[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] Converting foreign disk formats to MSDOS

raymond@math.berkeley.edu (Raymond Chen) (05/18/91)

[This document is archived at the comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc archives at
math.princeton.edu:pub/rjc/csip.]

# A database of disk conversion questions

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> Amiga
Q: hz241pi@unidui.uni-duisburg.de (Andreas Pietras) 15 Feb 91
Q: wsineel@win.tue.nl (Eelco Vriezekolk) 18 Feb 91
R: jap@convex.cl.msu.edu (Joe Porkka) 18 Feb 91
>I doubt that it is physically possible to read Amiga disks on an IBM.
>The Amiga floppy controller in custom.
>As for the reverse direction, you can run on the Amiga either
>CrossDos (Commercial) or MessyDisk (or Messydos?) (PD/shareware)
Q: bcarb@KSP.Unisys.COM (Brian Carb) [access Amiga disks from PC] 8 Mar 91
Q: technews@iitmax.iit.edu (Kevin Kadow) 27 Apr 91

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> Apple // series
Q: tony4@stretch.cs.mun.ca (Anthony H. Galway) 17 Mar 90
Q: v097pba8@ubvmsa.cc.buffalo.edu (Ken F Morton) 2 May 90
R: fordke@ingr.com (Keith Ford) 7 May 90
>A board called the Trackstar.  I'll be glad to send you info.
Q: rep@odin.icd.ab.com (Robert E. Pappenhagen) 29 Jun 90
R: fordke@ingr.com (Keith Ford) 2 Jul 90
>The Trackstar board would do it for you.  If you would like more info,
>I can send it to you.
R: drp@vpnet.chi.il.us (Douglas Pokorny) 20 Jul 90
>The Central Point Software options board lets you read Apple disks.
R: pitonyak@navajo.cis.ohio-state.edu (Andrew Pitonyak) 28 Jul 90
>Beware that the Central Point board supports only 800K disks.
R: akm@spencer.cs.uoregon.edu (Anant Kartik Mithal) 25 Jul 90
>Micro Solutions, DeKlab Illinios makes a card that sits between the
>original floppy drive card and the floppy drive, and allows the floppy
>to read and write Apple II disks.
> [ Also, don't forget that Macs with FDHD drives can use Apple File
>   Exchange to convert the data. ]
Q: JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu (Kurt Tappe) 25 Oct 90
Q: johnk@cygnus.la.locus.com (JOHN KIM) 5 Dec 90
R: berger@atropa.stat.uiuc.edu (Mike Berger) 10 Jan 91
>Central Point Systems Copy II PC Options Board
Q: miyaoka@afcsa.af.mil (Les Miyaoka) 8 Feb 91
Q: jwm712@unhd.unh.edu (Jonathan W Miner) [followup promised] 21 Feb 91
R: ebergman@isis.cs.du.edu (Eric Bergman-Terrell) 25 Feb 91
>There is an apple mac drive that reads MS-DOS 3.5" disks.
R: fordke@ingr.com (Keith Ford) 25 Feb 91
>I have two new Trackstar boards that plug into your pc and give you complete
>Apple //e coprocessing abilities.  More info available upon request.
R: SRPDBRS@trev.dsir.govt.nz (Bruce Sinclair) 8 Mar 91
>The PC transporter ($400) plugs into your apple II to downgrade it to
>an IBM style machine. You do (I think) need extra floppy drives however.
R: kgallagh@digi.lonestar.org (Kevin Gallagher) 16 Mar 91
>Cross-Works claims `You can exchange AppleWorks data files with the most
>popular MS-DOS programs: Microsoft Works, Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect,
>dBase III & IV.' For $100, you get a 19.2K cable which can connect to a
>//e, //c, //cPlus, or a //gs on one end and a IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 &
>compatibles.  SoftSpoken, P.O. Box 18343, Raleigh, NC 27619.  (919)870-5694

