[Coco] Re: Dumb way to write 3.5" floppy in Coco RSBASIC?

[Richard E. Crislip]

Hello KnudsenMJ at aol.com

I've had very few problems doing that.

On 12/06/03, KnudsenMJ at aol.com wrote:
> I alluded to something in passing that some folks didn't understand what I
> was asking or wondering about. Well, here it is:
> 
> My Coco3 has 3 disk drives -- two 5.25" and one 720K 3.5".
> I use the 3" drive only under OS-9, with the /C0 descriptor.
> 
> Now, my dumb question is this: If I stick a blank 3" floppy in it, and
> while still in RSBASIC, simply type FORMAT #2 (which is what BASIC would
> call this drive), will BASIC go ahead and do a SS 35T format of this disk?
> Without complaining? Probably, RSBASIC doesn't look around very much :-)
> 
> Now, second question: Suppose I copy some BASIC files to this disk, again
> without telling BASIC what I'm doing and hoping it can't tell.
> 
> I then stick this 3.5" floppy in my PC, run Jeff V's Import.exe or
> whatever, and try to read this disk the way I used to read 5.25" floppies
> on my old PC. Will this work?
> Will I have to "lie" to DOS by temporarily hacking the BIOS settings about
> my PC drive? It's a high-density model, and I've heard you have to tell
> the BIOS CMOS settings that it's something else (like 8", I forget).
> 
> Any predictions what will happen? I'd like to find a way to get some BASIC
> code of mine onto the PC for sharing with others. I do have a 5.25" drive,
> actually several, lying around, but don't know their condition . I do have
> room in my PC.
> Thanks, Mike K.
> 
Regards
-- 
Cruisen                                                         _|_
              on AutoPilot with an Amiga   ---o-( )-o---   and a CoCo
 
                                             Richard