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#1
Software / Interesting HDDriver discussio...
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 01-02-2025, 22:36:40This popped up over at Atari-Forum.
Pretty interesting stuff.
"HD Driver works on your 030+ Atari just by coincidence"
https://www.atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=44646
Pretty interesting stuff.
"HD Driver works on your 030+ Atari just by coincidence"
https://www.atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=44646
#2
News / Re: How to be useless
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 19-01-2025, 19:11:11I have to admit that it's pretty surprising, as long as the ST
has been around, that there's still misunderstanding about TOS
and it's specifications for hard drive use.
All a person has to do is google for 5 minutes and the info is
all there...
has been around, that there's still misunderstanding about TOS
and it's specifications for hard drive use.
All a person has to do is google for 5 minutes and the info is
all there...
#3
News / Re: How to be useless
Last post by Petari - 19-01-2025, 13:32:28And more crap from AA : More bad answers
Forrest wrote: " ... The ICD supports up to 16 (?) hard drive partitions, ranging in size from 16 MB to 2 GB. ... "
Count of supported partitions depends from TOS, TOS version in first place. And it is known thing. Just not at idiot forums.
Partitions sizes - same, max partition size depends from TOS and TOS version in first place. And no, no 2 GB partition size with ST, STE . 512 MB is max . TOS 4.04 supports max 1 GB partitions, but it is for Falcon, what has no ACSI port, so ICD driver works not with it.
This is really about 1000-st bad posting about it at AA. What is goal of admin ? Big count of posts instead correct replies, knowledge ? Just pathetic.
Forrest wrote: " ... The ICD supports up to 16 (?) hard drive partitions, ranging in size from 16 MB to 2 GB. ... "
Count of supported partitions depends from TOS, TOS version in first place. And it is known thing. Just not at idiot forums.
Partitions sizes - same, max partition size depends from TOS and TOS version in first place. And no, no 2 GB partition size with ST, STE . 512 MB is max . TOS 4.04 supports max 1 GB partitions, but it is for Falcon, what has no ACSI port, so ICD driver works not with it.
This is really about 1000-st bad posting about it at AA. What is goal of admin ? Big count of posts instead correct replies, knowledge ? Just pathetic.
#4
Hardware / Re: And more idiotic blah at A...
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 12-01-2025, 18:33:19I saw that post. I thought it was funny when he said it wasn't one of your games,
because it was obvious that would be one of the first things someone would blame
it on.
because it was obvious that would be one of the first things someone would blame
it on.
#5
Hardware / And more idiotic blah at AA
Last post by Petari - 12-01-2025, 13:47:42AA thread
And that Yellowman wrote "It wasn't a game that was patched by Ppera." What a relief ! Usual suspect is not guilty ! Because, it looks that those want harm me, my works, potential users of it made effect with their lies and bullshit nonsense - moronic forum bans people with knowledge, but does nothing when obvious lies, nonsenses are written - what matters is that who posted is ass licker type - will not write anything against forum staff, or dare to write some critic, even constructive.
And it looks that Yellowman uses pirate copy of my hard disk driver/partitioner SW - I don't see him among registered users, and he does not know details about how all it works. However, did not claim that ICD driver destroyed UltraSatan firmware - of course, they are not hackers.
So, Yellowman, what I do are not game patches. If you'd care about some respect toward man who spent thousands of hours and days dealing with all it, you should at least use proper terms. And read what I wrote on my WEB pages, in my forum.
There is no SW what can destroy HW, firmware - when it is well designed and set properly. I wrote already to Jookie when idiot at AA wrote that may game hacks destroyed his US . He was very mad because it.
Actually, only reasonable explanation about it, and why it happens now much more often is: lower and lower quality of electronic/computer/microcontroller components. As it is with lot of new products.
So, blame not Ppera, blame those new manufacturers and people leading such companies because being money hungry and corrupt. All they want is to sell more and more, even at price of more environment pollution, unsatisfied customers, and lot of wasted time and energy because all of it. This cretenism must end. We, ordinary humans deserve better .
And that Yellowman wrote "It wasn't a game that was patched by Ppera." What a relief ! Usual suspect is not guilty ! Because, it looks that those want harm me, my works, potential users of it made effect with their lies and bullshit nonsense - moronic forum bans people with knowledge, but does nothing when obvious lies, nonsenses are written - what matters is that who posted is ass licker type - will not write anything against forum staff, or dare to write some critic, even constructive.
And it looks that Yellowman uses pirate copy of my hard disk driver/partitioner SW - I don't see him among registered users, and he does not know details about how all it works. However, did not claim that ICD driver destroyed UltraSatan firmware - of course, they are not hackers.
