Table of Content

Introduction o About this FAQ o Disclaimer o Credits General Information o What is an Atari? o What kind of Monitor? o How do I boot o Emulators Software o General Information o Star Programs o Can I Upgrade my OS? o How Do I backup my Programs? Hardware o Memory upgrade o Hard Disks o Floppy Drives o Printers o Mice o Drop Fix o Schematics, Connectors Communication o File transfer o Internet

Atari ST Quick FAQ by DrCoolZic - V3.1 2012-08-05

Why did I decide to update or rewrite portion of the original Atari ST Quick FAQ? While reading the original document I found a lot of interesting information but it also turned out to be a rather frustrating experience! The reason is that as the original document has not been updated since January 1999 most of the links in the original document are broken, a lot of topics are outdated and some more recent information/features about Atari ST computers are missing (for example nothing about devices like PeST, UltraSatan, KryoFlux ...). I therefore decided to rewrite a large portion of this FAQ. My document is based on The Atari ST Quick FAQ - Version 2.8a - 1999-01-22 (also available in an online version - in French) that was last updated by Nicholas Bales. There is also a text version (V2.9a) of this FAQ as well as some older documents published in the Atari newsgroup: FAQ1, FAQ2, FAQ3 This is revision V3.1 of the ST FAQ - Last updated 2012-08-05 by DrCoolZic - Revision history

INTRODUCTION
What's this FAQ all about ?
As you probably know FAQ stands for "Frequently Asked Questions". :-) (and that's a smiley! ) The intent of this FAQ is to provide introductory level information for someone starting with an Atari. However if you are looking to more in-depth information this FAQ provides a lot of links to either external references or to internal references on subjects that I have covered. Again this FAQ is based on the original ST Quick FAQ from Nicholas Bales and for several subjects for which I (DrCoolZic) do not have specific knowledge or interest the original text has been kept unchanged. At the time the original FAQ was written, information among "Atarians" was widely exchange through newsgroup related to the Atari. Apparently the Atari newsgroup are gone from the Usenet distribution (at least I could not find any on my provider's news server) but it seems that some archives are still available from Google Groups. Newsgroups have been replaced by forums and there are plenty of Atari Forums. Back to the top

Disclaimer just in case...

I cannot be held responsible of any data loss, hardware damage, warranty voids, or thermonuclear warfare resulting in the application of anything described here. Nobody else can be blamed for any misuse but yourself. Any action that is described here may only be done at your own risks and perils. Whatever happens, it's not my fault.

Back to the top

Credits
Helpful criticism, corrections and additions in helping Nicholas Bales to create the original document came from: Richard Davey - Tom Derrick - Eric Hays - Tom Hopper - John Kormylo Ken Macdonald - Ashley Seabrook - Martin-Eric Racine - Peter - Rottengatter - Terry Ross - Neil Roughley - Hallvard Tangeraas - Jo Vandeweghe and of course Nicholas Bales. Many thanks to all of these people. And hopefully DrCoolZic have contributed to a better version of this document?
Back to the top

GENERAL INFORMATION

What is this an Atari ST ? What kind of monitor can I use ? How do I boot up my Atari? Atari Emulators

Back to the top

What is this Atari ST thing?

The Atari ST is a 16/32 bit Motorola 68000 based personal computer range launched in the mid 80's which has evolved over the years from the ST (Sixteen bits data bus, Thirty two bits address bus) to the STF, STFM, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, and into more modern computers like the TT030 or Falcon030. There are even some extremely powerful Atari-compatible clones around like the Swiss 68060 based Hades or the German Milan, and clone projects like the French Phoenix or the American Wizztronics machine. More recent clones includes the Suska III-C boards from Wolfgang Frster and the Atari ColdFire Project available from Medusa Computer Systems. All these computers run various flavors of an operating system called TOS (The Operating System), which includes a graphical user interface called GEM (Graphical Environment Manager) from Digital Research. If you are interested in the fate of Atari, and the company's history, you should look for sites in the link page.
Back to the top

What kind of monitor can I use with Atari systems ?

Atari Graphic resolution mode Connecting to a TV set Atari monitors VGA/SVGA or multiscan monitors

Falcon video

Please also refer to my Video page for more information.

Back to the top Atari Graphic resolution

The Atari ST have 3 screen resolutions:

640x400 monochrome resolution referred as the High resolution (Hi-res) mode, 640x200 4 colors resolution referred as Medium resolutions (Med-res) mode, 320x200 16 colors resolution referred as the Low resolution (Low-res) mode.

