sells I-Drives that work with either double-density or high density 5.25" PC floppies; there MAY be a device now which works with the smaller 3.5" disks. (2) You can read/write to SINGLE-sided PC 5.25" PC floppies on your Rainbow as long as your drive is well aligned and you use MEDIACHK first. (3) You can install a device driver called RX50.SYS (or RX50DRVR.SYS) in your 386 machine. This little gem lets you use read from and write to RX50 floppies with your high-density drive. >What am I doing wrong? Is a DEC Rainbow really that incompatible and more >important, how do I transfer my software onto the DEC? Now this still leaves unanswered another question - will your software actually run on your (or your friend's) Rainbow. The Rainbow does indeed run MS-DOS (even v3.10!) but it does not have a PC-type BIOS, keyboard, video, or even port setup. If you discover your programs do not work "as-is", you might consider spending some money and buy MS-DOS v3.10b and Code Blue from Suitable Solutions as together they seem to provide fairly good PC compatibility for the Rainbow. Cost should be around $250 (I'd tell you for certain if I had their price list in front of me). George --- BITNET: GTHEALL@PennDRLS Dept. of Economics Internet: GTHEALL@PennDRLS.UPenn.Edu University of Pennsylvania AT+TNet: 215-898-3419 Philadelphia, PA 19104-3987
DDELMONI@KENTVM.BITNET ("David L. Delmonico") (10/09/89)
Michiel,
Perhaps you could try finding a 400K formatter for your computer
and see if that format would be compatible with the Rainbow DEC.
I am not real familiar with the DEC, but I do know of some
shareware formatters for 400K. This would be a free way to try
compatibility and if it would work it would only cost about $10.
Let me know if you would like some names of shareware programs that
format in 400K.
Good Luck,
David Delmonico (DDELMONI@KENTVM)scjones@sdrc.UUCP (Larry Jones) (10/10/89)
In article <3603@pinas.cs.vu.nl>, huisjes@cs.vu.nl (Michiel Huisjes) writes: > A friend of mine just got hold of a DEC Rainbow 100 running MS-DOS 2.11 and > he's having troubles with disk formats. It seems that a DEC Rainbow formats > disks at 400K (how odd) and cannot read normal 360K type DOS disks. > Trying to read a 360K formatted disk gives the error message "non-DOS disk in > drive A:" and if I read a 400K formatted disk in my 386 high-density drive > it claims that the disk type is a single-sided double density 8 spt disk with > 14K used somewhere in the middle (Norton utilities). > What am I doing wrong? Is a DEC Rainbow really that incompatible and more > important, how do I transfer my software onto the DEC? Yes, good old Digital really came up with an interesting format for the Rainbow. As I recall, the normal Rainbow disk format is double density, 8 or 9 sectors per track, but 80 tracks (rather than the usual 40), and single sided! If you have a sophisticated formatting program, you may be able to format and write a Rainbow disk in a high-density drive (which reminds me that I probably ought to post the sophisticated formatting program I have). If not, you should be able to read a standard SINGLE SIDED pc disk in the Rainbow (try FORMAT /1). ---- Larry Jones UUCP: uunet!sdrc!scjones SDRC scjones@SDRC.UU.NET 2000 Eastman Dr. BIX: ltl Milford, OH 45150-2789 AT&T: (513) 576-2070 "I have plenty of good sense. I just choose to ignore it." -Calvin
jvb7u@astsun1.astro.Virginia.EDU (Jon Brinkmann) (10/10/89)
In article <849@sdrc.UUCP> scjones@sdrc.UUCP (Larry Jones) writes: #In article <3603@pinas.cs.vu.nl>, huisjes@cs.vu.nl (Michiel Huisjes) writes: #> A friend of mine just got hold of a DEC Rainbow 100 running MS-DOS 2.11 and #> he's having troubles with disk formats. It seems that a DEC Rainbow formats #> disks at 400K (how odd) and cannot read normal 360K type DOS disks. #> Trying to read a 360K formatted disk gives the error message "non-DOS disk in #> drive A:" and if I read a 400K formatted disk in my 386 high-density drive #> it claims that the disk type is a single-sided double density 8 spt disk with #> 14K used somewhere in the middle (Norton utilities). #> What am I doing wrong? Is a DEC Rainbow really that incompatible and more #> important, how do I transfer my software onto the DEC? # You can transfer files to these floppies in two ways: 1) Use the DECUS utilty VMSFLX with an RX50 drive on a MicroVAX. 2) Use the RX50 driver for the PC/AT (high density drive). You can get this from SIMTEL. Neither utility will allow you to format the disks, but you can read and write them. I use a $$ program called UNIFORM for formatting. Jon Jon Brinkmann BITnet: jvb7u@Virginia.EDU Astronomy Department ARPA/Internet: jvb7u@astsun1.astro.Virginia.EDU University of Virginia UUCP: ...!uunet!virginia!jvb7u Charlottesvile, VA 22903-0818 SPAN/HEPnet: 6654::jvb7u
davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.COM (Wm E Davidsen Jr) (10/10/89)
In article <3603@pinas.cs.vu.nl>, huisjes@cs.vu.nl (Michiel Huisjes) writes: | A friend of mine just got hold of a DEC Rainbow 100 running MS-DOS 2.11 and [ found out the floppy drives aren't IBM compatible ] The 160k and 180k formats will be readable in a Rainbow, and after you write it in the Ranbow *may* be readable in a PC. They *will* be readable in an AT. The Rainbow uses single sided, 80 track, 10 sector per track format (400k). There is a program which allows manipulating this format on an AT. -- bill davidsen (davidsen@crdos1.crd.GE.COM -or- uunet!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen) "The world is filled with fools. They blindly follow their so-called 'reason' in the face of the church and common sense. Any fool can see that the world is flat!" - anon