So, Yellowman, what I do are not game patches. If you'd care about some respect toward man who spent thousands of hours and days dealing with all it, you should at least use proper terms. And read what I wrote on my WEB pages, in my forum.
There is no SW what can destroy HW, firmware - when it is well designed and set properly. I wrote already to Jookie when idiot at AA wrote that may game hacks destroyed his US . He was very mad because it.
Actually, only reasonable explanation about it, and why it happens now much more often is: lower and lower quality of electronic/computer/microcontroller components. As it is with lot of new products.
So, blame not Ppera, blame those new manufacturers and people leading such companies because being money hungry and corrupt. All they want is to sell more and more, even at price of more environment pollution, unsatisfied customers, and lot of wasted time and energy because all of it. This cretenism must end. We, ordinary humans deserve better .
#6
Software / Re: Updated Virtual Floppy fun...
Last post by Petari - 11-01-2025, 16:30:49 And details, for those not knowing about, or, I dare to say - being misinformed (that's why we have Atari ST 'great' forums ) :
About my hard disk driver/partitioner SW:
Key features: it works with TOS/DOS compatible partitions, which are created with my partitioner SW, running on Atari ST. What means easy and simple file/data transfers with some popular modern computer - PC with Win, Linux, MacOS ... As now Flash cards are mostly used as storage, all you need is to connect card to modern computer via USB reader (what supports write too, btw. :-) ) . Then can access partitions on SD/CF card and do transfers. Related with it is LFN filtering ( (Windows) long file name) filtering. Important thing in this Internet times, when people DL-ads lot of it from that. And I see all time archives intended for Atari ST, filled with long filenames. That's just one of many thing when it is done not properly. If files/DIRs with LFN are copied to Atari ST partition, it can make more problems than just not being able to access that file. So, LFN filtering will prevent diverse file losses in such cases,.
Extra functions, features: simple selection of partition, which will be active: in case of hard disk usage, dirve C: will be active on, what means that AUTO folder run, loading DESKTOP.INF will be performed from it, instead of A: (floppy boot) . However users may want to boot with different configurations. For that, diverse boot managards were programmed. Using of them may be not so simple, and they eat some RAM. There is much better and simpler solution - swapping partition C with some higher at boot. Of course, that means that higher partition will be C: , and part. C on disk will become that higher one - like E: , if user pressed key E .
Good for easy selection between different boot configs.
Virtual Floppy: I developed it since 2019, and it is welcome as we are in years when old Atari ST floppy drives and disks became very old, unreliable or just not working at all. Still there is lot of SW, data what people want to run, use, and it is on floppies. Solution is to make image files of them (what should be done much earlier - I did it around 2000 with my floppies) . Can be done with little older PC (with floppy drive) or with help of someone - with equipment. When having image files (ST format) it is well usable with Virtual Floppy SW. And combining it with hard disk driver is pretty good and efficient solution.
More special features, not present in other driver SW:
Adding automatically drive icons D-P to Desktop . TOS/Desktop will put automatically icon for drive C: to Desktop, regardless of how many other partitions were mounted - stays for TOS 1.xx . It can be added manually, but that needs some user's clicks and editing, for every extra partition over C: .
Multiple Sections: special feature, and for advanced users with some practice. It makes possible to use with Atari ST whole capacity of larger SD cards, despite of TOS limit of 7 GB storage space (max 14x max 512 MB size) . It works so, that after boot can select active section for current session, and it will act as regular hard drive type media. While must be not at start of SD card. Includes special driver installers for first, and for later sections.
Supported hard disks/adapters for, Flash card adapter types:
Basic ACSI adapters (for old SCSI hard disks up to 1 GB), IDE adapters - Falcon, ST(E), TT with IDE adapters. TOS extensions for IDE auto boot available for older TOS versions (as only TOS 2.06 has IDE autoboot) .
And IDE adapters work with CF cards too - mostly Sandisk brand only.
ICD extended ACSI adapters (over 1 GB accessible) - that's what is most used now: UltraSatan, ACSI2STM, SD4ST adapters .
And Atari ST(E) HW emulators: MiSTer .
And driver SW is welcome with SW Atari ST(E) emulators too - Steem (Basic ACSI), Steem SSE, Hatari . For real hard disk emulation, and not for so called GemDrive.
Just one more note: SW compatibility is best with real hard disk emulation, driver SW . Much better than with 'GemDrive' - and no need for it, when have TOS/DOS compatibility.
