=========================================================================
 
INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Wed,  7 Feb 90       Volume 90 : Issue  169
 
Today's Topics:
                           GCR-Mac240 query
             Inquiring GDOS Status for Prospero Languages
               Is there a (reliable) CHKDSK for the ST?
                     mail in your warantee cards
                           SAMPLE SWAPPING
                          Supra, Spectre GCR
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Date: 7 Feb 90 12:29:00 EST
From: "V5130C::MENTON" <menton%v5130c.decnet@nrl3.arpa>
Subject: GCR-Mac240 query
 
      Is anyone using the terminal program "Mac240" under David Small's Spectre
GCR Mac emulator?  The keypad functions do not seem to work, other than echoing
similar keys on the main keyboard.  I tried invoking the 'Mac Plus' mode in
Spectre, but no change.  Using Mac240 to log onto a VAX, it's very inconvenient
to do EDT keypad editing by using pull-down menus; direct use of the keypad
keys would be much better.  By the way, EDT keypad editing IS supported in
Mac240 when run on a Mac II (and other Macs with keypads, I would guess).
 
                                        - Bob Menton KG3J
                                ARPAnet: MENTON%V5120.DECNET@CCF.NRL.NAVY.MIL
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Wed,  7 Feb 90 11:32:36 PST
From: phch020%dwuuni21.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU
Subject: Inquiring GDOS Status for Prospero Languages
 
Date:     Wed, 7 Feb 90   20:30h cet
From:     <phch020@dwuuni21.BITNET>  "Th.-M. Kruel"
To:       <info-atari16@score.STANFORD.EDU>
Subject:  Inquiring GDOS Status for Prospero Languages
 
Two weeks ago I asked about how to inquire GDOS. Thanks to all who posted.
Here is the solution suitable for Prospero languages:
(adapted to Prospero Macro assembler)
 
 
      xdef  vq_gdos     ; announce global reference
 
      section .code
 
vq_gdos
      movea.l 4(sp),a0  ; get address of the argument
      move.w  #-2,d0    ; set d0 to -2
      trap    #2        ; call system (GDOS will modify d0)
      cmp.w   #-2,d0    ; compare d0 with -2
      sne     d0        ; test condition, sets d0 = 0 if true, otherwise -1
      ext.w   d0        ; extend to 16 bit
      move.w  d0,(a0)   ; move d0 to address in a0
 
      move.l  (sp)+,a0  ; move stackpointer to a0
      adda.w  #4,sp     ; add 4
      jmp     (a0)      ; jump to the address in a0 (back to calling program)
 
 
 from Pascal:  vq_gdos (i_gdos)     (where: var i_gdos:integer2)
 returns -1 if GDOS loaded, otherwise 0.
 
 
Thomas-Martin Kruel     Inst.f.Physikal.Chemie d.Univ.Wuerzburg, Marcusstr.9-11
                        D-8700 Wuerzburg, West Germany
BITNET:                 <phch020@dwuuni21.bitnet>
EAN:                    <kruel@vax.rz.uni-wuerzburg.dbp.de>
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 6 Feb 90 16:15:36 GMT
From: eagle!ncastellano@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU
Subject: Is there a (reliable) CHKDSK for the ST?
Message-ID: <6405@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
 
In article <1255@lzsc.ATT.COM>, hcj@lzsc.ATT.COM (HC Johnson) writes:
> In article <1990Jan31.032956.28008@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca>,
 romwa@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (Royal Ontario Museum) writes:
>> Sorry if this has come up before, but I am really in need of info
>> regarding a reliable way to verify the integrity of the FAT.
>> Hopefully, the program should also go ahead and fix lost clusters,
>> etc. as automatically as possible.
>>
> fsck.prg was previously posted.  It works well up the 16 meg partitions.
>
> Since TOS 1.4 supports up to 32 Meg partitions, I have modified fsck.prg.
> I will send it to anyone who writes.
>
> Howard C. Johnson
> ATT Bell Labs
> =====NEW address====
> att!lzsc!hcj
> hcj@lzsc.att.com
 
I recently used this program to un-scramble a very scrambled partition on my
Megafile 30.  Only problem, was when I told it to reclaim unused clusters, it
also reclaimed a cluster that was marked bad in my FAT.  I had to restore it by
hand using a sector editor (I happened to know what sector it was.)  Are there
any programs out there which don't have this "feature"?
 
 
 
--
_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_
Mathematics is the subject in which we never know what we are talking about,
nor whether what we are saying is true.  -Bertrand Russell
_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_
Nicholas Steven Castellano     | Box 4127 Wesleyan Station | Disclaimer: I am
ncastellano@eagle.wesleyan.edu | Middletown CT 06457       | irresponsible.
_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 7 Feb 90 19:20:25 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!usc!orion.oac.uci.edu!uci-ics!ajauch@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
 (Alexander Edwin Jauch)
Subject: mail in your warantee cards
Message-ID: <25D074F9.5908@paris.ics.uci.edu>
 
In article <1269@lzsc.ATT.COM> hcj@lzsc.ATT.COM (HC Johnson) writes:
>Last night I was reading a note posted by someone "whining" that
>the firm making PC-DITTO wouldn't let him buy the newest version
>at half price because he missed the cut off by 7 months.
>(The particular product is not the issue here).
>His view was that he had only neglected to send in his registration.
>
>Seems that only something good can come from registering what you buy.
>In this case he lost $150 value by not doing so.
 
I think that this is illegal in California.  I do know that you are entitled to
a full warranty under California law whether or not you send in your card.
Updates might be another matter however.
 