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> C64/C128
Q: zavdi@ctt.bellcore.com (Zavdi Lichtman) 14 Mar 90
R: srt@maui.cs.ucla.edu (Scott Turner) 8 May 90
>C64 uses a different encoding scheme that cannot be read by a PC.
>Alternatives: (1) use a modem connection and (2) use a C128, a 1571
>drive, and a program called Big Blue Reader.
R: hau@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Robert Piskac) 9 May 90
>I have a C64 with a 1581, 1571 disk drive.  I have no problems
>converting from IBM to CBM or CBM to IBM format.
R: mfrohman@digi.lonestar.org (Matthew Frohman) 10 May 90
>The Commodore 1571 disk drive (double sided drive) has the ability to
>recognize over 150 different disk formats. I found a program that
>will read an write to a disk that has been formatted on an IBM.
R: mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Marc Roussel) 30 Aug 90
>[Big Blue Reader] requires either a 1571 or 1581 disk drive.
>(It WILL NOT work with the 1541.)
R: cybrspc!roy@cs.umn.edu (Roy M. Silvernail) 31 Aug 90
>[Big Blue Reader has] 2 versions, one for the 64 and one for the 128.
Q: zoroaster@oak.circa.ufl.edu 22 Jan 91
Q: w165045@rosie.ucdavis.edu 19 Feb 91
R: krey@i30fs1.ira.uka.de (Andreas Krey) 19 Feb 91
>IBM disk drives can only read FM/MFM.  Commodore's formats require special
>designs.  You can read IBM from C128, though.
R: mark@urz.unibas.ch (G. Mark) 21 Feb 91
>There exist a package for PC consisting of a special cable and
>program. With this package you can connect your PC to a VC-1541 (C64)
>disc drive. One end of the cable goes to the PC parallel port other end goes
>to the VC-1541 (C64) disc serial port. The program reads/writes C64 discs.
Q: roy%cybrspc@cs.umn.edu (Roy M. Silvernail)  27 Apr 91
>3.5" disks (not 5.25")

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> Coleco Adam
Q: asw@mbunix.mitre.org (Wong) 19 Jun 90

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> CP/M
R: broy@umaxc.weeg.uiowa.edu (Barbara Roy) 4 May 90
>UNIFORM converts in either direction. Micro Solutions,
>125 South 4th St, Dekalb, Illinois 60115. (815)756-3411.
Q: gcw20877@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (George Wang) [Epson CP/M80] 29 Jan 91

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> DEC Rainbow RX50
Q: MAUKONEN@ucf1vm.cc.ucf.edu (Chris Maukonen) 21 Jun 90

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> HP (9153)
Q: paz@mlb.dmt.csiro.au (Paul Zemancheff) 21 Oct 90
R: dlow@hpspcoi.HP.COM (Danny Low) 22 Oct 90
> FILE/SWAP-PC from: A Gentle Wind, 186 Partridge St, Albany, NY 12203; 518-482-9023
> Oswego Software, 507 North Adams, Oswego, Illinois   60543, 312-554-3567

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> IBM System 36
Q: joe@acmis.cmis.co.at (Johannes Rupp) 24 Apr 91