How to order: mail me at petari@8bitchip.info - with details - Atari model, used hard disk/storage adapter type. Will get driver/partitioner SW as ZIPped all files, including instructions. As ST floppy image file, containing same files. And another special thing from me: Short SD/CF card image file (15 MB), for floppy less partitioning and driver install . Need only to write it to SD/CF card with USB reader, and boot with it on Atari ST(E) ... Will have partitioner program on RamDisk D: at start, then driver installer. So, those without working floppy drive, Gotek and like can do it all without problems.
) : About my hard disk driver/partitioner SW:
Key features: it works with TOS/DOS compatible partitions, which are created with my partitioner SW, running on Atari ST. What means easy and simple file/data transfers with some popular modern computer - PC with Win, Linux, MacOS ... As now Flash cards are mostly used as storage, all you need is to connect card to modern computer via USB reader (what supports write too, btw. :-) ) . Then can access partitions on SD/CF card and do transfers. Related with it is LFN filtering ( (Windows) long file name) filtering. Important thing in this Internet times, when people DL-ads lot of it from that. And I see all time archives intended for Atari ST, filled with long filenames. That's just one of many thing when it is done not properly. If files/DIRs with LFN are copied to Atari ST partition, it can make more problems than just not being able to access that file. So, LFN filtering will prevent diverse file losses in such cases,.
Extra functions, features: simple selection of partition, which will be active: in case of hard disk usage, dirve C: will be active on, what means that AUTO folder run, loading DESKTOP.INF will be performed from it, instead of A: (floppy boot) . However users may want to boot with different configurations. For that, diverse boot managards were programmed. Using of them may be not so simple, and they eat some RAM. There is much better and simpler solution - swapping partition C with some higher at boot. Of course, that means that higher partition will be C: , and part. C on disk will become that higher one - like E: , if user pressed key E .
Good for easy selection between different boot configs.
Virtual Floppy: I developed it since 2019, and it is welcome as we are in years when old Atari ST floppy drives and disks became very old, unreliable or just not working at all. Still there is lot of SW, data what people want to run, use, and it is on floppies. Solution is to make image files of them (what should be done much earlier - I did it around 2000 with my floppies) . Can be done with little older PC (with floppy drive) or with help of someone - with equipment. When having image files (ST format) it is well usable with Virtual Floppy SW. And combining it with hard disk driver is pretty good and efficient solution.
More special features, not present in other driver SW:
Adding automatically drive icons D-P to Desktop . TOS/Desktop will put automatically icon for drive C: to Desktop, regardless of how many other partitions were mounted - stays for TOS 1.xx . It can be added manually, but that needs some user's clicks and editing, for every extra partition over C: .
Multiple Sections: special feature, and for advanced users with some practice. It makes possible to use with Atari ST whole capacity of larger SD cards, despite of TOS limit of 7 GB storage space (max 14x max 512 MB size) . It works so, that after boot can select active section for current session, and it will act as regular hard drive type media. While must be not at start of SD card. Includes special driver installers for first, and for later sections.
Supported hard disks/adapters for, Flash card adapter types:
Basic ACSI adapters (for old SCSI hard disks up to 1 GB), IDE adapters - Falcon, ST(E), TT with IDE adapters. TOS extensions for IDE auto boot available for older TOS versions (as only TOS 2.06 has IDE autoboot) .
And IDE adapters work with CF cards too - mostly Sandisk brand only.
ICD extended ACSI adapters (over 1 GB accessible) - that's what is most used now: UltraSatan, ACSI2STM, SD4ST adapters .
And Atari ST(E) HW emulators: MiSTer .
And driver SW is welcome with SW Atari ST(E) emulators too - Steem (Basic ACSI), Steem SSE, Hatari . For real hard disk emulation, and not for so called GemDrive.
Just one more note: SW compatibility is best with real hard disk emulation, driver SW . Much better than with 'GemDrive' - and no need for it, when have TOS/DOS compatibility.
How to order: mail me at petari@8bitchip.info - with details - Atari model, used hard disk/storage adapter type. Will get driver/partitioner SW as ZIPped all files, including instructions. As ST floppy image file, containing same files. And another special thing from me: Short SD/CF card image file (15 MB), for floppy less partitioning and driver install . Need only to write it to SD/CF card with USB reader, and boot with it on Atari ST(E) ... Will have partitioner program on RamDisk D: at start, then driver installer. So, those without working floppy drive, Gotek and like can do it all without problems.
#7
Software / Updated Virtual Floppy functio...
