Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!aablue!jb
From: jb@aablue.UUCP (John B Scalia)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: IBM PROGRAM TO READ CP/M DISKS
Summary: I'd reply directly, but after seeing the reply path...
Keywords: NorthStar data conversions
Message-ID: <1157@aablue.UUCP>
Date: 14 Dec 89 18:54:25 GMT
References: <623@pyuxf.UUCP>
Reply-To: jb@aablue.UUCP (John B Scalia)
Followup-To: poster
Distribution: na
Organization: A A Blueprint Co., Inc. - Akron, OH
Lines: 34

Sorry or bothering everyone else with this, but after looking at the reply
path rn generated, I knew not to bother. This is really intended for Andy
Etherington.
-------
In article <623@pyuxf.UUCP> ether@pyuxf.UUCP (25343-Andy Etherington) writes:
>While we're on the subject, what about disks written by NorthSTAR
>computers?  Several years ago, I wrote several programs on
>NorthSTARs, and would like to recover those programs, for
>modification and further use.  Any help???

No problem. When we replaced our Northstar Horizon 2+ years ago, I had to
port over more than 5mb of data up to our unix box. Normal disk emulation
utilites won't work with Northstar disks as they use use a 10 hard sector
format instead of the normal soft sector that traditional CP/M systems
used. However, while the name escapes me immediately, somewhere around
here I have some info about a controller that permits hard sectored disks
in an IBM clone. This would help and probably make it easy for you.

An alternative you could use is what I used: I just hardwired the Northstar
to a terminal which was also connected to the unix box. You could do the
same with a PC's serial port and a good comm program, just use it as a
terminal and either ASCII download or turn a capture log on. It's not
blindingly fast but it is cheap if you've got any hardware sitting 
around. Oh, if you've got one of Northstar's machines called an "Advantage",
then you'll have to use the Advantage to start the transfer, otherwise,
if you've got a Horizon, you can accomplish everything from the PC.

jb@aablue.UUCP

-- 
A A Blueprint Co., Inc. - Akron, Ohio +1 216 794-8803 voice
UUCP:	   {uunet!}aablue!jb	(John B. Scalia)

Just a little more nonsense to clutter up the net.