SIO2SD Usage Questions

[gs80065xe]

Yesterday I received my SIO2SD from Lotharek. Wish I had gone that route 5 years ago. I've watched his video on how to use it. But one question I have is, there a way once a program is loaded to get back to its DOS menu without turning the Atari off and on again?

[+Nezgar]

One way is a patched OS ROM in the Atari that has a cold reset key combination, such HiassofT's (Shift-Reset). Then you get native Highspeed SIO too.

 

https://www.horus.com/~hias/atari/#hipatch

 

There is a pre-made XL/XE rev 2 OS with this patch, as well as a fast FP math patch here:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/206880-130xe-reverse-option-key-for-basic/page-2?do=findComment&comment=3944284

[gs80065xe]

I have a few more questions/issues. My machine has a toggle switch to switch between the stock ROM and the OmniView 256. The SIO2SD loads with both selected. But it either freezes after displaying the menu. But no keys work when using the OmniView ROM. The OmnieView is a modified 400/800 RevB ROM.

 

I was trying to use that ROM because the APX game Galahad and the Holy Grail frequently crashes on the XE ROM. Some research suggested using a translator disk to fix that. I dont have it. So I tried the built in ROM.

[ACML]

for an Atari 400/800 based OS, try turning OFF the TOP DRIVE option on the SIO2SD

[+Nezgar]

There are many Translator disks on the Internet Archive, here's one:
https://archive.org/details/a8b_misc_transxl2

Put the ATR disk image on your SIO2SD.

[SS]

I am not 100% sure about OmniView but the SIO2SD onscreen menu will not work with the normal loader files on 400/800 OSb. If you turn off the auto menu loader though and mount the ATR onto D1, you should be able to boot it like you would a normal floppy disk.

[ACML]

Turn off Top Drive and use this older menu loader for a 400/800

sio2sd_v2.2.xex

sio2sd_v2.5.xex

[gs80065xe]

Turning off top drive didnt help. But I changed to not load the menu every time. Set D1 as the default drive. Loaded Galahad into D1. Turned off and on. Booted it with the 400/800 OmniView 256 rom. Loaded perfectly. And no more constant game crashing when I or a Knight is killed. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

[SS]

I changed to not load the menu every time. Set D1 as the default drive. Loaded Galahad into D1. Turned off and on. Booted it with the 400/800 OmniView 256 rom. Loaded perfectly.

This is the exact reason that I have my SIO2SD set to not load the menu by default; I often switch my U1MB to run OSb or sometimes even OSa. When I do want to menu to load, I just hold down the SHIFT button on the SIO2SD device to boot to the menu screen.