Loading tape and cartridge software from disk

[mattybigback]

Hi everyone

 

I just got myself an Atari 800XL (PAL) in a trade and I'm so far enjoying it. I'm much more familiar with Sinclair and Commodore machines, so I'm really enjoying getting to know a new old computer.

 

I've ordered an SIO2SD and plan on filling an SD card up with ATR images, but so far a lot of the PAL games I've found are on cassette or ROM cartridge. I know on the C64 you can extract the prg file from the tape image and put that on a disk image. Can this be done on the Ataris? I was thinking of making up a flash cart for the system to handle cartridge games, but it would be nice to do everything using disk images if possible.

As I say, I'm new to the system, so assume I know next to nothing about it. I didn't know my SIO from my elbow this time last week.

 

 

[Fox-1 / mnx]

I know on the C64 you can extract the prg file from the tape image and put that on a disk image. Can this be done on the Ataris?

 

 

 

The short answer is "no". Cassettes are cassettes, cartridges are cartridges, but...

 

there are a lot of "if's". Too many to answer, but that's why the sticky topic http://atariage.com/forums/topic/176545-topic-for-newbies/#entry2199612 was created.

[+CharlieChaplin]

Well, most of the old tapes and also most of the carts have been hacked or cracked in the meanwhile and converted into bootdisk or diskfile versions. You can find a lot of bootdisks (ATR images) and diskfiles (XEX files) here:

 

Fandal: http://a8.fandal.cz

Homesoft: http://www.mushca.com/f/atari/index.php

Vjetnam: http://atari.vjetnam.cz/index.php?frame=games

[SS]

I agree with Charlie Chaplin. Most of the XEX files on the Homesoft site should work fine on a PAL XL system via SIO2SD.

[Rybags]

Single stage tapes are generally easy. A menu loader can deal with file versions or they can be modified to operate as Xex files. But most games can be had as executable these days anyway.