The original STF/STFM have of 512 color palette, but starting with the STE this palette has been increased to 4096. Definition/selection of the 4 or 16 colors from the 512/4096 color's palette is done with the control panel accessory and for monochrome resolution the same panel accessory can be set to select either black on white (the default) or white on black mode. Switching between Mid/Low-res is done in the set preference dialog box of the option menu and switching to Hi-res requires either to connect a monochrome monitor's cable or to use an Atari video switch. In all cases switching between any of the resolution modes reset the Atari.
Back to the top Connecting to a TV Set

STFM and some later models were equipped with an RF Modulator allowing them to be connected to a TV's antenna connector. You then need to tune into the correct channel on the TV to get the ST picture. In some countries, Atari shipped machines with a SCART/Peritel cable that plugs into the monitor port instead of the RF Modulator. In this case you need the adequate cable and a SCART/Peritel equipped TV set. No tuning is required, and the RGB picture is better quality than with RF. These cables might still be available from some Atari dealers, but it is also quite easy to build one. As a TV connection act like an Atari Color Monitor it will only display low or medium resolution modes (see above) but not monochrome.
Back to the top Atari monitors

Depending on the graphic resolution you need to connect two different types of Atari monitors:

Hi-res monochrome (640x400) requires the SM124 Atari high resolution monitors. These monitors have a very stable and good quality, although they have a small display screen. Med-res (640x200/4 colors) and Low-res (320x200/16 colors) requires the SC1224 Atari color monitors.

It is important to note that the SM124 monochrome monitor can only display Hi-resolution images, and that the SC1224 color monitor (or TV set for that matter) can only display Mid-resolution and Low-resolution images. As most games require Med/Low-res color and most application programs require Hi-res monochrome the choice of your monitor is important and this is also why many people ended up having both.

Note that If you have both monitors you normally have to plug and unplug video cable each time you need to switch from one to the other unless you buy an Atari monitor switch that allow you to switch back and forth between the two monitors at the toggle of a switch! It is also important to know that monitors from Atari includes an audio amplifier, with a volume control knob, and a speaker for hearing Atari sound. On the STF/STFM models the only connector to provide the sound output is the one that connect to the monitors. On the STE there are two extra RCA connectors to output stereo sound. Note that well designed SCART/Peritel cable carry the sound to the TV set. These two monitors cannot be connected to an Atari TT, as this machine requires a VGA monitor.
Back to the top VGA/SVGA or Multisync monitors

In order to connect a VGA/SVGA/Multisync monitor to an Atari it needs to supports RGB signals, and the following refresh rates for the horizontal and vertical synchronization signals (Note the second part of the table contains the measurements I made on an European Atari STE):
Specified Values ST High ST Low/Medium 50 or 60 Hz My measurements Vertical refresh rate ST High 71 Hz ST Low/Medium 50 Hz 15.7 KHz

Vertical refresh rate 72 Hz Horizontal refresh rate

31.5 KHz 15.75 KHz

Horizontal refresh rate 35.8 KHz

ST High-resolution: Only a "modern" VGA/SVGA or most Multisync monitor can handle the ST monochrome Horizontal frequencies. To use a VGA/SVGA monitor for Hi-res monochrome you need to build a cable that connect the ST mono out to the red, green, and blue inputs of the monitor, as well as the H-sync and V-sync signals. You also have to connect the mono-detect pin to the ground pin. ST Low/Medium resolution: Here on the contrary only very old CGA/Multisync monitors can handle such a low Horizontal frequency! A modern VGA monitor don't accept an HSync below 30KHz (the lowest VGA frequency). And therefore in order to display Low/Med-res you need an old monitor (e.g. a Multisync monitor) that can handle the above display rates. In this case you will need to build a simple cable that connects the red, green and blue outs, as well as the H and V sync signals from the ST monitor output to the display unit's and leave the mono-detect pin disconnected. Follow these links to better understand the Video standards or to find out about your monitor capability. It is also possible to convert CGA video to VGA with this kind of converter, and it you want to better understand video conversion you can look here or here The nicest solution is to have an old Multisync monitors that handles perfectly the three resolutions (for example a NEC Multisync II). In order to switch your Multisync monitor between Hi-res and Med/low-res you need to build a special cable with a switch.

