Transferring programs from a PC to a TI

[atrax27407]

Another way to transfer files from a PC to a TI

 

There is more than one way to “skin a cat”, “clean a fish”, and transfer a program (or .dsk image) from a PC to a TI. For some years, I have been using PC-TRANSFER to move stuff from a PC to a TI and vice versa. I found out quite early that PC-TRANSFER was perfectly fine if you used a 720K disk (no matter what the docs said). Since almost all modern PCs will format a 3.5” disk to 720K using a pseudo-DOS batch file, it wasn’t much of a problem to use one of my USB external disk drives that I use with my laptop to format disks.

I simply took the file (or in this case .dsk image) and ran it through Fred Kaal’s TIDir program and dumped the files therein to a 3.5” PC-formatted disk with TIFILES headers on each. Then, I used PC-TRANSFER to remove the TIFILES headers automatically  when I transferred them to my TI.  PC-TRANSFER will do TEXT, TIFILES, DF128, IF128, and SYLK files without any worries. Just follow the instructions. This method works in about 95% of all transfers. However, difficulties sometimes arise when there is an odd file or two in the mix. For example, Page Pro Composer has an IF 128 and a DV80 file within the .dsk image. For some strange reason, that caused all sorts of havoc when I tried to transfer the contents of the .dsk file to my TI using my normal procedure with PC-TRANSFER. Some files  got bungled in the transfer.

I did a bit of plotting and planning to see what I could do with the programs at my disposal on both my laptop and TI. Here is what I came up with:

1)      I copied the individual files from the .dsk file to a blank 3.5” disk using TIDir as usual. The latest versions of TIDir automatically add TIFILES headers to each of them (which was not helpful in this case).

2)      I then used a HEX editor on the PC to remove all of the individual TIFILES headers (i.e., the first 128 bytes) from each file.

3)      I then opened a blank disk drive folder in CLASSIC99 and copied the headerless files from the 3.5” drive into that pseudo-disk folder (i.e., DSK9).

4)      Next, I opened and ran ARCHIVER 303G in CLASSIC99 and archived all of the files into a single file ( in the same drive folder).

5)      I then moved the resulting file back to the 3.5” drive under a different name.

6)      I imported the file by putting the PC disk into my TI and 3.5” drive and converting it with PC-TRANSFER as an IF128 file (archiver-formatted file).

7)      From there, it was simply a matter of un-arcing the resultant file on my TI using ARCHIVER 3.03. I now had all of the files, no matter how diverse, into a usable TI format saved to a genuine TI disk.

[WhataKowinkydink]

The following suggestions assume you have the correct hardware:

• via RS232 with MFM, TELCO, or TIMXT
• via the nanoPEB/CF7+'s CF card and Fred Kaal's TI99Dir

 

I don't know much about it yet, but the TIPI I'm sure provides yet another means, and as you say there being many ways to approach it, these are just a few more methods.

[humeur]

And Gotek system is nore more easy ?

 

Usb transfert read with tidir.

 

[+OLD CS1]

10 hours ago, humeur said:

And Gotek system is nore more easy ?

 

Usb transfert read with tidir.

 

The point is to use real floppy disks.

[Omega-TI]

On 5/9/2020 at 12:46 PM, WhataKowinkydink said:

I don't know much about it yet, but the TIPI I'm sure provides yet another means, and as you say there being many ways to approach it, these are just a few more methods.

Multiple ways to get files to the TIPI from the PC...

1) You can use your Internet browser to connect to your TIPI and use it's browser interface.  It automates many functions, even changing V9T9 format to TIFILES.

2) You can use TI99Dir and copy using the dual windows, one on the PC the other on the TIPI, but you may need to manually change V9T9 to TIFILES with TI99Dir.

3) Drag and drop over a "networked" TIPI.  Be aware if it's in V9T9 format, it will not be automatically converted.  You may wonder why the program is not working or showing up.

 

After you get the files to your TIPI, it will require another step to get to the legacy style disk drive or HxC or Gotek.  For this, Force Command is the best option, "I think", simply because I've not been keeping up with things lately and do not know if Fred Kaal has upgraded DM2K to work with the TIPI yet.

[GDMike]

I installed pi desktop, the lightdm I think is what it's called, then added a file manager. 

My laptop has all, or most, programs for the ti and TIpi is seen on the windows network, so I make my folders under the TIpi folder on the pi, then push my laptop to files over.