MS-DOS 720K format
12 messages in this thread
Is there anyone who knows of a way to format a 3.5 disk under MS-DOS 720K
using the Amiga drives? I've tried using the format program included in
msydos (aprogram uploaded from one of the DL's here) but it keeps crashing?
-JOHN K. – via Whap!
I've done it with CrossDOS, and it worked.
Betty
How high do you have your stack set to when you try and use the format
program? It might be too low. Try setting it higher.
Steve
We're closer!!! Now the program doesn't freeze up anymore but it does
quickly run through all the tracks and says there is an error reading the
tracks and won't format them. It then just exits back to the CLI prompt.
Now What??
-JOHN K. – via Whap!
Hmmm….are you using Double sided/Double Density disks? Or you using High
Density disks? If you're trying to use High Density floppy disks from the
IBM side, you won't be able to read them.
Steve
No I'm just using regular DS/DS disks like I regularly use for the Amiga.
The program works fine reading and writing the disks as long as they have
been previously formatted. The problem is with the utility messyfmt which
is supposed to format a disk under MS-DOS using the Amiga drives while they
are plugged into the Amiga side. As an alternative do you know what type
of commands I need to execute in order to use my Amiga 1010 drive plugged
into the port on the back of the BB card. I remember a batch file to do
this written up in Transactor a long time ago but I can't find that issue.
-JOHN K. – via Whap!
I tried this quite a while ago. I was able to get it to work by popping
the disk and out of the drive (for the messyfmt). I really don't use the
program, so I don't know if the 1010 will work with the BB.
Steve
John,
I use my 1010 all the time with the XT Bridgeboard. Add the
following to your autoexec.bat:
DRIVPARM=/D:1 /F:2
This will enable the BB to use the 1010 as a 720k 3.5" drive. This
command is outlined on page 266 of the MS-DOS manual that comes with your
Bridgeboard.
J.R.
Actually, disregard the previous reply. It still doesn't work. I was juat
trying to format am empty drive when I got all those error messages. When I
tried the proper drive ( Stack size 40000 ) the red drive light goes on and
the process is stuck at "Writing cylinder 0 side 0" .
-JOHN K. – via Whap!
Try using the following syntax: 'format <drive>:/t:80/n:9'
The /t:80 lets the system know that it is 80 trackmedia and the /n:9
lets it know that it is 9 sectors per track for 720K disks.
This should work, also is disk driver in MSDOS stating that the drive is
a 720K format drive?
Bruno Kochan
76665,376
This wont work because the syntax of this program doesnt allow for these
type of flags. The program sets these parameters by asking you
individually for them after you give the command "messyfmt df0:" The
defaults are already set for t:80 and n:9. Is there anyone out there who
has actually used this program successfully?
-JOHN K. – via Whap!
Sorry, I assumed you were doing this from within MS-DOS, I wasn't
following the thread.
🙂
Bruno Kochan
76665,376