Last post by Petari - 11-01-2025, 11:37:49 Update is for easier setting of active ST floppy image file. It was so far by renaming of files, what can be done pretty fast in Desktop, but it needs some experience with TOS and editing file names. So, I made new system, what is based on keeping active ST image file name in special file for it - what means that what is in file DEFINM (in root of C:) will be active image for Virtual Floppy A: after boot . Changing it is really simple: by using SELIMG5.TOS (or TTP) . Or can edit DEFINM . Then it will be active one immediately. And of course, newly set active ST image will be active after reset too.
Other features are same: max supported image size is 2 MB, so can copy content of multiple floppies in one ST image file. No need for repartitioning when install new driver version.
And of course, this update is free for registered users.
Other features are same: max supported image size is 2 MB, so can copy content of multiple floppies in one ST image file. No need for repartitioning when install new driver version.
And of course, this update is free for registered users.
#8
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 07-01-2025, 20:41:32Quote from: Petari on 07-01-2025, 19:26:45Something special: Atari ST version game from 1987 (well, educational game) - Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing :
It was really hard case, mostly because unusual way of making user's data disk (called 'Installed Data Disk') - well, may be part of copy protection. It took plenty of time to even understand how it should to work. And I abandoned it at one point, some 2 months ago. Then, new doc. movie about Mavis appeared. And I saw that she was pretty popular, edu. games for typing after her were popular, so there are versions for popular computers, and even fresh ones. So, I got in it again. And at price of multiple days, I solved it's Atari ST version hard disk work. And not only it - work from floppy - it had problems with creating data disk, especially in monochrome mode (yes, it works in it too) . + TOS version incompat. problems.
It works now well with min RAM requirements under all ST(E) TOS versions, so you can DL it and try - or better, make your children to play/practice it.
Where to get it: Floppy version
HD/Flash card version
Wow, I remember this program from way back in the day. I've actually got a copy but I never could get it to work (I think the floppy disk was damaged).
I'll grab it and try it later on all my various machines. I can check hi-res too.
Thanks Peter!
#9
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Petari - 07-01-2025, 19:26:45Something special: Atari ST version game from 1987 (well, educational game) - Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing :
It was really hard case, mostly because unusual way of making user's data disk (called 'Installed Data Disk') - well, may be part of copy protection. It took plenty of time to even understand how it should to work. And I abandoned it at one point, some 2 months ago. Then, new doc. movie about Mavis appeared. And I saw that she was pretty popular, edu. games for typing after her were popular, so there are versions for popular computers, and even fresh ones. So, I got in it again. And at price of multiple days, I solved it's Atari ST version hard disk work. And not only it - work from floppy - it had problems with creating data disk, especially in monochrome mode (yes, it works in it too) . + TOS version incompat. problems.
It works now well with min RAM requirements under all ST(E) TOS versions, so you can DL it and try - or better, make your children to play/practice it.
Where to get it: Floppy version
HD/Flash card version
It was really hard case, mostly because unusual way of making user's data disk (called 'Installed Data Disk') - well, may be part of copy protection. It took plenty of time to even understand how it should to work. And I abandoned it at one point, some 2 months ago. Then, new doc. movie about Mavis appeared. And I saw that she was pretty popular, edu. games for typing after her were popular, so there are versions for popular computers, and even fresh ones. So, I got in it again. And at price of multiple days, I solved it's Atari ST version hard disk work. And not only it - work from floppy - it had problems with creating data disk, especially in monochrome mode (yes, it works in it too) . + TOS version incompat. problems.
It works now well with min RAM requirements under all ST(E) TOS versions, so you can DL it and try - or better, make your children to play/practice it.
Where to get it: Floppy version
HD/Flash card version
#10
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Petari - 05-01-2025, 03:46:03Well, to be able to do all it I need to pay food, rent and other things - and prices go up, food quality down. With so many titles all goes slower. Plus, need to explain lot of it to beginners with Atari ST.
Partially because lot of bad writings about storage devices for Atari ST - we have some new ones with misleading presentation instead of detailed and accurate technical details. So, I need to work on those things too, not only games.
Anyway, I didn't forget you Asger. Need to do some 8 Infocom text adventures yet - what will be not so hard. It was just too tight with latest one - wanted to complete it before Xmas, while I found some new game image sources. New release surely before Easter , and probably last one for longer time.
Partially because lot of bad writings about storage devices for Atari ST - we have some new ones with misleading presentation instead of detailed and accurate technical details. So, I need to work on those things too, not only games.
Anyway, I didn't forget you Asger. Need to do some 8 Infocom text adventures yet - what will be not so hard. It was just too tight with latest one - wanted to complete it before Xmas, while I found some new game image sources. New release surely before Easter , and probably last one for longer time.