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From: swklassen@rose.uwaterloo.ca (Steven W. Klassen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Downloading with an IBM for the ST
Message-ID: <1990Oct11.135121.26348@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Date: 11 Oct 90 13:51:21 GMT
References: <4757MV010320@NDSUVM1>
Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Owner of Many System Processes)
Organization: University of Waterloo
Lines: 28

In article <4757MV010320@NDSUVM1> MV010320@NDSUVM1.BITNET writes:
>he has no ST.  He has an IBM XT with a 3.5 drive.  Can he in any way download
>stuff for me using his XT???
>                                        Thanks,

The Atari can understand the IBM format but I believe the IBM won't
understand the Atari format.  There are two possible solutions:

1.  Format the disks on your Atari using a PS/2 format utility.  (There
    is at least one of these and possibly more than one available on
    the net.)

2.  Format the disks on the IBM.  When you do this you MUST make
    sure that you are formatting in the low density (~720K) instead
    of the high density (~1.4meg).  This is done by specifying a
    couple of flags in the format command (see the DOS manual for
    details).

I have used both of these solutions and can say that they both work.
For solution 1 I use a utility called `ps2form' which I got from
the network.  For solution 2 I have done it from a PS/2 model 30
and from a SparcStation 1+ running a DOS emulator.  (I've never
tried it from an XT but I don't see why it wouldn't work.)

--

						Steven W. Klassen
						University of Waterloo