Alex Jauch
ajauch@bonnie
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 7 Feb 90 17:37:55 GMT
From: eru!luth!sunic!lth.se!venus-4.efd.lth.se!d88pt@BLOOM-BEACON.MIT.EDU
 (Peter Tomaszewski)
Subject: SAMPLE SWAPPING
Message-ID: <1990Feb7.173755.9450@lth.se>
 
...............................................................................
 
Hi Atari users.
 
I'm interrested in swapping samples in SOUNDDESIGNER (Digidesign) format.
I also swap X7000/S700 samples. I have a publicdomain sampledump-program
for Akai X7000/S700 if someone is interested. It will make sample swappi-
ng easy for those who haven't got the sounddesigner-program.
 
 
Please reply by email to...
 
           d88pt@efd.lth.se
 
...............................................................................
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 7 Feb 90 18:55:55 GMT
From: ogicse!blake!ramsiri@decwrl.dec.com  (Enartloc Nhoj)
Subject: Supra, Spectre GCR
Message-ID: <5650@blake.acs.washington.edu>
 
In article <1267@lzsc.ATT.COM> hcj@lzsc.ATT.COM (HC Johnson) writes:
>In article <5586@blake.acs.washington.edu>, ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu
 (Enartloc Nhoj) writes:
>> I thought i'd pass on my experience with Supra v3.37 and GCR.
>>
>> Upon getting GCR about 2 weeks ago, i reformatted my Quantum 80S
>
>Here are some "gotchas".
>
>First, as far a SUPRA and Spectre are concerned, there are 12 partitions
>on a disk.  All of the information is kept in sector 0.  It sounds as
>if you have corruption in some of the areas.
>Use suputl.prg to set to 0 the partitions that done exist.
>I have noticed that some garbage values prevent suputl from doing this.
>Then use supedit.prg to (CAREFULLY) set the partitions to 0.
>
>Second. there are two kinds of disk drives.  SCSI drives take care of
>defective areas automatically.  All other drives require that the formatter
>handle the problem.  Most (all?) SUPRA controllers contain an Adaptec
>4000 (MFM) or 4070 (RLL) controller.
>Adaptec controllers EXPECT to be told the defect list for the disk.
>Adaptec then makes these sectors disappear; they are not numbered or
 accessable.
>Howard C. Johnson
>ATT Bell Labs
>=====NEW address====
 
 
 
Thanks for responding.
The denoument:
 
Briefly,
 
 
        When i got GCR, i went into Supra to low-level format
my Quantum 80S (84MB drive).  Starting from C:\, i worked my way
down like so:  9MB, 9MB, 6MB, 15MB, 4.5MB, 10MB, and when i did
CALCULATE, the window showed 30.19 .. so i set my SEVENTH
partition to 30.19.. did CALCULATE and got EXCESS is 0.00.
Partition I:\ was 30.19, Supra gave me a *WARNING* that this
partition could not be used for GEMDOS... i clicked on CONTINUE..
i formatted the drive.. all 164,000+ sectors with 0 BAD SECTORS
(the Quantum has a built-in SCSI).. I then went into Spectre and
proceeded to format the last 3 partitions (G:\ H:\ and I:\) to
MAC HFS format.. it was in SPectre that i noticed two more partitions
of 12MB and 6MB respectively.  The Spectre format utility shows
the type and size of each partition.. all the sizes looked accurate
.. including the 30MB partition number 7.  For experiment, i decided
to format partitions G-I PLUS the "new" partitions at the end for
HFS mac mode...  i wanted to see if i could write to the new partitions.
Spectre formatted them in seconds.. i then booted up into mac mode
and opened up all 5 windows.. checked sizes and so on... they
all looked correct...  i then started loading a bunch of PD stuff
and so on onto the outer last two partitions..  reading and writing
to them was perfectly flawless.. i then wrote to the 30MB and all
was well there too....  it wasn't until i tried to really
load up the 30MB that i found that it couldn't take more than
12MB... i finally realized that these partitions were the sizes
i had BEFORE getting GCR....
 
I went back into Supra and discovered what had really happened.
I don't think this is a case of user idocy.. others may in fact
think so...:
 
I examined the partition sizes in the format window...
everything checked out fine.. but then i noticed beyond the
30MB partition.. i had to scroll the windo there.. were the
two partitions J:\12MB and K:\6MB  ..!  now.. this was obviously
the problem...   My question is: why when i originally set the
partition sizes did those two still exist even after the 30.19
meg set the excess to 0.00?  Seem like Supra should have realized
the numbers added up to over 100MB for an 80MB controller..
Never was there a warning.. also.. becasue the windo only shows
4 partitions at a time.. those last ones were not visible as
i set my "last" one to 30.19.   I must not have seen the grayed
scroll bar... nonetheless, this doesn't justify the formatting
routine to continue with "apparent" success...!  Not only that,
Supra did NOT format the 30MB partition, instead, it defaulted
to the original 12MB... and then formatted the ones that shouldn't
have been there....  what was strange, of course, is that
the formatting utility window showed 30MB still... even though
we all know there was only 12MB in there.....  NOt only that..
i went so far as to use these partitions under the MAC OS..
 
anyway...  when i look back at it... the formatting should never
have proceeded...  also.. i think that when someone resets the
partition sizes and begins at C:\
  works the way down until EXCESS = 0.00  .. doesn't seem like
there should be any partitions lurking under some scroll
bar....
 
-kevin
ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu
 
BTW:  it would have been a more interesting problem if
      what Howard thought were actually true.. at least my
      aggravation would have been worth something...
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #169
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