ST xfer question

[+Ripdubski]

I recently acquired again the 520 ST I had in my youth, along with a SF354. I know the drive stinks, but its what I had and what I wanted to get again. I wont really be using the system other than to demonstrate it. That being said, it has TOS 1.4. I do not have any software for it period. I do have ST softwareo on my Mac. i plan on getting an UltraSatan or similar in the future but its not a priority.

 

Question. How can i get software to the ST in the interim? I do have sn SX212 modem, but again no software. So Im thinking I have to get my hands on a terminal software disk or cartridge. Ideas?

[jblenkle]

If I'm not mistaken (I haven't done it for years, so my memory is fuzzy)...ST disks are pretty much PC compatible and there are programs out there that will write the ST disk images you can get practically everywhere on the Internet back to 3.5" disks.

[ParanoidLittleMan]

I'm not sure what you exactly want. Transferring data, SW between some PC and ST via modem ? Or want to go on Internet with your modem ?

I doubt that will be able to do with so limited machine. Need more RAM and more disk space.

What you can is to use floppies, but single sided drive is big bottleneck. You will be very limited with SW count, what can use.

Things can be better with UltraSatan, but RAM expansion is practically a must then.

On Windows is almost impossible to format single sided floppy. This may help: http://atari.8bitchip.info/floimgd.php

[Rybags]

1.44 Meg drives as on PCs use a weaker signal and 720K disks they create will be unreliable.

Additionally, 1.44 Meg floppies use a thinner oxide coating and will be unreliable if the hole is covered to make the drive think it's 720K.

 

Best case scenario if you can't get a 720K PC drive - use 720K floppies formatted on the ST, then write the files using the PC.

Numerous cheap alternatives around - a null modem cable probably the easiest to DIY, then you just have to have the software to do the transfer.

[Charlie_]

I think the concern is that the SF354 is single sided and only can hold 360K

The question would be how to write single sided on the Mac or PC

 

edit: I read more carefully.. seems FloImg can write out a single sided image.

Edited January 20, 2014 by Official Ninja

[ParanoidLittleMan]

You can format single sided to 400KB too. FloImg will happily write on such

There is not big number of games on single sided floppies - case when ST image size is 360 or 400K - or close to that.

As alternative solution you may format on Atari to PC compatible 360K format (best to use special format SW for that) - then can access it on Windows XP directly. I'm not sure about later WIndowses as 7 and 8 .

[English Invader]

If memory serves, you need an internal disk drive on your PC/laptop to use Flo Image. The software won't work with an external drive.

[+Ripdubski]

Thanks for the input. 360k was part of the concern. The bigger part was actually getting a program, any program, to the atari to save to a disk.