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> Macintosh
R: akm@spencer.cs.uoregon.edu (Anant Kartik Mithal) 25 Jul 90
>Micro Solutions, DeKlab Illinios makes a card that lets you connect
>a standard Mac drive, and you can then read and write mac disks on a pc.
Q: bpm@psuecl.bitnet 6 Sep 90
R: dsew@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (David Sewell) 6 Sep 90
>Deluxe Option Board, from Central Point Software allows you to read and
>write Mac formatted disks, and has software for file translation.
>1-800-888-8199.
R: royce@scor_az.resp-sci.arizona.edu (Royce Robbins) 6 Sep 90
>Micro Solutions, Inc. 132 West Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb, IL 60115 (815) 756-3411
>makes a board/software/drive combination that would be an external drive to
>your existing system.
R: umcarls9@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Charles Carlson) 7 Sep 90
>[Deluxe Option Board] will read/write Mac 800k disks, but not 1.44.
>If you have a Mac with the 1.44 Superdrives, you can get an init called
>DOS Mounter which supposedly allows you to insert a PC DOS disk and use
>it just as if it were a Mac disk.
>[See also the Apple File Exchange program that comes with your Mac.]
>Failing that, there is a program by Data Viz called MacLink Plus.
R: justinlh@idsvax.ids.com (Justin Langseth) 9 Sep 90
>You need the Copy II PC Option Board.
R: dan@rna.UUCP (Dan Ts'o) 9 Jan 91
>Central Point Software's COPY II PC Deluxe Option Board can read and
>write 800K (and 400K I think) MAC disks using the PC's 3.5" drive.
R: garrison@zodiac.rutgers.edu [summary] 10 Jan 91
>Apple File Exchange (AFE) comes free with all new Macs; you need a SuperDrive.
>DOS Mounter (Dayna Design) mounts PC disks directly to the desktop.
>    IBM disks look just like Macs with directories turned into folders etc.
>    a working demo version of the program is on vega.hut.fi (FREE!!).
>PC Access:  sounds similar to DOS Mounter (but costs money).
>MacLink Plus: translates application formats for AFE.
>DataViz ($135) translates loads of stuff.
>
>COPY-II-CARD (Central Point) driver/controller package ($120). Expensive
>   but nice.  Does more than just read Mac disks.
R: pwilliam@axion.bt.co.uk (Philip Williams) 14 Jan 91
>I use dyna file; it plugs into the SCSI drive and makes
>IBM disks appear on the Mac desktop. works just fine...
Q: sland@motcid.UUCP (Stephen Shortland) 28 Jan 91
Q: pgt@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Paul G. Tobin) 21 Feb 91
Q: 6500boo@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (William Bushing) 20 Mar 91
Q: noring@vaxr.llnl.gov (Jon Noring) 21 Mar 91
Q: mjl@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Michael J Lewinter) [read Mac from PC] 22 Mar 91
R: dewhirst@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Peter) 23 Mar 91
>A Mac with "SuperDrive" can read/write MS-DOS (720K) disks with Apple File
>Exchange.  Or you could just hook up the serial ports.
R: berger@atropa.stat.uiuc.edu (Mike Berger) 23 Mar 91
>The easiest way with standard equipment is to buy a Central Point Systems
>Copy-II-PC Options Board for around $ 100.
Q: kline@unix.cis.pitt.edu (William E Kline) 4 Apr 91
R: Aaron.Roydhouse@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Aaron Roydhouse) 5 Apr 91
>CopyIIPC Deluxe Option Board, Central Point Software Inc., 9700 S.W.
>Capitol Highway, Portland, Oregon 97219.  (503)244-5782.
>NOTE: It does not read high density Mac II disks, nor does it work on all
>brands of 3.5" drive. Notably it does not work with the Mitsubishi
>mechanism.
R: gmurray@ibmpcug.co.uk (G Murray) 6 Apr 91
>If the MAC disks are the newer high density type then the PC should be
>able to read them directly.  Or you can get a board/software by
>MicroSolutions called either MatchMaker or MatchPoint. One of these allows
>a PC to access an Apple II disk, the other allows reading/writing of MAC
>disks, but I can't remeber which is which.
R: nyet@nntp-server.caltech.edu (n liu) 7 Apr 91
>If your Mac has a superdrive, there's an init called initPC (i think) that
>allows the Mac to do the writing in PC format for either HD or 720.
R: c60b-1eq@web-1e.berkeley.edu (Noam Mendelson) 7 Apr 91
>If your Mac has superdrive, you can use the Apple File Exchange.
Q: magid@sandstorm.Berkeley.EDU (Paul Magid) 8 Apr 91
Q: glennm@rover.enet.dec.com (Glenn Meyer) 21 Apr 91
Q: khioe@mona.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Kent Hioe) 9 Apr 91

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> Sinclair Spectrum
Q: p515dfi@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de (Daniel Fischer) 9 May 90

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> TRS-80 Model I
Q: rwolkoys@megatek.UUCP (Ron Wolkoys) 14 Jan 91

S: Converting disks MS-DOS <-> whatever
Q: uunet!frith!upba!tssi!nolan (Michael Nolan) 9 May 90
>Try XenoCopy-PC from XENOSOFT, 2210 Sixth Street, Berkeley CA
>94710-2210, (415) 644-9366