N-Dos or Nano DOS by Stephan Baucke

[bugbiter]

Hi everybody,

 

Back in the 80s all my gamedisks were run by NDos which simply gave you a black menu screen with an optional headline and the files on the disk could be run by a single keystroke. In fact it was just a file loader.

 

It booted up real quick (about 3-4 sectors only) and right now I could use a minimal boot loader for a current project.

 

I still got those gamedisks and I used to be able to create those menus back then but I have completely forgotten how that worked and I can't find any information about it on the web. (except this, but the links are broken)

 

http://gury.atari8.info/details_software/1429.php

 

Does anyone know anything about this handy menu loader or are there any other similar ones?

[+JAC!]

I remember N-DOS, but have no detail. Yet I'd like to point you to MyPicoDOS by hias. It serves the same purpose but has many more feature like built-in high speed loading, support for larger disks etc.

 

http://www.horus.com/~hias/atari/

Edited September 11, 2014 by JAC!

[tschak909]

MicroSpartaDOS is also fantastic, as well. (Find 4.6 if you can, it takes a little digging), same as MyPicoDOS, but for SpartaDOS disks, with 512 byte sector support (great for hard disk game partitions with lots of bin files), and a fantastic memlo even for 512 byte sectors ($0A53, $0953 if you're doing 256 or 128 byte sectors.)

 

-Thom

[+CharlieChaplin]

Hi everybody,

 

Back in the 80s all my gamedisks were run by NDos which simply gave you a black menu screen with an optional headline and the files on the disk could be run by a single keystroke. In fact it was just a file loader.

 

It booted up real quick (about 3-4 sectors only) and right now I could use a minimal boot loader for a current project.

 

I still got those gamedisks and I used to be able to create those menus back then but I have completely forgotten how that worked and I can't find any information about it on the web. (except this, but the links are broken)

 

http://gury.atari8.info/details_software/1429.php

 

Does anyone know anything about this handy menu loader or are there any other similar ones?

 

Well,

 

the next Abbuc disk (most likely the Sondermagazin) will feature a Nano-DOS and some games.

Some information about NanoDOS:

 

1) NanoDOS works with 90k and 130k only (DOS 2.5, no DD or MyDOS formats); it hides in the boot and directory sectors, so it will not waste any free sectors; but there are no subdirs, no ultraspeed, etc. etc. (use MyPicoDOS is you need more formats/densities and lots of other extras)

2) it will display max. 18 entries (all others will get overwritten), so do not put more than 18 files on such a disk

3) all entries must have a COM-File header and be named *.COM (e.g. rename *.XEX to *.COM)

4) it does not switch off Basic automatically, so for ML-files hold down Option when booting, for BAS-files with ML-header don`t (e.g. created with BAS2COM)

 

The usage is easy:

5) load Nanodos.COM from DOS (with or without Basic enabled)

6) when done insert a 90k/130k disk with COM-files and press Return (they need NOT be locked/protected)

7) it will display the 8.3 filename, type in a longer name on the right side that will be displayed later (you may use CAPS key)

8 ) when all files-names are typed in, you may type in a title

9) then press Return to save everything to disk (if you edit the disk later, e.g. add entries, the older entries are still displayed, so there is no need to type them in again)

10) as said before, boot the disk with or without Basic (without = Option key on XL/XE computers); if the menu is there and you want to boot another disk, press Space or Return to do so; otherwise press a letter from A-R to load a program; there are no DOS routines, so multi-stage programs will most of the time not work (nor saving anything to disk)...

 

Similar Gamedos versions:

- Micro-DOS by Stefan Dorndorf (again, only 90k and 130k); will load COM files, as well as BIN files (ML files without COM-fileheader) and CAS files (single-stage boot-tape files, created on the A8 with a tape-to-disk program)

- PicoDOS by HiasSoft works with DD/180k only

- MyPicoDOS by HiasSoft works with 90k up to 16MB, supports ultraspeed, MyDOS subdirs, 64 file entries (DOS 2, MyDOS) or even 128 file entries (BiboDOS), long DIR entries with up to 40 chars. and a lot more

- there is also a MicroDOS from Antic or Analog, which works with 90k and 180k, but I never used it

- Chaos-loader for 90k, 130k and 180k

- Speed-Start-Init from Compyshop (E.Reuss), comes in various versions with ultraspeed (Happy/speedy), turbo-speed (Turbo-1050, TOMS, etc.) and supports 90k, 130k and 180k (disk must be formatted with this tool, some sectors are lost for the gamedos; all files must be locked/protected to get displayed)

and dozens of other Gamedos versions.

 

Besides, if you have a very long file, that fills a whole disk, you may want to boot it with a Bootloader (loads only one file from disk), there are some available, like e.g. PicoBoot by HiasSoft, AVBoot by Mr. Bacardi, Auto-Boot-Loader by Keith Ledbetter and a Bootloader from Tajemnicze Atari magazine.

NanoDOS.zip

Edited September 11, 2014 by CharlieChaplin

[xxl]

Similar Gamedos versions:

 

 

- xBIOS, works with 90k up to 16MB, subdirs, 128 file entries (BiboDOS / TopDOS) http://xxl.atari.pl/?p=1076

[+MrFish]

http://gury.atari8.info/details_software/1429.php

 

Does anyone know anything about this handy menu loader or are there any other similar ones?

