zip2st

[nicholas042893]

Hello everyone!

 

There are files for Multi TOS booter that I want to use, but they came as files, not in an ST image. My ST can't read DOS disks with it's TOS version, so I am looking to make the files go into an ST file for me to create a disk from to use in my ST!

 

I have found very little information on zip2st that's a part of the Hatari package. I have downloaded Hatari for PC and Mac, and cannot find a single file with that name in it. I really can't seem to identify any scripts to run at all.

 

Is there anyone who could please explain what I'm missing. All I want to do is use the zip2st utility to make a zip folder into an .st file!

 

Thanks for your help.

 

- Taylor

[Zogging Hell]

Can't help with the zip2st, but why can't your ST read DOS disks, surely they all can (make sure it's formatted on the PC though, as the other way round only TOS 1.04 and up will format a 'proper' MSDOS disk)? Alternatively use Fastcopy or Kobold to format a 'proper' DOS disk on the ST.

[simonsunnyboy]

It is very simple. Call zip2st with your ZIP file and it will generate an .st file with the contents of the ZIP file. Take note that the resulting disk does not autoboot files from any operating system as a required bootsector will not be part of the zip.

[nicholas042893]

Can't help with the zip2st, but why can't your ST read DOS disks, surely they all can (make sure it's formatted on the PC though, as the other way round only TOS 1.04 and up will format a 'proper' MSDOS disk)? Alternatively use Fastcopy or Kobold to format a 'proper' DOS disk on the ST.

Thanks for your reply! I'll try again tonight! It might just be me. I just know I tried accessing files on a disk that I formatted in Windows 2000 in my Atari ST and it gave me a read error for the disk. I'll give it another go. I just thought since I have the original TOS it may just not have been accepting of the disk format other than it's own.

 

It is very simple. Call zip2st with your ZIP file and it will generate an .st file with the contents of the ZIP file. Take note that the resulting disk does not autoboot files from any operating system as a required bootsector will not be part of the zip.

 

Thanks for your reply too! However, I'm confused. You say to call zip2st with the zip file. Is that the command like: " zip2st.sh example.zip" ? I'm not sure where to execute that command though or when I can do that. Are there any instructions? It just feels like there's something I need to know that everyone else already knows when they use zip2st, meanwhile I just learned what a shell script is yesterday!

Edited July 24, 2016 by nicholas042893

[Zogging Hell]

Could be your disk drives head is out of alignment (either in Windows or on ST). When you say original TOS, do you mean TOS 1.0? That is the only one I'm not sure will read a PC disk, given the other 'features' it has

 

The other problem could be that you are using DSHD (Double sided high density - roughly 1.4mb of storage) in your PC when the ST only takes DSDD (double sided double density roughly 720k in total iirc), without hardware mods. If you only have high density disks, you will need to tape over the hole opposite the write protect hole on the disk and then force Windows to format it double density, its been a while since I used Win 2k, I know in XP the option to do this got removed from the format box, but it may still be there on 2k (Windows 98 it definitely is). HD disks formatted like this can be ropey so buyer beware.

[nicholas042893]

Could be your disk drives head is out of alignment (either in Windows or on ST). When you say original TOS, do you mean TOS 1.0? That is the only one I'm not sure will read a PC disk, given the other 'features' it has

 

The other problem could be that you are using DSHD (Double sided high density - roughly 1.4mb of storage) in your PC when the ST only takes DSDD (double sided double density roughly 720k in total iirc), without hardware mods. If you only have high density disks, you will need to tape over the hole opposite the write protect hole on the disk and then force Windows to format it double density, its been a while since I used Win 2k, I know in XP the option to do this got removed from the format box, but it may still be there on 2k (Windows 98 it definitely is). HD disks formatted like this can be ropey so buyer beware.

The drive in the ST is a non-original modified PC drive I just got from AtariFreakz, that could have something to do with that. I've used the tape over method for a long time and always had good luck on my IIgs anyway, and the disk I tried was formatted in Win2k as a DD disk (it still had the drop down menu for it luckily!) All the disks I've made for my ST so far on that computer using the Floppy Image program have been great. I will definitely try again when I get home though, see if I find anything that I did out of whack!

 

As for TOS, it's the first version in ROM I think. 1985.

Edited July 24, 2016 by nicholas042893

[nicholas042893]

Okay, formatted another disk, and this time it works fine! Who even knows what happened the first time then haha! I still don't know how to use zip2st but one thing at a time...thanks lol

[Zogging Hell]

ST floppy drives vary quite a bit with how many tracks they can read and write (particularly if they are a PC HD disk drive moonlighting as a DD I would have thought; if that is what you got from ST Freakz?), and throwing a HD floppy masquerading as a DD disk into the mix might make it a more unpredicatable success rate. Still sounds like you have it working at the moment