Bootstrapping a CP/M system to usability :)

From: Doc Shipley <doc_at_mdrconsult.com>
Date: Thu Jul 18 01:37:01 2002

On Thu, 18 Jul 2002, Gary Hildebrand wrote:
>
> I do know that the 1571 will read an IBM 360k DSDD disk format. I was
> going to try to copy my Osborne software off, but it is SSSD and the
> 1571 don't do those disks, only the double density Ozzie disks. NUTS!!
>
> I'm looking for a working 360k IBM drive to copy stuff from the Linux PC
> here to the 128 cp/m system. Serial transfers work too, and since the
> files are pretty short as a rule it shouldn't take long.

To make a 360k floppy in Linux:

  fdformat /dev/fdXh360
  mkfs -t msdos /dev/fdXh360 # or
  mkdosfs /dev/fdXh360

 on my Debian box, with a standard 1.2M 5.25" drive. "X" is the drive
#. On older Slackware, IIRC, it was fdXH360, so you might wanna check.
  So let me get this straight. I have a 128D, with an external 1541.
Assuming that the 6-pin DIN male-male cable that came with it is right,
I can format a DSDD floppy in the 1541, and read files from a 360k DOS
floppy to the Commodore-formatted disk.

  In my googling for the pinout of the above-mentioned cable, I came
across some plans & software to attach a 1541 drive to a PCs parallel
port. Has anybody tried it?

        Doc
Received on Thu Jul 18 2002 - 01:37:01 BST