Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    
    If all else fails upload the files to the VAX and download them
    to the DS316.  Thier is a good shareware program for IBM compatable
    machines called PROCOMM.  I have both an amiga and an IBM machine
    as well.  Make sure that the files are written to ASCII format with
    no special characters before transfer.
    
    Good luck and let me know what you learn.
    
    By the way does anyone know of a null modem connector to use to
    tye two serial cables together to make a null modem cable?
    
    Harry

    From the description, your problem sounds more basic than file transfer
    protocols.
    
    Step back one step, here.  Can you get terminal emulators on the two
    machines to send text to each other's screens?  If not, check the usual
    suspects -- baud rate, stop bits, etc.  If configurable, set the
    terminal programs to "data leads only" mode.  Also, make sure that the
    serial port on each machine is configured as RS-232 DTE, and that there
    is only one null modem between them.  Cables sometimes present problems
    because there is no easy way to tell which are null modem and which are
    straight through.  (Alternately, connect the DTE on one computer
    to a DCE port on the other with a straight thru cable.)
    
    There are also programs available which will read and write IBM
    720K 3�" floppies on the Amiga.  See other notes in this file. 
    
    Good luck!
    
    Wes

    
    If the DS316 can read a 720K 3.5" disk, you can use PC Tools which come
    with WB 1.3 along with the PD utilities which allow the PC Tools to
    work on 720K disks.  I use this regularly to transfer files back and
    forth at home.  Going from the PC to the Amiga is even easier due to
    the PD tool Crossdos.  See previous notes for both of these utilities.
    
    regards,
    
    steve

Re: .0

Are you using a NULL modem cable?  If not, the Amiga could be sending data
on the same line that the Clone is, and both could be trying to read
the same line.  A NULL modem cable (or connector) swaps two pins so
that when one machine is using a line to write, the other is trying
to read it.

Radio Shack (or any PC store) carries NULL modem cables and adapters.

    
    I haven't really tried the "sending text" test. I will try that
    first. I am not sure about configuring for "data leads only" mode. I am
    using Wecker's VT100 on the Amiga side. Does it configure that way? 
    I also have VT200 on another disk but I haven't tried that one yet.
    
    On the Amiga side, I didn't do any special configuring of the serial
    port. (It works with a modem...)  On the DS side, I used DECmode to set
    the characteristics of the serial port (speed, baud, [no]modem control,
    etc.)
    
    I am sure that it is a null modem because I know that cables are
    straight through and I bought the adapter from Radio Shack.  But many
    things that I "know" aren't necessarily true.  I'll double check that
    as well.
    
    I can upload to a VAX and back down, but when the two are sitting right
    next to each other, it's a little ridiculous to do it.
    
    I have never upgraded to WB 1.3 so I didn't know about PC Tools really.
    I'll check the previous notes.
    
    Thanks for all the help
    
    Mark

    
    Well, for one thing, CrossDOS isn't PD, it's a VERY cheap commercial
    product. There's a TryWare version of it freely available, but since
    it just can read MS-DOS disks on the Amiga, it will not solve your
    problem. CrossDOS can be had from the author (Consultron, see the
    TryWare docs) for ~ $25 and from mail order houses as cheap as $19.95.
    This is VERY good product, priced incredibly good.
    Of course, you would need compatible disk drives on both machines,
    i.e 3.5" drive on the DecStation, or a 5.25" drive on the Amiga.
    On the other hand I see no reason why the DS and the Amy shouldn't
    talk to each other.
    
    Regards,
    
    <CB> 

    
>    Well, for one thing, CrossDOS isn't PD, it's a VERY cheap commercial
>    product. There's a TryWare version of it freely available, but since
    
    Oops, you're right.  But, they don't actually ask for any money if
    you're happy using the freely distributable READONLY version unlike
    shareware products.  If you're going to be transferring files both ways
    between you're DS and Amiga regularly, purchasing CROSSDOS is probably
    the way to go.  Much better than DOS-2-DOS from Central Coast Software
    which I have had for some time.
    
    - steve

    I have spent many hours moving files from my Rainbow to my Amiga.  Evan
    at 19200 Kermit and Xmodem is still slow.  PC Copy is a one file at a
    time point and click.  Cross Dos is the way to go.
                                                      
    Alan
    

    
    Well, I got a hold of a connectivity tester and tested one of my ribbon
    cables. Guess what??? That was the answer. The middle just wasn't
    pressed down enough. Boy, those files transfer fast!! 
    
    After reading what I could through the conference on PCTools from
    1.3Extras, I am still unclear.  Is there a utility on the Amiga that
    will write 3.5 disks in DOS format? It seems like there is but I'm
    unclear.
    
