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Double Density copy to Single Density 5.25 floppy


Mik26

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Is there a way to copy a double density file back to a single density formatted disk using the same disk drive? I want convert files to single density so they will work in my other single density disk drive. I have 2 Percom Data drives with one capable of single & double and the other only single. I do not have them daisy chained to each other.

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When you say "double density", are you referring to Atari's "enhanced density"(not true double) that was introduced with the 1050's?

 

The copy routine from Atari DOS 2.5 has no problems writing between single and enhanced-density disks. I've done it many times. Boot 2.5, and put the enhanced density-formatted disk that has the file in the drive, and use the copy command. At the prompt for a destination disk, put the single-formatted disk in the drive and you are good to go.

 

WTF is Dos 2.3? If you don't see a "format single" option in the Dos menu, it's probably single-density only.

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Hmmm,

 

what Percom data drives or DOS are you using ? (None of the drives support enhanced density...)

Does your Atari computer have XRAM / Ramdisk available ?

 

Available Percom drives refering to the A8FAQ: ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/faqs/atari-8-bit/faq

subject 3.2.5 "What other floppy disk drives were designed for my Atari?"

Percom RFD40-S1      SS SD/DD, introduced March 1982; 1st 810 alternative.                     Early units shipped with "BLD" utility to build Percom                     DOS 2.0P (double density support) from a copy of Atari                      DOS 2.0S; later/most units shipped with OS/A+ Version 2.Percom RFD44-S1      DS SD/DD, shipped with OS/A+ Version 4.Percom RFD40-S2      SS SD/DD dual drives, shipped with OS/A+ Version 2.Percom RFD44-S2      DS SD/DD dual drives, shipped with OS/A+ Version 4.Percom AT88-S1       SS SD, shipped with OS/A+ Version 2.                     Introduced Nov 1982 marketed as: "AT-88"                     Upgrade: AT88-DDA Doubler ("Double Density Adapter")Percom AT88-S2       SS SD dual drives, shipped with OS/A+ Version 2.Percom AT88-S1PD     SS SD/DD, shipped with DOS XL.                     Announced summer 1983.  Sales flyer: "AT-88S1PD"Percom AT88-SPD      SS SD/DD, shipped with DOS XL.  Manual cover page:                      "AT88SPD".  Announced summer 1984. (IW 9/3/84) 

Last not least, there is a manual for the Percom AT88 available at atarimania, maybe this helps:

http://www.atarimania.com/documents/Percom_Data_At_88_Disk_Drive_manual.pdf

Edited by CharlieChaplin
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I have DOS 2.5 in a single density format. When I boot it up in the Percom RFD40-S1 that I have it seems to put the drive in SD mode only. When I put the DD Disk in to copy from it won't read the file. If I boot with my DD Dos 2.3 it will read the file but won't write to the formatted SD disk. I also have a Percom AT88-S1. I don't have then chained together but would pursue doing that if it will solve my issue.

 

Yes I have 3 16k RAM carts installed in my Atari 800.

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Well,

 

DOS 2.5 can only read/write single and enhanced density (90k and 130k), it cannot read/write double density (180k). Use a DOS that can read+write SD and DD, e.g. Smart DOS, MyDOS, etc. (do not really know DOS 2.3)...

 

Hmmm, 48k means there is no Ramdisk available, so you cannot copy files from the DD disk to the ramdisk and then back to the SD disk.

 

Guess the Percom drives are dumb drives (like XF551 and others) and cannot detect the density automatically, so you need a DOS with smart density option a) manually, e.g. Smart DOS or b) automatically, e.g. MyDOS, XDOS and others...

Edited by CharlieChaplin
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The double density drive should be able to be configured to single or double by dos (ie via software) so rebooting it shouldn't be necessary.

Get a density smart dos like Superdos. If you are unable to get and write another dos to disk, ask someone here to send you a disk.

 

Some early DOSes are not density smart and are are stuck in what ever density that was booted. They sometimes come with a utility to copy between density's.

 

If density smart dos doesn't work for you, you may need to daisy chain both drives, set drive id's as required and copy from one drive to another.

 

James

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DOS 2.3

Can't figure out how to get the picture to show here.

 

Here is the screenshot of the DOS 2.3. I found a copy of Top DOS 1.2 that will Dup a file between SD and DD. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I think I'm going to try and daisy chain my two drives to make the task easier since I need to copy about 30 disk with over 200 games on them. Any advice on the process to connect the two Percom Drives would be appreciated.

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  • 1 year later...

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