Also remember that usually standard monitors do not have an audio circuit and therefore you need to connect the audio output of the Atari to an external sound system (this is covered in Atari Monitor Connector page).
Back to the top Falcon video

The Falcon is equally happy with a VGA/SVGA/etc. monitor or an old ST/STE type monitor (though resolution will be limited to 640x400 interlaced on these). Whatever the display you choose, the Falcon requires an external video adapter, either for ST type monitors or for VGA screens. There are also third party adapters that can switchbetween the two displays. A text file about Multisync/VGA/ST-res adaptors for Falcon is here.
Back to the top

How do I boot up my Atari ?

Booting without a disk Getting started without a manual Atari Language disks How do I know what TOS version I have

Back to the top Booting without a disk

First of all, most Atari computers have TOS in ROM and therefore don't need a boot disk to start the system! If you do not have a correctly formatted double density disk to boot from, just wait a few minutes for the GEM desktop to come up on it's own, then format a blank double density disk using the menu option. Having a formatted disk (even an empty disk) in the drive dramatically shortens the boot up time. If the desktop screen doesn't come up after more than 5 minutes, either your ST is broken or you have an ST without TOS in ROM.
Back to the top Getting started without a manual

If you have never used an ST and don't have a manual on hand, there is little you need to know to use the GEM desktop. here are the basics:

Main file types: o PRG and APP files are executable programs, using the GEM graphic environment. o TOS are executable programs, that run under TOS (text mode). o GTPs and TTPs are executable programs (GEM or TOS respectively) needing parameters, added by the user when running from a command line, or asked by the program when running under GEM. o ACC files are desk accessories. These go in the boot disk's root directory, and always accessible from the desk menu bar. There is a limit of 6 desk accessories per boot. o CPXs are Control Panel Extension modules, special desk accessories for use with XCONTROL.ACC o RSCs are program resource files. These contain GEM objects (icons, dialog boxes, menus, icons...) used by the program.

INF and SYS are system information files or program options or preferences, or drivers. PRG files that are placed in a folder named AUTO, in the disk's root directory, will be launched at boot up. Some will remain resident. Not all PRGs can be used this way. o ZIP, LZH, ARC, ZOO, MSA files are various compressed archive formats. You need special dearchivers to use these. You can find them on most FTP sites File operations: o To open a file a folder or a disk, or to launch a program, double click on the icon, or select it and go to File -> Open in the menu bar. o To copy a file, select it, and drag it onto a disk or folder icon, o To delete a file, select it and drag it onto the trash icon (on the ST, trashed files are permanently deleted, unlike on a Mac or PC) o To rename a file or to view it's properties, select it and then go to File -> Information o To format a blank disk, select the disk icon and go to File -> Format o To save your desktop configuration, use the save desktop option in the Options menu bar. This will create a DESKTOP.INF or NEWDESK.INF file, depending on your TOS version. Like accessory programs, this file is read at boot time. Tips: o To make multiple selections, hold SHIFT down while selecting o To refresh the content of a disk window, press ESC o Just play around with the options to find out what they do. o Remember you cannot cause any damage to the OS as it is in ROM. o If your mouse does not work you can use the Alt+Arrow keys tricks: Alt+Shift+Arrow keys for pixel scale movement, Alt+Clr/Home for left click, and Alt+Insert for right click

o o

Once you have got the hang of this, the rest is pretty straight forward. This is for all TOS versions. Newer versions of TOS have additional features.
Back to the top Atari language disks

Depending on the ST version you have, a language disk was supplied with some basic software, mainly:

CONTROL.ACC or XCONTROL.ACC: Control panel desk accessory STBASIC or STLOGO: Programming languages (very buggy and not very useful) Omikron Basic: A quite good Basic language (commercial). VT-52 terminal emulator Accessory Printer/modem configuration Accessories or CPXs Various TOS patches

Very few of the programs supplied on these disks were of much use. If your system disks have been lost, it is no big deal. Better public domain or shareware equivalents can be found on most FTP servers Software supplied with the Falcon included several commercial programs such as MultiTOS, Atari Works or SpeedoGDOS. These are not freely available.
Back to the top

How do I know what TOS version I have

One way to find out which version of TOS you are running is to check out the latest copyright date in the Desk, Information box.

