I have some questions about the 1050...

[ApolloBoy]

1. Is a DOS disk required to load and save files?

2. Is it faster than the Commodore 1541?

 

I'm asking these questions because I just got my 1050 in the mail a few days ago (it works).

[Nukey Shay]

1. Yes and no. Dos is required to load and save in DOS format (i.e. using the directories and such). Files can be written to a disk in a way that they don't require Dos to load at all...these are called "boot" programs. These are stored on the disk from the very first sector upward...and must be written in machine language. IIRC, The first byte in the first sector needs to signify that it's a boot program, the second byte refers to how many disk sectors to load into memory, the 3rd & 4th bytes are the memory address to load to, and the 5th and 6th bytes supply the run address of the program. The remainder of the bytes in all the sectors are the program data itself (122 bytes in the first sector and 128 in each following one). If you want to use a disk with Atari Basic, there is still a workaround for that if you don't have a Dos disk. Search this board for a program called "NoDos". Keep in mind that program isn't very efficient (since you need to waste an entire disk for one program)...but it can save your neck if the copy of Dos in memory should get corrupted when you're working on it.

 

2) Most definately, since the Commodore drives have it's Dos encoded right in the disk drive's roms...and it's backwards-compatable with the slower Vic20. But there are tricks to boost that drive's capabilities when working with the C64 as well (like a common "Fastload" cartridge or more exotic "Warp" cartridges). A program using 48k of memory can be loaded in a few seconds using a warp cartridge.

[svenski]

I don't know the spec of the Commodore 1541 so can't comment, the 1050 uses 'enhanced density' which is part way between single and double density.

 

Most Atari drive speeds were similar speed wise, the 1050 has a read time benchmark of 10 seconds, and a write time benchmark of 12.

 

 

As for using a DOS disk; a DOS disk is vital if you want to get the most out of your Atari and your 1050 drive. Now you've got a disk drive your Atari will be in its element.

 

Loading files - a DOS disk isn't normally necessary for loading commercial software and you can usually do basic functions such as load and save saved games from a game disk without having to revert to a DOS disk.

 

If you don't have a manual with your 1050 you can pick a new manual with DOS disk from myatari.com - they also sell them via ebay.

[svenski]

Sorry nukey, we were both replying at the same time

 

Anyway, you explained it a lot better than I did.

[Bryan]

1. Is a DOS disk required to load and save files?

2. Is it faster than the Commodore 1541?

 

I'm asking these questions because I just got my 1050 in the mail a few days ago (it works).

 

Here's another answer. DOS is required to load and save files. The OS has no mechanism to do anything other than boot from a floppy drive. Once DOS is booted, a full disk driver is installed.

 

It is MUCH faster than a 1541.

 

-Bry

[ApolloBoy]

I read somewhere that the speed of the 1050 is 19.2 kbps. What's the speed of the 1541 in kbps?

[Nukey Shay]

Using no software patches, I've seen figures that place it somewhere between 256 and 400 bytes per second. I need to point out that this is a shortcoming in the computer itself (not the drive). Patching it by using a Fastload cartridge (for example) put it at or close to the speed of the 1050...games would load in 10-20 seconds in my experience, rather than up to a couple minutes otherwise. The problem is that the copy-protection used on some commercial titles would not allow the fastload routines to be used. All of these could be copied to a disk using a warp cartridge though (like Action Replay, Final Cartidge, etc.)...and load in just a few seconds. So I figure that the baud rate is probably the same between the two...19.2kbits per second.

 

Here's another answer. DOS is required to load and save files. The OS has no mechanism to do anything other than boot from a floppy drive. Once DOS is booted, a full disk driver is installed.

Sort of...what it has built-in is the ability to read or write a group of sectors or format a data disk. Machine-language jumps are the only way to do them without Dos being loaded (NoDos does all three of them). Since using them ignores any Dos that may already exist on the floppy, there is a possibility of corrupting existing Dos files (which is why NoDos writes its files in reverse by default...starting at sector 720 and working downward).