Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!usc!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!uunet!jarthur!andy
From: andy@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Andy Gray)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: MSDOS & SUNSparc1
Summary: Write an MS-DOS boot sector
Keywords: ST MS-DOS Sun Sparc MTOOLS
Message-ID: <10997@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Date: 27 Feb 91 20:44:54 GMT
References: <1991Feb27.132904.748@bigsur.uucp>
Distribution: na
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
Lines: 32

In article <1991Feb27.132904.748@bigsur.uucp> brad@bcars362.UUCP (Brad Shapcott) writes:

>Possibly someone out there has experience coaxing Atari ST compatible 
>diskettes out of a SUNSparc station 1.  I've installed MTOOLS, which 
>supposedly does MSDOS compatible diskettes.  I was under the impression that
>this format was very close to Atari`s...

[misc deleted...]

>                                                         Right now the only
>other step I can see is to either change the source to MTOOLS for full Atari
>compatibility, or to write a driver for the Atari that reads MSDOS and writes
>Atari.  Any better ideas?  Anybody know of tools like this that already exist?

Actually, it's quite easy.  As you said, the MS-DOS and Atari disk formats
are very close; all that differs, in fact, is the boot sector.  All you have
to do is write an MS-DOS boot sector onto a standard ST disk (I use DC
Formatter 3.0 for this), and your disk should read and write okay on an
MS-DOS machine.  Once you've done this, MTOOLS should be perfectly happy
with the disk.  I've successfully transferred files between my ST and a Sparc
station like this several times.

Note, however, that disk must be formatted in standard format - 80 tracks, 9
sectors/track, and non-skewed (non-twisted).

					-- Andy

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Andy Gray                     andy@jarthur.claremont.edu
      Platt Campus Center           andy@jarthur.UUCP
      Harvey Mudd College           ...uunet!jarthur!andy
      Claremont, CA  91711          agray@HMCVAX.BITNET