ST and floppies

[Luigi301]

I've got a 520ST and an external disk drive. I have no games for it. Is there any way to write ST disks with my PC's floppy drive?

[javiero]

You should format 720k disks, those work fine in any ST...

[Mindfield]

Not necessarily -- depends on your PC's drive mech. My floppy can't even format to 720k -- at least, not using high density disks.

[reesclissold]

Windows 95 and 98 can work with and format 720kb DD disks. But they may not work in the ST. Format them on the ST, then use the PC to copy files to them. I currently have an old laptop set up to do just this, so I know it works!

 

Support for DD disks was removed in 2000 and XP. Also as some people have rightly pointed out, some modern drive mechanisms don't support it.

[+Mitch]

Support for DD disks was removed in 2000 and XP.

977953[/snapback]

 

Removed, no; hidden, yes.

 

Mitch

[+Mitch]

Not necessarily -- depends on your PC's drive mech.  My floppy can't even format to 720k -- at least, not using high density disks.

977748[/snapback]

 

You did cover the extra hole on the floppy disk, right?

 

Mitch

[+remowilliams]

Not necessarily -- depends on your PC's drive mech.  My floppy can't even format to 720k -- at least, not using high density disks.

977748[/snapback]

 

You did cover the extra hole on the floppy disk, right?

 

Mitch

978180[/snapback]

My main PC floppy mech will read and write DDs (720K formatted on ST)

 

It won't format DDs or HDs with the hole taped over though.

[Rybags]

Using HDs with the hole taped over, and DD in HD drives is a lottery. HD drives apparently use a less powerful magnetic field, so disks written on them will not always read back properly on DD drives.

[+remowilliams]

Using HDs with the hole taped over, and DD in HD drives is a lottery.  HD drives apparently use a less powerful magnetic field, so disks written on them will not always read back properly on DD drives.

978270[/snapback]

Yeah, that magnetic field/media difference is why anything I'm going to use on the ST/Amiga/IIGS get's written to actual DS/DD disks. Writing DS/DD to HD - not so good.

[walter_J64bit]

Ho that's why I cant get any of my ST files off my PC

[reesclissold]

Support for DD disks was removed in 2000 and XP.

977953[/snapback]

 

Removed, no; hidden, yes.

 

Mitch

978179[/snapback]

 

Really? If you could tell me how to turn it back on (so it just works in Exporer without any faffing around) I would greatly appreciate it! I'm intrigued now... Apparently I don't know everything there is to know about XP!

[+Mitch]

Support for DD disks was removed in 2000 and XP.

977953[/snapback]

 

Removed, no; hidden, yes.

 

Mitch

978179[/snapback]

 

Really? If you could tell me how to turn it back on (so it just works in Exporer without any faffing around) I would greatly appreciate it! I'm intrigued now... Apparently I don't know everything there is to know about XP!

978581[/snapback]

 

If you are just trying to read them you should be able to access them like a normal floppy. If you need to format them, you need to do it from the command line (or use a bat file). The command is:

 

FORMAT A: /T:80 /N:9

 

Mitch

[Mindfield]

Support for DD disks was removed in 2000 and XP.

977953[/snapback]

 

Removed, no; hidden, yes.

 

Mitch

978179[/snapback]

 

If you're referring to command-line formatting with the /T /N switches, been there, done that, didn't work. (I always format floppies from the command line -- force of habit I guess; plus I have my DOS shell bound to a hotkey, so it's quicker)

 

Not necessarily -- depends on your PC's drive mech.  My floppy can't even format to 720k -- at least, not using high density disks.

977748[/snapback]

 

You did cover the extra hole on the floppy disk, right?

 

Mitch

978180[/snapback]

 

This matters? Does it refuse to format low density if the sensor finds the other hole?

 

I'd buy DS/DD 3.5" floppies if I could find 'em, but alas all you can still buy are high density disks.

 

Thing is I had no trouble on my old system a couple years back -- I could use MAKEDISK to write out anything up to 82/10/2 (820k) or read in anything of the same format. (11 sector disks were a writeoff -- I couldn't read or write those, not that they were very common anyway) Not so with my current mech. (Admittedly I'm running XP now, so that may make a difference. I should try from within a virtual machine running 98)

[+remowilliams]

This matters?  Does it refuse to format low density if the sensor finds the other hole?

 

I'd buy DS/DD 3.5" floppies if I could find 'em, but alas all you can still buy are high density disks.

979010[/snapback]

In my experience, yes - it won't format DS/DD with the HD hole exposed.

 

This place looks like they're still selling new DS/DD floppies.

[Sikor]

Better way are using "PARCP" or "Ghost Link" hardware and software - it working fine and are no problem with it.

Other method: use HD floppy in your ST (I know, you must change WD1772 to use HD format and add one wireless cable to do it, round signal cable at 180 degrees and change id drive from D0 to D1 (jumper or solder)).

Edited December 9, 2005 by Sikor

[+remowilliams]

Better way are using "PARCP" or "Ghost Link" hardware and software - it working fine and are no problem with it.

Other method: use HD floppy in your ST (I know, you must change WD1772 to use HD format and add one wireless cable to do it, round signal cable at 180 degrees and change id drive from D0 to D1 (jumper or solder)).

979251[/snapback]

Good software. Though I took the easy route and just write .MSAs to 1.44MB floppies and read 'em on the Falcon

Edited December 9, 2005 by remowilliams

[TheAtariKing]

Ho that's why I cant get any of my ST files off my PC 

978403[/snapback]

 

Why not buy some DS/DD disks? I would be willing to sell you a 100 DS/DD disks for only $50. That is only 50 cents per disk, which is cheap when you consider how hard these are to find, even on eBay. I have a closet full of these disks. I have been stocking up on them because I plan to keep my Amiga and Atari ST computers for the next 30+ years. I mainly use hard drives, CD-Rom drives, and ZIP-100 disk drives, but it is always nice to have some disks, just in case I ever do need them.