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From: dclemans@mntgfx.MENTOR.COM (Dave Clemans)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: MS-DOS (3.3) disks on the ST
Message-ID: <967@dclemans.mntgfx.MENTOR.COM>
Date: Fri, 9-Oct-87 19:47:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: dclemans.967
Posted: Fri Oct  9 19:47:19 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 12-Oct-87 06:14:32 EDT
References: <2582@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Organization: Mentor Graphics, Beaverton OR
Lines: 16
Summary: 3.3 formats

There aren't any direct differences between GEMDOS and MS-DOS file formats;
i.e. presuming a bug free fully implemented GEMDOS, and presuming physically
compatible drives, GEMDOS can read any file that MS-DOS (2.x and greater)
can produce.

However, there are certain variables in the "DOS" filesystem...  for instance
if the MS-DOS disk wasn't formatted with a clustersize of two I would
expect problems.  And then there's some general memory allocation problems,
especially in the older, non-blitter ROM's.

Another problem would be physical disk compatibility.  Since the PS/2's use
a two meg (unformatted) 3.5" drive for all except the low end models, there
are going to be disks that physically can't be read on the ST, with it's
1/2 meg and 1 meg (unformatted) drives.

dgc