Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!microsoft!uw-beaver!cornell!vax135!ariel!hou5f!hou5g!hou5h!eagle!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!BRACKENRIDGE@USC-ISIB From: BRACKENRIDGE%USC-ISIB@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro.pc Subject: Re: [avi@ISL at Sumex-Aim: Reading/Writing IBMPC compatible diskettes on Victor.] Message-ID: <14407@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Wed, 7-Dec-83 14:19:00 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.14407 Posted: Wed Dec 7 14:19:00 1983 Date-Received: Sun, 11-Dec-83 01:17:19 EST Lines: 22 From: Billy You can do anything you want if Victor provides documentation. I know DEC tried to keep the disk format code secret for a long time so they could get a higher mark up on selling floppy disks. If Victor has a similar attitude you may not be able to write a dual density driver. Tall Tree provides sources with their code. I suppose it is pretty much of a chicken and egg thing. You should be able to modify it to run with the Victor if you are good at writing systems level code. While the Tall Tree documentation is notoriously confusing to the novice it is sufficient that an experienced programmer should be able to modify it. Give them a call and see if they will make you up a special version of the source code on a quad disk so you can read it and modify it to work on the Victor. Tall Tree warns that disks written on a quad system in dual mode may not be readable on all dual disk drives. They simulate a 40 track drive on an 80 track drive by skipping a track. If the 40 track drive is slightly out of alignment it may not find the track written by the 80 track drive. This shouldn't bother you much as I assume your main goal is to read IBM software. -------