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From: boyd@nu.cs.fsu.edu (Mickey Boyd)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Reading IBM and ST disks.
Message-ID: <1991Jun6.125908.14635@mailer.cc.fsu.edu>
Date: 6 Jun 91 12:59:08 GMT
References: <1991Jun5.105751.7503@topaz.ucq.edu.au>
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In article <1991Jun5.105751.7503@topaz.ucq.edu.au>, johnsonc@topaz.ucq.edu.au writes:
>I remember hearing that START magazine had published information on how
>to make disks formatted on the ST (?) so that they can be read on IBM
>compatibles as well as the ST.  This was supposed to be done by altering
>three bytes somewhere on the disk.  Do any of the readers know of this
>information?  I tried looking back through what issues I have of START but
>couldn't find the info and am afraid that it is in an issue I have not 
>bought.

A much easier way is to use a formatter that does it for you.  Most programs 
that offer formatting do (including the hardcoded one in TOS 1.4).  For a 
quick solution, ps2form.tos from atari.archive.umich.edu works for me.  It 
will format disks so they can be read by any IBM compat (including the ps/2,
which for some reason has more trouble that others).  I have been using it 
for about 3 years with no problems.  Also, Neodesk 3.0 formats to IBM specs,
as does (I think) Universal Item Selector III.
--
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             Mickey R. Boyd          |  "Kirk to Enterprise.  All clear 
          FSU Computer Science       |      down here.  Beam down    
        Technical Support Group      |      yeoman Rand and a six-pack . ."
      email:  boyd@fsucs.cs.fsu.edu  |               
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