Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ncar!tank!mimsy!aplcen!arrom
From: arrom@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee )
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Pc files to Atari
Message-ID: <204@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu>
Date: 4 Nov 88 05:47:06 GMT
References: <31302@bbn.COM> <1270012@hpclkms.HP.COM>
Reply-To: arrom@aplcen.UUCP (Ken Arromdee (600.429))
Organization: Johns Hopkins University/CPP, Laurel, MD
Lines: 37

>>I have the Atari 1050 disk drive, and DO like it, although I wish it did "true"
>>double density, with twice the data storage of single-density, rather than
>>half again.  And imagine what 512-byte sector support could do for program
>>interchange: "Sure, I can read that PC-DOS diskette!" (Happy Computers Inc,
>>are you listening?).^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Yes, they have listened.  If you format an IBM PC disk single sided, 9 sector
>double density, you can convert files back and forth between the atari and the
>IBM PC.  Unfortunately, you cannot format IBM disks on the Atari since the
>1050 ignores the sector hole, and the IBM doesn't.
>BTW, on MS-DOS 3.x, to format a disk single sided with 9 sector tracks, type:
>   format /1 a:

Hmm...

I once tried an experiment: I had a double density DOS XL formatted disk (from
an Indus GT drive). One side had several programs on it, and the other side
was blank (but also formatted double density with DOS XL.)  I took the disk to a
PC and tried two copy programs.  They both gave me errors, but I got the errors
in different sectors for the two different copy programs.

I took the disks home to my Atari 800.  I found that both copies would give me
a correct directory (neither copy program gave me errors for the directory sectors
though), and also I found that I could successfully run some of the programs
off the copy.  The particular programs I could run depended on which copy program
I used.  In one case I was able to boot the copy and have it work (though some
files still could not be accessed.)

So, how do I convert files between the PC and Atari?  (And for that matter, can I
copy Atari disks on a PC?)  In other words, please, please, please supply the
details...
--
"I don't care if you _did_ do it in a movie once, Gilligan is not breathing
through that reed!"

--Kenneth Arromdee (ins_akaa@jhunix.UUCP, arromdee@crabcake.cs.jhu.edu,
	g49i0188@jhuvm.BITNET) (not arrom@aplcen, which is my class account)