Path: news.uiowa.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!sol.ccs.deakin.edu.au!bbs.ausom.oz.au!bbs.ausom.oz.au!not-for-mail From: paw@bbs.ausom.oz.au (Peter Watson) Newsgroups: comp.binaries.apple2 Subject: MSDOS Read/Write Utilities [0/9] Date: 13 Sep 1993 22:04:53 +1000 Organization: AUSOM - The Apple Users Society of Melbourne Lines: 79 Message-ID: <271nl5$6ft@ausom.ausom.oz.au> NNTP-Posting-Host: bbs.ausom.oz.au ========================================================================= MSDOS Tools - Read/WRITE MSDOS Utilities for the IIgs ========================================================================= After a gestation period rivalling an elephant's, at long last, here are my MSDOS Utilities! These utilities can read, *WRITE*, format, etc. MSDOS disks of (almost) any type. The disks that are created or written to are quite happily recognized by Apple's MSDOS FST, and for that matter are given the OK on a PC by Norton's Utilities. What is the benefit of my MSDOS Utilities over Apple's MSDOS FST? For reading from MSDOS disks, not a lot - except that the MSDOS FST does not do any text file conversion when copying files, and does not appear to be able to handle partitioned disks (eg. SyQuest cartridges) or PC Transporter MSDOS partition files On the other hand, Apple's FST does not support WRITING to MSDOS disks in any way (eg. copying files to MSDOS disks, formatting disks, renaming files, etc), all items supported by the utilities. Also, the MSDOS FST requires GS/OS System 6.01, while the MSDOS utilities should work with System 4.0, and certainly with System 5.02 and later. Hardware Requirements ===================== The programs were designed on a system using the Apple II 3.5 Disk Controller with an Apple 3.5" 1.44Mb 'SuperDrive'. They have also been tested with an Applied Engineering High Density drive attached to Apple's controller card, with a 5.25" drive attached to a PC Transporter, and with a SyQuest 44Mb drive formatted for MSDOS attached to an Apple High Speed SCSI controller card. Any MSDOS SCSI disk *should* be supported, as in fact should *ANY* disk drive that is capable of reading a block from a disk formatted for MSDOS. If you are unsure, try using a disk zap utility to read block 0. If you don't get an I/O error, then the utilities should work with it! The utilities will also work with a PC Transporter MSDOS partition file on a GS/OS hard disk. Note: The utilities *cannot* access a 720K MSDOS disk in an Apple 800K drive. Although the PC Transporter allows this in PC mode, it does not appear to work in GS mode. (They *can* read an MSDOS 800K disk created by the PC Transporter.) Software Requirements ===================== The utilities require a command shell such as ORCA/M, ProSel, or GNO. For those users who don't have one - a simple command shell is provided! (It will work with other utilities too!) Shareware Requirements ====================== This files are SHAREWARE. That means you may copy them and are encouraged to give copies to your friends. You may use the utility programs for a period of two weeks. At the end of that time you are required to send the SHAREWARE fee to the address below, or to erase any copies that you have. When I receive your SHAREWARE fee, I will send you the latest version of all the MSDOS utilities, and register you as a legitimate user. This will entitle you to support, and any suggestions you may have are much more likely to be acted on. Registered users are entitled to use any future (non-commercial) upgrades for free. The SHAREWARE fee for these utilities is US$15.00 (AUS$20.00). Peter Watson PO Box 493 Doncaster Vic 3108 Australia Comments by email are welcome, to InterNet address is paw@ausom.oz.au ===================================================================== -- || Peter A Watson || Telephone: (03) 894-1087 [+613] 894-1087 || || PO Box 493 || InterNet : paw@ausom.oz.au || || Doncaster Vic || "On a clear disk you can seek forever!" || || Australia 3108 || "XYZZY..PLUGH..MOOF..What is that $%^& password?" ||