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From: braner@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (braner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: 5" drives and MS-DOS disks on the ST
Message-ID: <2641@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Date: Tue, 13-Oct-87 09:58:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: batcompu.2641
Posted: Tue Oct 13 09:58:36 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 14-Oct-87 07:16:34 EDT
Reply-To: braner@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (braner)
Organization: Cornell Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 23
Summary: MS-DOS folders ARE readable after all

[foot firmly in mouth...]

Well, one _CAN_ read MS-DOS subdirectories on the ST.  The problems I had
were due to SCACHE.  So do NOT boot SCACHE if you plan to use MS-DOS disks
in that session.

It is still rather confounding, since SCACHE works fine with TOS folders,
and TOS works fine with MS-DOS disks (including folders), so _WHY_ doesn't
SCACHE work with MS-DOS folders?

I have just purchased a Paradox `Microbyte A' 5.25" drive for the ST.  There
was a slight problem with the molded DIN plug being a bit too wide to fit
in the recessed socket in the back of my 1040STf.  I fixed that with a knife,
chipping bits of plastic off the plug.  Now it works fine.  It has a separate
"brick" style power supply (12V, 2A, mercifully with an AC cord) and an ON/OFF
switch on the back of the drive itself.  It comes with a formatting program
and a small program that you are supposed to put in the AUTO folder.  The
latter, turns out, sets the seek time to 6 ms (using both the documented
system variable _AND_ another, UNDOCUMENTED, location!).  Before running that
program the drive behaves erratically, but well enough to copy the programs
from the supplied 5.25" (!) diskette to a 3.5" one.

- Moshe Braner