Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site ur-cvsvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!wjh12!talcott!harvard!seismo!rochester!ur-cvsvax!tony From: tony@ur-cvsvax.UUCP (Tony Movshon) Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: IBM => DEC Rainbow??? Message-ID: <152@ur-cvsvax.UUCP> Date: Sat, 15-Dec-84 23:12:53 EST Article-I.D.: ur-cvsva.152 Posted: Sat Dec 15 23:12:53 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 18-Dec-84 03:24:53 EST References: <1971@vax4.UUCP> <10400175@uiucdcs.UUCP> Organization: Center for Visual Science, U. of Rochester Lines: 39 Ok, folks, here's the scoop on Rainbow <==> IBM file transfer. 1. Reading IBM diskettes on the Rainbow This works fine as long as you format the IBM disk (on the IBM) using the command "format drv:/1". This makes the disk a PCDOS 2.0, 9-sector, single-sided, 180 kbyte format. The Rainbow will read these fine as long as the MEDIACHK function is on (the de- fault). A disk formatted in this way may be read and written on the Rainbow. Once written on the Rainbow, however, it is no longer readable on the IBM, hence ... 2. Reading Rainbow diskettes on the IBM The problem here is that the Rainbow's 96 tpi drive has a head narrower than the PC's 48 tpi drive. If you format on the IBM, the Rainbow will only rewrite part of the track. Then the IBM sees only gibberish. The Rainbow's utilities do not permit formatting a disk in IBM PC format. You need to get a program called "Media Master" (MDG Associates, 4573 Heatherglen Ct., Moorpark, CA 93021, 805 529-5073). This is a CP/M-80 package that will format, read and write disks in about 25 different formats. Now, having to copy all your disks under CP/M is a pain if you use MSDOS, BUT ... it turns out that if you take a brand new unformatted diskette (i.e. NOT a preformatted RX50), format it in PCDOS 2.0 format using Media Master, you can write that disk under Rainbow MSDOS and it will read on a PC 99% of the time. So all you do is crank up Media Master, format yourself a bunch of disks, and use these for transfer. Beware: you cannot write these disks successfully on a PC. 3. So ... What you end up with is two sets of disks: formatted and written on the PC, NOT TO BE WRITTEN ON THE RAINBOW; and formatted and written on the Rainbow, NOT TO BE WRITTEN ON THE PC. Works fine, it's just a little tedious. 4. Software for the IBMPC almost never runs on the Rainbow unless it's really just generic MSDOS. Tony Movshon uucp: ... {ihnp4|seismo|allegra}!cmcl2!hipl!tony