    Also, is there a way to reformat a 3.5 AmigaDOS disk to a DOS format?
    After I transfer, I'll have lots of spare ADOS disks that I would like
    to use on the DS.
    
    Thanks for all of the help,
    
    	Mark

    Re: .9
    
    You'll need both PCTools from the Extras disk plus PCPatch by Werner
    G�nther, which is available from Fish disks and most EasyNet Amiga
    archives. This will allow you to what you want, alas much slower
    and less comfortable than using CrossDOS.
    And there's no reason not to use former AmigaDOS disks as Messy-DOS
    ones, but keep in mind that these disk will have to be 1MB unformatted
    (non-HD) disks and such only can be formatted as 720KB PeeCee disks.
    
    Regards,
    
    <CB>

    I have purchased CrossDos and am going to try to transfer files
    with it.The problem I run into is formatting a blank 3 1/5 inch
    floppy with Mformat.I follow the instructions but every time I go
    to format I get "not a dos device" and the process ends.what am
    I missing ?

    The problem is that the MSdosfilesystem,and device want to be
    mounted,and loaded BEFORE workbench.I edited the mountlist file
    for the MSdos devices an set mount=1.That way when It gets mounted
    in the startup-sequence it loads right away.I am not sure how you
    would get it to work with mount=0 with a new disk.I will say it
    is an exciting piece of software,and solves a lot of problems for
    me.now I need a printing service that has an IBM on line.
    								bill

    re .-1;
    Thanks for the warning.  I hadn't hit that problem yet because I 
    do all my mount commands and come up in an AmigaShell.  I only loadwb
    when I need to.  I saw the warning in the readme file about the mount=1
    setting but I prefer the devices not show up until I need them.
    I have tried mformat yet.
    
    dennis
    

    I used Transcript with crossdos last night.When I selected load
    I was not sure what I would see.Well I saw ALL devices available
    in the requester! Needless to say I was one happy guy.I was not
    sure about Crossdos when I bought it(sat and read the docs,along
    with docs for dos2dos).The mindset that it can't be good at that
    price was working overtime.BTW I called for support,and was again
    very pleased.What other applications have you other noters
     used ?
    							bill

    Browser works ok.
    SDB works ok.
    KindWords works ok.
    IFF2ps20 works ok this makes it a lot easier to print pretty pictures
    on the office Script Printer.
    ARC, PKAX, Zoo,  uuencode and uudecode etc. etc. 
    
    Any one seen PKZip for the Amiga?  This could help .0 with his
    transfers.  Tighter compression = more data per floppy.
    
    DiskDoctor rewrites block 1 and Cross Dos can no longer mount the disk.
    
    SEC a sector editor that I got with my CLtd SCSI 500 made my 5.25 inch
    drive chattered so bad I hit the power switch.  Direct Reads and writes??
    
    If you use the mount=1 flag and a lot of different format types Cross
    Dos will tend to get a trifle confused.  Mount a 180K a 360K and a 720K
    all with a mount flag of 1 and do an info.  All three will take on the
    specs of the last one mounted or accessed.  You have to be real careful
    and not try to copy to the 720K floppy with a 180K floppy in the drive. 
    This is not a bug just the results of real versatile software and me
    doing weird things to it.
    
    The Mount_JDS and Newcon = GURU.
    
    Cross Dos would not read a Rainbow floppy it cannot understand the Boot
    Block.  Leonard Poma feels it should be able to read but he was
    positive it would not be able to write one (10 sectors).   It gets a init 
    failure at the end of the format.
    
    I guess I will need transformer and a MS Dos backup program to break
    the 180K Rainbow to MSDOS barrier.
    
    Also Cross Dos uses a cluster size of 2.  This could cause a problem
    with older versions of MS Dos and Rainbows (Ver 3.10B).
    
    Alan
    
    

    Rainbow (i.e. RX50s) diskettes are single sided quad density (96tpi).
    
    I would've thought it would be hard to read such a beast with a 720k
    5�" drive.
    
    Mike

    Re: .16
    
    Nah, as long as they're not high density, everything is cool, man.
    ;-)
    
    MS-DOG 360KB disks are double density, double sided, 48tpi.
    MS-DOB 720KB (and Amy 880KB) disks _could_ use the same
    characteristics, (I do it all the time with a >1% failure rate),
    but to be on the safe side one should use 96tpi disks (since there
    are 80 tracks to be used after all), which are often referred to
    as quadruple density disks.
    
    Regards,
    
    <CB>

    ok <CB>, makes sense.
    
    Mike