SpartaDos 3.2 Question?

[Draugr]

Hi,

I'm fairly new to the Atari 8-bit computer so I'll give a little history with me and classic computers. You don't have to read all this. If you prefer just scroll down, till you see -=[QUESTION]=-. Perhaps someone here can answer my question. Well, now foir a brief history. Back in the 80's I grew up with the C64. No one I knew had an Atari computer and sadly I had no clue that they existed. Everyone in my Junior High School had C64's and 128's. Anyhow, being a loyal Atari fan, I decided to buy a used 130XE in 1995 or so. I used it a bit to play games, then to make room for my new PCs I had to put it in storage. Anyway, recently I got back into classic gaming again and I really spent a lot of time collecting various units and games as well as reading 2 or 3 books on the classic gaming history. Now more than ever I am a big Atari fan. I pulled out both my Commodore 128D and the Atari 130XE. I use them both daily. While I grew up with the C64/128, I have no real knowledge of Atari's 8-bit Dos or SpartaDos. I have the book and I've been learning the OS, but there is one thing that I can't figure out. I'll explain.

-=[QUESTION]=-

When you boot SpartaDOS 3.2 you go to the typical Basic screen where you can type programs. If you type DOS, you go to the SpartaDOS command screen which greets you with the D1: prompt. What I need to know is this. How can I get back to the Basic screen without re-booting the whole system? I checked my SpartaDOS book, but couldn't find an answer. Can anyone out there answer this for me?

 

Thanks

 

[ 05-20-2002: Message edited by: John Von Draugr ]

[ndary]

if i remeber type: CAR

This means to run the Cartridge or anything that is located in the cartridge are. in the xl/xe computer basic is built in.. and its located in the cartrdge area.. so it means that if you boot the computer without the OPTION key pressed then basic is loaded.. after basic is loaded you can run DOS.. and from dos you can go back to basic..

[Draugr]

Thanks alot

[Gunstar]

And welcome aboard the Atari 8-bit Bandwagon! I've got an extensive 130XE setup myself and love messing around with it...I had a C64 setup too, but since they are both so similiar in the quality of games and applications, I sold the C64 to make room (it would have been the XE had I grownup with Commodore like you, but in my neck of the woods it was all Apple and Atari, so I'm an Atari XE fan. I'm glad you have decided to keep the XE though as well as your 128D. If I had the room, i'd of kept the C64 myself too. I'll be happy to help in anyway I can.

 

by the way...go with Sparta Dos and forget the others even exist. If you come across a file that is in Atari Dos or one of it's clones like MYdos, Sparta can read them anyway, and do it a LOT faster. Sparta ROCKS!!! Also, look into the SIO2PC cable and A.P.E (Atari perephrial emulator) and ATOS to give your XE the power of the 21st century!

[Draugr]

Gunstar,

Thanks for responding to my post. I too have a growing collection of XE stuff. I have the 130XE system that I bought in 95'. I just recieved my 1050 with US doubler enhancement the other day. I have a nice 1702 monitor. I just bought a new in box 130XE for 40$. I'm having that sent to Steve Tucker from APE and he is going to give it the APE WARP + upgrade, then mail it back to me. I also have a 12' APE cable already and I'll be registering APE this week. I'm purchasing a XF551 drive and hopefully CSS can perform the 3.5" upgrade to it. I've emailed them twice and havent heard back at all. Not sure if they are still in business. I also am doing pretty good with BASIC on the Atari. I should be done in a few days then I'll start getting into C64/128 Basic and Atari Assembler. Finally, I have a whole bunch of books to read through. For a new user, if anyone who was a long time Atari 8-bit user, they would think I was with the system since its beginning. When in truth I've been seriously into it since April.

 

I'm sure we will speak again as I'll probably have more questions but also just chatting about the system and its features. I love the Atari.