Booting SIO2PC disk image on an XEGS?

[bcostin]

I'm trying to get an new SIO2PC setup working with my XEGS. I'm new to all of this, and I haven't used an Atari 8-bit for anything but cartridges in a looong time. I'm probably missing something obvious.

 

Everything seems to be hooked up correctly, and the green LED turns on when the cable is plugged into the Atari, but the XEGS never seems to even attempt to boot from the virtual SIO2PC drive with the disk images I have tried. As far as I can tell the software (the standard DOS app, current version) doesn't register any activity from the Atari at all.

 

I'm not quite sure how to force the system to attempt to boot from disk. I can hold down various combinations of Start/Option/Select, but I'm not sure what's appropriate. Should it attempt to book from the "drive" automatically, or what?

 

The external keyboard is disconnected (it also uses the SIO port, and I've only got one of those). When the power switch is turned on, the system just starts the built-in Missile Command game as though nothing's happening.

 

Of course, the problem may be something else on the PC end. My only other Atari 8-bit is disassembled at the moment with a video problem. I can put it back together to test this with if necessary, but I wanted to check for other ideas first.

[Nukey Shay]

Don't you need to hold down option for the XEGS to bypass it's Rom info? I think this needs to be done to get a disk to boot

 

I dunno

[Super-Genius!]

It sounds like your software is not configured properly. Why don't you

download this software:

 

http://retrobits.net/atari810.html

 

It is a lot easier to use. Start with a simple DOS image and see if DOS

boots. There is also a jumper on the board, make SURE it is set to the

"RI" position unless you are using APE.

[oesii]

And if it's always starting the Missle Command game then either your system/function keys are broken or you are holding down select which would interfere with disk booting. Does the computer boot to Basic when you don't touch any of the keys? If yes then, load up an .atr disk image in your dos program, hold down option, and see if it boots then.

 

And like SG said, you probably should reinstall or try different Dos programs. I use Nick Kennedy's Sio2pc ver 4.19, small Dos footprint that I like to boot from floppy.

[Jetboot Jack]

FYI -- the XEGS keyboard does not use the SIO port bcostin, it uses a custom keyboard port on the left side of the machine, the SIO port is on the rear of the unit...

 

You need to have the keyboard inserted to bypass the MISSILE COMMAND game - it boots automatically when the keyboard is unplugged.

 

I use the APE software -- and found its often the bit rates and handshaking setup on the PC side stop the 8bit from booting the image you've loaded into the virtual drive one...

 

sTeVE

[oesii]

You need to have the keyboard inserted to bypass the MISSILE COMMAND game - it boots automatically when the keyboard is unplugged.

 

sTeVE

 

 

Ah, didn't know that but that's a simpler reason why the XEGS would always boot directly to the built-in game.

[bcostin]

Thanks everyone, I got it working. Geez, not exactly Bryan's shining moment. Maybe next time I should wait until I'm actually awake to try these things.

 

I'm not sure how I got it into my head that the XEGS keyboard needed the SIO port, but thanks for setting me straight, Jetboot Jack.

 

Anyway, I apparently had two problems. First, the darn serial ports were reversed on this secondhand PC. (I thought of that earlier and tried swapping ports in the SIO2PC config, but I think I was been doing something else wrong at the time.) Second, the DOS ATR image I was trying to boot from was apparently corrupt. I dowloaded another image, started over, and there it went. Yay! For good measure I also sucessfully used APE under Windows (with the jumper in the DSR position.)

 

Again, thanks, all. Now, back to playing Bandits!

[bcostin]

Thanks everyone, I got it working. Geez, not exactly Bryan's shining moment. Maybe next time I should wait until I'm actually awake to try these things.

 

I'm not sure how I got it into my head that the XEGS keyboard needed the SIO port, but thanks for setting me straight, Jetboot Jack.

 

Anyway, I apparently had two problems. First, the darn serial ports were reversed on this secondhand PC. (I thought of that earlier and tried swapping ports in the SIO2PC config, but I think I was been doing something else wrong at the time.) Second, the DOS ATR image I was trying to boot from was apparently corrupt. I dowloaded another image, started over, and there it went. Yay! For good measure I also sucessfully used APE under Windows (with the jumper in the DSR position.)

 

Again, thanks, all. Now, back to playing Bandits!