CoCo Floppies: Was:These darned old computers

From: Lawrence Walker <lgwalker_at_mts.net>
Date: Wed Aug 28 20:50:25 2002

> On Wed, 28 Aug 2002, Lawrence Walker wrote:
> > I haven't worked on my M.2 for a long time (since I first got it about 3 or 4
> >
> > yrs. ago, and I'm also missing the cables for the 3 HDs) It was
> > recommended by several people that I transfer the programs I have from 8" to 5
> > 1/4 disks (unless bit-rot has already got to them) and I believe there's a faq
> > on how to do that. Do you know if the disk controller on the model 2 /16 is
> > the same as on the other RS models ? If so possibly I could just transfer them
> > to another format.
>
> The Model 2/16 is MFM, with a 500K data transfer rate.
> The Model 1 is FM with a 125K data transfer rate
> The Model 1 with "doubler", and Model 3/4, and Coco, and M100 DVI, are MFM
> with 250K data transfer rate.
>
> All seem to be Western Digital, with reasonably "ordinary" format, except
> for D.A.M. issues with model 1.
>
> What you COULD do is to cable a 5.25" "1.2M" drive to the Model
> 2/16. When using 600 Oerstedt disks (aka "1.2M"), it doesn't have to know
> that it is no longer talking to an 8".
>
>
> > Undoubtably the 8" disks would copy (discounting bit-rot) and I have seen it
> > mentioned on disk recovery sites but I can't afford thier high prices. It used
> > an early Shugart SS/sd(?) 8" disk. I guess it would require some sort of disk
> > image program for 8 " floppies.
>
> WHAT are you referring to?
> Reading disks with another machine?

Yes

> Reading the disks with that machine and serial transfer?

No, I don't have a serial communication program for it nor any of the
hardware.
>
> > Was there any disk image program for the model 2 ?
>
> WHAT are you referring to?
> Software running on Model 2 that could read raw sectors from disks
> from other machines?

 Yes or any other machine that could do a raw image. I referred to the M.2
only because it is my only working box that uses 8" disks. I do have an
H-77 and an external TRS 8" drive(couldn't dig it out to check the model #)
and of course the original Shugart drive (also buried). The idea being to use
one of the 8" drives on another machine or the M2 to make copies on a drive
with a newer format.

> Software running on Model 2 that could read files from disks from
> other machines?

 Ok, but likely not possible.

> Software running on Model 2 that could create a raw file of the sectors of
> a Model 2 disk?
>
 If that was the only way of transferring the m.2 disks to a newer format
ok, but that wouldn't answer my problems with transferring the MICOM
disks to another format for preservation.

 Sorry if I didn't make myself clear.

Lawrence
lgwalker_at_mts.net
bigwalk_ca_at_yahoo.com
Received on Wed Aug 28 2002 - 20:50:25 BST