 

The second link on Gury's site just points to a site that had the "Holmes Archive", and a file called "Menues.atr". So if you have the Holmes Archive you can just dig it out of there. If you don't I can post it up.

Edited September 12, 2014 by MrFish

[1050]

http://ftp.pigwa.net/stuff/collections/holmes%20cd/Holmes%201/ATR%20Programs/Applications%20A-Z/Menues.atr

 

 

[bugbiter]

Thanks Guys, I realized now what I really need is a Boot-fileloader.

So I've got lots of options to choose from

[+CharlieChaplin]

Thanks Guys, I realized now what I really need is a Boot-fileloader.

So I've got lots of options to choose from

 

Okay,

here are two Bootloaders I use most of the time:

 

1) PicoBoot by HiasSoft, will load one file (the first file!) on a 90k up to 16MB disk or disk-image or HDD partition. I use it often to load tip-animations from 360k or 720k disks. Choose the drive and press Return to write a bootloader.

 

2) Auto-Boot-loader by Keith Ledbetter, will load one file (not nescessarily the first file!) on a 90k, 130k or 180k disk or disk-image. Choose the drive, then the density and finally the file you want to load, then it will write a bootloader to the boot-sectors.

 

Both programs can be executed under DOS 2 / MyDOS and compatibles (use LOA filename or "L" binary load file). But these bootloaders also work fine with direct .XEX load under emulation (without DOS)...

Boot_loader.zip

[xxl]

there is another bootloader:

xBOOT (384 bytes long) http://xxl.atari.pl/?p=1076

- will load file name "autorun" on a 90k up to 16MB disk or disk-image or HDD partition,

- has aditional function: xBOOT_LOAD_FILE (your program can load files without DOS),

- 64 / 128 files support

- easy to add subdirectories

Edited September 15, 2014 by xxl

[Heaven/TQA]

Arsantica uses xBoot btw...

[bugbiter]

My program will load subsequent files from the disk via CIOV.

Will it be able to do so with these loaders?

[+CharlieChaplin]

My program will load subsequent files from the disk via CIOV.

Will it be able to do so with these loaders?

 

Well,

I am no programmer, so I do not know. Just try it out ! (Both bootloaders will NOT format a disk, they only write some bootcode into the bootsectors, so your files will always be safe, as long as they do not use the bootsectors.)

 

 

If the above boot-loaders don`t work as you want, surely xBoot or XBIOS will do ?!?

But again, I do not know how, read the xBoot and XBIOS tutorials here at atari-age.

Or maybe XXL can explain in this topic how xBoot_Load_File works...

Edited September 15, 2014 by CharlieChaplin

[+CharlieChaplin]

Arsantica uses xBoot btw...

 

 

hmm, [somewhat off-topic]

 

regarding Arsantica, xBoot boot-loads XBios (XBIOS.COM, 18 sectors on the Arsantica disk) which then loads Arsantica. And I had to rename the first part of the Arsantica-demo to XAUTORUN to load automatically. Before renaming, XBios showed the contents of the disk and I had to choose which file to load...

 

Looks like the XAutorun function does not always work in XBios, depending on what was in memory before. The ASC-2014 requires 3 disksides, so I copied Arsantica onto the 4th diskside (let`s see if Wolfgang will use it). I tested all ASC programs and Arsantica, if they run fine. Depending on which ASC program I loaded before Arsantica (e.g. RGB, Ransack or Ramp Rage), it then happened that XBios did not load the XAUTORUN file but still showed the contents of the disk. I had to press Reset to try again or power-off and on again to do a fresh-boot with cleared memory...

[Heaven/TQA]

Andreas...

 

http://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=6995

 

this ATR boots as it should? no menu etc appearing...

 

Bugbiter.... Stuttgart???? not far away from Filderstadt

[xxl]

to make bootable disk use one of finest tool: dir2atr with "-B parametr"

>My program will load subsequent files from the disk via CIOV.

>Will it be able to do so with these loaders?

to work with CIO you need "D:" driver, so - DOS.

of course there is "D:" driver (less than $ff butes) for xBIOS:

but it is better, shorter, faster (and even more) to use xB function instead all CIO subsytem.

eg. load file with xB:

ldy #< fname

ldx #> fname

jsr xBIOS_LOAD_FILE ; OPEN & LOAD BINARY FILE (RUN & INI vectors supported)

bcs error ; no such file

fname .byte c'FILENAMECOM'

I recommend using xB v3 because compared to the previous version there's a lot of changes. collectively with the fact of full library relocation and that the programmer has control over the authorization or prohibition of using a particular device.

[thorfdbg]

 

Does anyone know anything about this handy menu loader or are there any other similar ones?

 

NDos came with a small executable, the "NDos Converter" which gave you a list of all the games on the disk, together with a single line where you could type in the full name of the game, to appear at the game menu. NDOs then wrote a bootstrap loader into the three boot sectors, and the last four sectors of the directory (often unused).

 

If you're interested, I'll surely be able to find the old NDos converter. (You could also load the NDOs Converter from NDos, which was the most practical application - no need to boot from a DOS disk to equip a game disk with an NDos).

[bugbiter]

Thanks thorfdbg, the NDos Converter has already been posted by some other member above.

 

Also thanks to xxl for explaining how to use XB :-)

 

And Heaven/TQA, It's Fellbach, actually. Still not too far.. :-))