[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] R/W Non standard floppies

rackland@csis.dit.csiro.au (Ross Ackland) (03/14/91)

I want to write DOS a program that is capable of Reading and Writing
to an iRMX-86 formatted floppy. iRMX-86 is Intel's OS and the problem
is that the floppy uses 26 sectors/track 128 bytes/sector, which is
not supported in the PC. 

I cant see that the BIOS can help me, so I must write a driver that 
talks to the FD controller directly.

Can anyone help? I dont have any information on the controller, except
that it is a NEC chip. Perhaps there is some public domain software
around that does something similar.

Any information or advice greatly appreciated.

Ross Ackland

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ncc1701@itsgw.rpi.edu (Mark O. Chadwick) (03/16/91)

rackland@csis.dit.csiro.au (Ross Ackland) writes:

>I want to write DOS a program that is capable of Reading and Writing
>to an iRMX-86 formatted floppy. iRMX-86 is Intel's OS and the problem
>is that the floppy uses 26 sectors/track 128 bytes/sector, which is
>not supported in the PC. 

Whew! I thought I was the only one with a problem like that!  What I am
looking for is some way of reading 40 tracks of 18 sectors/track, 256 bytes/
sector.  I am almost positive I have seen a program that read these disks
before, but I can't remember what it was...

If anyone out there either has or knows the program, or has some Turbo-C
code, or knows where to get any of the above, I'd be so happy to get that
info!  I'm getting desperate! :-)

Thanks in advance!

-- 
Mark "Emerson" Chadwick    ncc1701@rpi.edu or usergdes@rpitsmts.bitnet 
"It has come to the attention of management that employees have been dying on
the job. This practice MUST STOP.  Any employee found dead on the job, either
in an upright or prone position, will immediately be dropped from the payroll."
-- 
Mark "Emerson" Chadwick    ncc1701@rpi.edu or usergdes@rpitsmts.bitnet 
"It has come to the attention of management that employees have been dying on
the job. This practice MUST STOP.  Any employee found dead on the job, either
in an upright or prone position, will immediately be dropped from the payroll."

thoger@solan.unit.no (Terje Th|gersen) (03/17/91)

In article <%B*=K3{@rpi.edu> ncc1701@itsgw.rpi.edu (Mark O. Chadwick) writes:
   rackland@csis.dit.csiro.au (Ross Ackland) writes:

   >I want to write DOS a program that is capable of Reading and Writing
   >to an iRMX-86 formatted floppy. iRMX-86 is Intel's OS and the problem
   >is that the floppy uses 26 sectors/track 128 bytes/sector, which is
   >not supported in the PC. 

   Whew! I thought I was the only one with a problem like that!  What I am
   looking for is some way of reading 40 tracks of 18 sectors/track, 256 bytes/
   sector.  I am almost positive I have seen a program that read these disks
   before, but I can't remember what it was...

   If anyone out there either has or knows the program, or has some Turbo-C
   code, or knows where to get any of the above, I'd be so happy to get that
   info!  I'm getting desperate! :-)

   Thanks in advance!

   -- 
   Mark "Emerson" Chadwick    ncc1701@rpi.edu or usergdes@rpitsmts.bitnet 

Hmm.. i'm not sure if this is what you want, but in the
/mirrors/msdos/dskutl dir on wuarchive.wustl.edu there's a program
called 22dsk134.zip which carries this description : "CP/M<->Diskette 
xfer, over 100 formats. SYDEX".  I used this program to read some
weird CP/M type formats a while back.  It worked OK.  I remember that
some program I used also let you set up user-specified disk formats,
although I'm not sure if this was the Sybex package.  The other
program might also be at wustl.  (It's been a while, I'm sorry I can't
be more specific)

Regards,
  -Terje

--
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thoger@solan.unit.no       |                 Institute of Physical Chemistry
THOGER AT NORUNIT.BITNET   | Div. of Computer Assisted Instrumental Analysis
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