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Bootable Disk Menu Programs


bbking67

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a stupid question.

so, even if we find ALL of the menu types possible - and we may well do. they'll be full of games though.

what use are they without the corresponding utility/menu creator disk?

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Why would someone want a menu/loader for larger disks? In the modern day, every disk drive emulator (*) can handle XEX files alone and simulate a diskette with it for the Atari.

 

If you need one, it's because you want to pack some files in a disk related to a event or commemorative issue, but as most of Atari users have some drive emulator, It could be the same a big ATR or a ZIPped folder with many individual files. Well, you would group a lot of stuff in one disk with a special intro/demo and its menu, but that is not related to generic menu/loaders.

 

(*) SIO2PC/RespeQT, SIO2SD, SDrive, SIO2BT, ...

 

same reason that people listen to music in digital form and on vinyl...same reason that people keep photos on SDcards, but also print them out...

convenience of modern adaptations is great. Sometimes, though, the warmth and authenticity of the old ways is better.

 

if you don't love the sound of an enhanced 1050 zipppping along, or the crackle of the stylus on the lead-in or run-out groove on an LP, then you were either born in the 90s, or you sold your soul to the Gods of Rapid Obsolescence

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same reason that people listen to music in digital form and on vinyl...same reason that people keep photos on SDcards, but also print them out...

convenience of modern adaptations is great. Sometimes, though, the warmth and authenticity of the old ways is better.

 

if you don't love the sound of an enhanced 1050 zipppping along, or the crackle of the stylus on the lead-in or run-out groove on an LP, then you were either born in the 90s, or you sold your soul to the Gods of Rapid Obsolescence

 

I love playing in my real 800XL with my real 1050, but I only have SS/ED diskettes (130K per side). I've never tried a XF551 with true DS/DD or with a 3.5" mod, and I doubt it could handle 65535 sectors anyway. AFAIK, that is only possible on a HD or an ATR using SIO2PC. If the later, I find more practical to have a folder structure to manage many XEX files than a hundred of ATR with just a sequence number... it is hard to find a given game from them without a label.

 

BTW, as some friends love to load games from tapes, in 2015 I modified for them a tape turboloader I developed in 1989. Instead of a max of 64K from that years, the new version of this utility can copy modern XEX games up to 272K. (SITRE in Spanish, English by Google)

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footnote:

i know the list is not complete - by any stretch. it'd be nice if we could complete it tho. if oyu have nay not pictured - please PM me or post snaps below

also if you have any ATRs that'd be great also.


Many of these are already prepared games menus - if anyone has any of these as raw Menu Maker/Creator Disks please PM me or upload the ATRs, thanks

Here's the link to our latest updated thread with 90+ images, and I've added the ATRs that i have as one zipfile (90+) in total-

see this link : http://atari.boards.net/thread/53/classic-menus-utility-disks for thread with all relevant stuff



PS - Paul - I've been thru almost a 1000 disks/ATRs and can't find the Stevesoft one. strange thing is I have seen it recently!

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a number of these just take what is on the vtoc and don't require anything special, some have what you need to create and others it's just a matter of sector editing... vaguely remember some using the write protect flag to show or not show a file... play around... I remember a Gemini loader I don't see on the list btw

Edited by _The Doctor__
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thanks Ely. but those are already in the dropbox zip file in the link.

 

@theDoctor - do you have the gemini loader?

i take what you're saying about the menus, but

 

having (for example) an IanK or Alpha full of games, I can't see how you can make/create more blank menu disks without the actual Creator/Utility Disk

Edited by Guest
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a little follow-up question:

 

does anyone have the actual menu creator disk for this one.

 

2rxtlzd.jpg

 

attachicon.gifGames 505john e picture menu.atr

 

 

also, @theDoctor, do you have the Gemini Loader?

 

thanks

 

Just a note that this disk will not boot on fully emulated 810 or 1050 on Altirra, it does work on just the normal emulated hardware (ie those that don't need firmware). Gets to sector 3 and basically bad sectors for ages.

 

Does that mean it won't work on real hardware too?

Edited by Mclaneinc
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mmm, odd.

Ashido has definitely loaded fine here - thru Atari800win emulator and on real disk

emulator settings - i put to max 1088k and XL/XE (it was a newer game - 1990)

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Atari800win does not have real disk drive settings :)

 

I'm talking about when you have on the latest altirra's and setup a device under System / devices as a real fully emulated 810 or 1050 using the needed firmware files.

