RUN415

Here's that link I mentioned to my post on Atari floppy disk apps... http://atariage.com/forums/topic/237423-apps-for-reading-atari-st-floppy-disks/

Not sure if this will help but mebbe worth a shot Explodey. Runs in Windows...not the Atari. (Image files may not open if they're dodgy = not valid.) = MSA Converter = This is a handy little app for viewing .ST and .MSA images once you've made them. You can save/extract a single file (or all of the files) easily from the image. As the name suggests, you can convert MSA to ST (or ST to MSA) and also check clusters and make .zip archives. http://msaconverter.free.fr/index-uk.html

========================================================= Apps for reading Atari ST Floppy Disks - April 2015 ======================================================== A big thank you to the authors who devoted their time to create these apps and then provide for them free. Listed here in no particular order... = ST Recover = Will read a floppy and then output the contents as a .ST image. Coloured grid shows progress and dodgy/bad sectors. Also handy is the surface scan which shows a 'disk like' graphic of the tracks. https://strecover.codeplex.com/ = FLOIMG = Will read a floppy and then output the contents to an image file (.st .msa .dsk .stt) Can also import an image and write it to floppy. Quick, handy and pretty much 'a must have'. http://atari.8bitchip.info/floimgd.php = SAMDisk = Provides low level diagnostics via DOS. No GUI - Runs from a command prompt. Uses/needs the 'Fdrawcmd.sys' mentioned below. http://simonowen.com/samdisk/ = Disk Test Pro = Not specifically designed for ST disks but handy for diagnostics. Snazzy little GUI...even has a clock! (Looks like a MP3 player!) Colour coded sector grid denotes progress of user variable scan/repair/format/edit. Cool little app - the only downside being that it won't play MP3's - lolzs http://xistemas.home.sapo.pt/DisktestPRO.html = OMNIFLOP = Omniflop comes with it's own floppy driver (optional install) which adds functionality. (Instructions are provided to install the floppy driver which is pretty straightforward.) Program will read, write, format and diagnose disks with basic functionality. You'll understand where the 'OMNI' comes from when you see the comprehensive list of image formats it can write to. Through a free licensing (reporting) system you'll see they've really done their homework on obscure disk image formats. http://www.shlock.co.uk/Utils/OmniFlop/OmniFlop.htm = MSA Converter = This is a handy little app for viewing .ST and .MSA images once you've made them. You can save/extract a single file (or all of the files) easily from the image. As the name suggests, you can convert MSA to ST (or ST to MSA) and also check clusters and make .zip archives. http://msaconverter.free.fr/index-uk.html = 'Fdrawcmd.sys' = Simon Owens invaluable file which replaces the windows floppy driver. http://simonowen.com/fdrawcmd/ =================================== Important Note: The 1.44 HD floppies have TWO SQUARE HOLES in each corner. One is the WRITE PROTECT slider. The second one, if open, enables the 1.44 format - so it MUST BE COVERED with a bit of tape... ...which reverts the disk back to the 720k format which the Atari probably wrote in. (If this is NOT done the above apps will report a neverending series of disk errors.) =================================

No probs Explodey. I knew somethin' was up...I'd expect a few errors after 20 years... but not a complete failure of 23 'looked after' floppies. Sometimes the answer is right in front of your face. Like I said...so happy now. Good luck with your disks. Er...that thread I mentioned doesn't actually exist yet...I gotta write it up and find links etc. Will post a link back here when I do it. Meantime...I got some archiving to do - lolzs

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Explodey. Just spent days trying to find out what was wrong with my old ST Cubase floppys. I had about 25 of 'em and only 2 worked...I assumed it was the ol' (bad) format - long story I guess. Happened upon this thread and your last post made me check the actual floppies. DING!!! Sure enuff the ones that worked didn't have the two holes (write protect slider + the other HD hole). So it's just a matter of putting a bit of tape over the HD hole so drives read the disk as 720k Hey presto it works!!! Brilliant stuff! But I guess it points out how stoopid I am - lolzs I read...literally pages and pages about disk config and low level access etc etc...tried every app there is and yet no expert mentioned the holes - lolzs...it's just bizarre. Anyways, so happy mate...thanks again. PS> I can post a thread about the apps I found if anyone is interested??? (There's 5 main ones and some secondary ones...plus some info about floppy drivers.) Everyone on 'ere would prob know most of them but other rogues (like me) with similar problems may not - it's a freakin nightmare when things aren't working. Stay well.