knotts@hpl-opus.hpl.hp.com (Tom Knotts) (01/23/91)
I have a PC and have the need to read and write files to/from a MAC. I have come across the Deluxe Option Board 5.4, which purports to allow the 1.44M 3.5" PC disk to read/format/write a MAC disk. The board is inserted between the drive and drive controller. To use the drive as a MAC, an `m' is inserted before the DOS command - `mformat' formats the disk in MAC format, etc. Has anyone used this product? It is just the thing I need, if it works. Fry's has it for $140. For the moment, I plan to transfer RTF files. Later on if I get daring, I might try to transfer and convert other formats such as .DOC from WfW to Word for MAC, maintaining all of the details of the formatting. Anyone had any experience converting? thanks, tom
knotts@hpl-opus.hpl.hp.com (Tom Knotts) (01/23/91)
>I have a PC and have the need to read and write files to/from a MAC. I >have come across the Deluxe Option Board 5.4, which purports to allow >the 1.44M 3.5" PC disk to read/format/write a MAC disk. The board is >inserted between the drive and drive controller. To use the drive as a >MAC, an `m' is inserted before the DOS command - `mformat' formats the >disk in MAC format, etc. Let me add one more question. What does this hardware do, anyway? What exactly is the difference between a MAC disk and a PC disk? Can a PC disk drive be used in a MAC, or are the drives manufactured differently? thanks, tom
millians@athena.cs.uga.edu (David W. Millians) (01/24/91)
If the Deluxe Board 5.4 is the same as we used at my last job, it should work fine. RTF transfer of stuff will work fine; anything more complicated and you will probably want to do the transfer stuff on the Mac side using Apple File Exchange (just ask your Mac connection; he'll probably know what it is. BTW, Mac and PC disks, low and high density, are of disparate formats; the drives are definitely not interchangeable. Otherwise, Mac owners would not be paying >$200 US for drives internal and external. -- David W. Millians millians@athena.cs.uga.edu "What exactly is UNIX, Mr. IFF?" "It is a P2C2E, thief Haroun."
wbonner@eecs.wsu.edu (Wim Bonner) (01/31/91)
In article <80330011@hpl-opus.hpl.hp.com> knotts@hpl-opus.hpl.hp.com (Tom Knotts) writes: > >>I have a PC and have the need to read and write files to/from a MAC. I >>have come across the Deluxe Option Board 5.4, which purports to allow >>the 1.44M 3.5" PC disk to read/format/write a MAC disk. The board is >>inserted between the drive and drive controller. To use the drive as a >>MAC, an `m' is inserted before the DOS command - `mformat' formats the >>disk in MAC format, etc. > >Let me add one more question. What does this hardware do, anyway? What >exactly is the difference between a MAC disk and a PC disk? Can a PC >disk drive be used in a MAC, or are the drives manufactured differently? > >thanks, > >tom I have one of these boards in my XT. It takes the floppy disk cable from your standard floppy controller, and then cables to your floppy drives. It reads and writes Mac disks just fine. you have to use a special program to do anything with a mac disk, run MCOPY for a copy command and a bunch if similar commands, but it works pretty well. Wim. -- | wbonner@yoda.eecs.wsu.edu | | 27313853@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu | | 27313853@Wsuvm1.BITNET | | 72561.3135@CompuServe.com |
berger@iboga (Mike Berger) (02/16/91)
AVP100@psuvm.psu.edu writes: >Hi, > To answer your question... yes, the Deluxe Board by Central Point Software c >an be used to format/read/write MAC diskettes. There areeno known problems doin >g this.(to my personal knowledge... btw, I have one) *---- The documentation that came with my Deluxe Copy II PC Options Board includes a caveat that some 3.5" drives will not handle Macintosh format diskettes properly. -- Mike Berger Department of Statistics, University of Illinois AT&TNET 217-244-6067 Internet berger@atropa.stat.uiuc.edu
AVP100@psuvm.psu.edu (02/16/91)
Mike,
I've tried the board with the TEAC drives (which Central Point says works t
he best) and the Mitsubishi (which CPS says they had trouble with) but I never
ran into any problem read/write Mac's or copy protected s/w's I even used an Al
ps I got off an IBM PS/2 which CPS says they had the most trouble with. I've t
ried my board on at least 9-10 drives of varying brand names and have yet to ru
n into one I couldn't use the board. Maybe I'm just lucky...???
A.P.