[comp.sys.dec.micro] DOS on Rainbow100

) (11/09/88)

Hi,
	I'm in need of some help/info (whats new?) -
I've layed my hands on a DEC Rainbow 100 thats got a copy
of DOS 2.11 - In my naive simplicity I assumed discs written
by one DOS would be much akin to discs written by another.
I'd figured without DEC's pathological desire to be different.

	Anybody out there know of any way I can get a Rainbow
to read a IBM (or compatable) formatted disc?

	Sneaky options to format, trendy peice of PD software
that reads standard DOS discs, whilst not corrupting DEC DOS
disks - makes tea and plays a good hand of bridge etc :-)

Cheers,

Rodge.

ps - I'm aware this is one of those '1000 most often asked questions'
so bear with me :-)
-- 
janet:  rodger@uk.ac.lancs.comp           Department of Computing
arpa:   rodger@comp.lancs.ac.uk           University of Lancaster
uucp:   ...!mcvax!ukc!dcl-cs!rodger       Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4YR, UK

lancaster@misadel.oz (11/24/88)

In article <602@dcl-csvax.comp.lancs.ac.uk>, rodger@comp.lancs.ac.uk (baby!!) writes:
> 
> 	Anybody out there know of any way I can get a Rainbow
> to read a IBM (or compatable) formatted disc?
> 

The simple answer is that a Rainbow can read and write a single sided/double
density IBM disk.  Once formatted on the IBM it works fine. But its only
about 140k, not quite the current 1.6 meg floppies.  

If you don't have an IBM to format the disks I think a program called
Mediamaster will do copies and formats.

-- 
==============================================================================
|Robert Lancaster                  |    lancaster@misadel.oz                 |
|Management Information Systems    |                                         |
|125 Dew Street                    |  I can write in 101 computer languages  |
|Thebarton, South Australia, 5038. |  but in English forget it.              |
==============================================================================

Kushall.Henr@XEROX.COM (Edward) (11/28/88)

The files created on all versions of MS-DOS on the rainbow are compatiable.
2.11 was the last 'official' version of MS-DOS from DEC.
3.x is available from Suitiable Solutions.

The Rainbow uses 80 track (96 tpi) Single sidded double density floppy
drives.
IBM PCs use 40 track(48tpi) Double Sidded Double Density. However PC DOS
can format a 48tpi frive as single sidded using the format/1s option, these
disks can be read and written to by the rainbow with out any additional
software. The rainbow can not format/read or write any double sidded disk.

Ed