Hi all. Thanks for all the help!
To mount a PC0 or PC1 drive I will have to edit a file in the drawer DEVS?
Not sure what you mean by: For PC1 with info set at C:Mount Activate=1 Unit=1 [ thats the info file ]
Do I only have to edit this file as in your listing?
I also will need CrossDos for reading DOS floppies?
Sorry, but I am not a very experienced Amiga user. I managed to install WHD load and some games, but that's all.
Hope you can help me setting up my A1200 and the external 5.25 drive step by step to read DOS floppies.
Thanks!
To read a PC disk the first thing you need is the CrossDOSFileSystem in your l [ L ] drawer. This is kinda chicken and egg depending on the way you currently get PC stuff off the web onto your computer. CrossDOS I assume is available from Aminet. The File System came free with loads of Amiga cover disks. Thing is you can activate the normal DF0 so that it can read DD disks and if you have an old PC with a floppy you can format them so they are the lower 880kb size and not the 1.4MB size drive. Older PCs had two options to format floppies. They can format HD disks so they are the lower capacity suitable for the Amiga.
In the Storage drawer on your Amiga there is a PC0 tool which has an associated info file. Most Amiga files come in two parts. The icon that you see is the info file. Without it the tool is not visible on the Workbench normally. The info file or project is the one that has the Unit Number that activates the drive 1 or Unit=1 that I spoke of. As PC0: it is currently set to Unit=0. You can check this by simply highlighting the PC0: from the open drawer in Storage and from the Amiga menu simply click info and you will see an icon (project) window open.
I am not sure how much you know but a simple text editor can open all files on your computer. So with a text editor you can open the PC0 in your Storage DOSDrivers and edit the mount file as I gave you and save it to your DEVS:DOSDrivers drawer as renamed PC1:
Like I say the tool activates the CrossDOSFileSystem in your L drawer and you need to get a copy in that drawer some how. The great thing is that once you have CrossDOS you can insert an 880KB formatted disk from any PC and it will read what is on there.
A good text editor is CED [ CygnusEd ] but there are many. I also use DOPus IV which came free with CUAmiga disk 100. I'm pretty sure you can download the disk from somewhere. DOPus is a file manager. Most cover disks are on the web and they can be downloaded as ADF files. With an ADF file transferred to your computer you can use a tool like ADFBlitzer to create Amiga floppy disks. I guess you know that though. Having cover disks with CrossDOS , SysInfo, SnoopDOS, CED, DOpus are very useful when setting up your Amiga.
The info file is easy to edit. Simply highlight the file in your DEVS:DOSDrivers drawer and then from the Amiga menu simply click info and like magic you will see the icon info box and you can edit the Unit number in there and save. If the icon is not there for some reason copy across the one from your STORAGE: DOSDrivers PC0 and rename it. As I say I use DOpus for all this.
If you make sure you keep a copy of everything before you start messing about it shoudn't be a problem. Probably better to simply copy the PC0 to your DEVS: DOSDrivers first cus it will then bring with it the Info file.
Info files are great because they also carry the image which makes them great for editing and copying so you can make all your own icons. I use a tool called IconCopy but then I am OS3.0 and 3.1 for the most part and use old icons.
Remember cover disks are a great source of information and tools and they are littered all over the internet. You may already have a Text Editor and know how to use it so sorry if I'm telling you how to suck eggs. OS3.9 comes with a text editor.
That's a start anyway. Have a play. Setting up the system with CrossDOS is your first task. Don't forget to leave a PC0: in the Devs:DOSdrivers drawer or your DF0: wont read PC disks . The rear drive port is DF1: and relates to PC1: So when your done you should have a PC1: and PC0: in the Devs:DOSDrivers drawer.
These will automatically be mounted when you boot your machine. If you don't want that to happen simply put them in another drawer of your making and then click them to activate them when you want to read PC disks. If you click the icon after its been mounted the computer simply advises that the drive is already mounted.
By the way.. 8 and 3 ... eight and three .. there are ways to get around PC file names but if you work in DOS mode it probably is going to help you with your 5.25" drive when its working. DOS file names 8 and 3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8.3_filenameIts why all my web pages are saved as HTM and not HTML. Files on your PC disk will be modified when read by the Amiga. Trouble is the same file name like AmigaWorkbench disk 1
and AmigaWorkbench disk 2 will probably look like Amig~01 and Amig~02 and so making them difficult to work out what they are. Depends on your OS. But be mindful of the issues between PC disks and Amiga file names. CDs are easier to read and ZIPS OK when set up using the FAT system. But that's another story.
Better go. Have fun.