 

As said if you just use the standard disk drive settings in the file menu / Disk drives it will work.

 

I don't know why the ordinary drives work but I'd presume the fully emulated drives care more about the disks geometry and skew?

Edited by Mclaneinc
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Yup fixed, just a side note, it needs a 1050 because of the density.....Just to save people with 810's trying it, file size gives it away tho :)

 

As for the menu, not one I remember, not even sure I have it in my collection...Dupefinder will make sure of that..

 

Nice menu, thank you Brenski...

 

EDIT: Did have it, Duplicate File Detective is just perfect software...(for finding dupes obviously :) )

 

It was in with a group of compilation disks that I found would also not work on real hardware, most were Howfens, I made a thread about them a while back

 

Not found another menu like it so far.....

Edited by Mclaneinc
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Not sure if these have been added to the list. They display only locked filenames on the menu. You rename this file AUTORUN.SYS and make sure DOS.SYS and this file are unlocked. Lock the ones you want to appear on the menu.

 

Atari Fuji menu - Database Software.xexAtari Fuji menu - Demonstrations.xexAtari Fuji menu - Diagnostics.xexAtari Fuji menu - Games XXXX.xexAtari Fuji menu - Games XXXX.xexAtari Fuji menu - Games.xexAtari Fuji menu - Graphics.xexAtari Fuji menu - Home Computers.xexAtari Fuji menu - Music Software.xex

Edited by ACML
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nice hoard of Atari Fujis there. did you do them? or did they get shared like that in the 80s?

yes, there is a Fuji example in the master list, but thanks

 

but (being a bit simple here) not following your instructions.

Edited by Guest
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Make a DOS disk, rename say Atari Fuji Menu Games.xex to Autorun.sys, copy it to the DOS disk, put your games on to the disk and lock them or they won't show, boot and you are good to go..

 

A lot of people confuse xex's as disks rather than the exe file the really are....Done it myself loads of times..

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Well, I did sort my private collection of menus into a) DOS-menus (do require a DOS and should be named Autorun.SYS), b) GameDOS (no DOS required, they always present a menu and only load files), c) Bootloader (no DOS required, they do not have a menu and only load one / the first file), d) DOS-alternatives (they are DOS incompatible and use their own format, but are often as big as a DOS and include many DOS functions; most of these menus came from the UK and errm, I always avoid using them).

 

Attached you will find a few of these menus, think the Stevesoft menu is also on one of them (but I might be wrong here). Nowadays I mostly use MyPicoDOS (gamedos), NanoDOS converter (gamedos), Picoboot (Bootloader), Auto-Bootloader or a DOS menu that is similar to the one by Bellcom (named XLE-menu, created by someone for me and my XLE-magazine many years ago)...

 

 

ALTDOS.zip

MENUS.zip

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cheers Paul

 

wonder if this can be done with the John E Picture Disk also?

The games are just files on the disk but the naming seems to be hard coded in to the program and the titles for the games seem to be part of the picture, I've not disassembled it and I'm rubbish with the debugger in Altirra (I use Omnimon always)

 

So the answer seems a resounding no as it seems to be a custom disk rather than menu created..

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At one time I probably had about a dozen game loaders. Mostly they were the same as the ones posted here except I have a vague memory of two that I'm not sure are in included.

 

One I called the "Fuji Menu" because it had a Fuji with rotating rainbow colors.

 

The other may have been the same but I'm not sure. I remember it also had rotating rainbow colors. For some reason I think I remember it as the "xXx" menu.

 

I'd like to see both of these again.

 

I don't have any of the menus any longer except the one pictured as "RAD File". At the time I knew it as "RAD Menu". Some years ago I discovered the builder app had a problem. I think it would not let one switch between single density and double density once a choice had been registered but I'm not certain of that.

 

I asked Atariage user, Urchlay, to take a look at it. The first thing he noticed is the real name of the menu. The builder app is titled, "Fender's 3 Sector Loader".

 

I no longer have any other menus. Long ago I rebuilt whatever disks I had with games collections using Fender's 3 Sector Loader. If I still had the builder utilities they never got ported from my old disks to ATRs when I completed that task back around 2004.

 

I don't want to hijack this thread but does anyone have any background information regarding the Yogi disks and menu? I'm curious why the loader isn't on the each of the ATRs and why the ATRs would be 1MB in size with single density sectors. This size does not correspond to any real world disk that I know of.

 

-SteveS

Edited by a8isa1
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