1985: TOS 1.00 (ST/STF) - original ROM version 1986: TOS 1.02 (Mega ST) - added blitter support 1989: TOS 1.04 (STF/Mega ST) - colored Atari logo (The rainbow TOS), better disk I/O, many bug fixes, faster. 1990: TOS 1.06 (STE) - STE hardware support 1991: TOS 1.62 (STE) - bug fixed version of the above 1990: TOS 2.05 (Mega STE) - new desktop, customizable icons, HD disk support 1991: TOS 2.06 (Mega STE) - bug fixed version of above, support for future hardware.

In addition to these, a Falcon will be running TOS 4.02 or 4.04 and a TT030 will have TOS 3.01, 3.05 or 3.06. The new Milan computer runs a licensed TOS 5.0. To obtain a full report on your hardware (RAM, TOS, disks, etc...), you should run a program such as Sysinfo. Look a this nice document or a quick list of the main TOS versions to get interesting information on TOS versions.
Back to the top

Emulators

How can I get Atari ST software to run on a PC,Mac or Unix box ? What's a ROM image and where can I get one ? What are .ST files and what can I do with them ?

The term Emulator is overloaded especially for the Atari. Originally the term was used to indicate a program to emulate a terminal for example a VT52 Emulator. But here we talk about the more recent usage of the term emulator that designates a program to emulate an older machine (computers or game consoles) running on a recent and powerfull computer
Back to the top How can I get Atari ST software to run on a PC, Mac, or Unix box ?

You need a program ("an ST emulator") that will fool your computer into running Atari ST programs. There are a lot of sites dedicated to the subject of Atari emulation and I will therefore point you to a list of links on the subject. For example Emulateurs & TOS (in French!). The most Famous are SainT, Steem, and Hatari. Please also look at my version of Steem
Back to the top Where can I get those TOS ROM images ?

TOS is the ST operating system. It was supplied on ROM chips with most Atari machines. Most emulators need an image of these ROMs in order to run. However, TOS is still copyrighted software and the distribution rights belong to Atari. Atari has not stated that any version of TOS can

be freely distributed and used. Owners of a real ST can use a program called Romimage to make a TOS image for their own use. This is considered legal as long as the image is not distributed and you own a legal copy of the program (ie: the ROMs). However most version of the TOS in many languages can be found at the Atari ST TOS ROM.
Back to the top What are .ST files and what can I do with them ?

Emulators often have problems reading original ST floppy disks, mainly because of hardware issues on the emulating machine. A common workaround is to convert all the data contained on a disk (including special formatting, boot sectors, hidden tracks, etc...) into a disk image file. The most common format for this is the .ST file format from PaCifiST as well as the older.MSA format. The emulator then mounts these files as if they were real disks. Please refer to the different emulator links for more information on creating/finding disk images.
Back to the top

SOFTWARE

Software General Information Star programs for Atari Can I upgrade my TOS How do I backup my original program

Back to the top

Software General Information

This section of the FAQ has drastically changed from the original one because the situation of the Atari software is quite different today. Most of the Atari programs are still copyrighted and therefore copying or distributing them is illegal. However nowadays it is becoming almost impossible to find shops that still sell these programs which are 10 to 20 years old. Your best bet now if you want to be 100% clean is either to look for remaining shops, or to look for people selling old stuff on places like eBay, or to find freeware and public domain programs in FTP sites or other places, or specialized site like music site. A special thanks to authors of programs that have generously "donated" (removed protection and made public domain) their programs. You can also sometimes find programs published by Magazines. Beyond that it is possible to find a lot of disk images of games and other programs on the Net. Again the situation in 2010 is again quite different. Many of the Atari programs are now considered as abandonware and therefore widely distributed. You can start with This site Atari ST - Essential Software
Back to the top

Star programs for Atari

This section list some of the most famous software available at the time for Atari. You may need to find them in order to be able to read some specific data file (word processor, graphics, music, etc...)

A more complete list can be found in the Atari ST Essential Software

Home Productivity Software: There is no integrated "MS Office"-like package for Atari, except maybe the defunct Atari Works. The latest supported office programs are: o Word processor : Papyrus, Protext, Sting, 1ST Word, Le Redacteur o Spreadsheet : Texel, XXL o Database : Twist Graphics and DTP packages: Ever since Atari launched the first laser printer under US$2000, DTP and graphics have been one of the platform's major strengths. Although some of these program will run on an 8Mhz ST, they are usually designed for more powerful machines. o DTP : Calamus SL (Invers), ST Publisher o Raytracing : Neon, POV o Graphics : Positive Image, Photoline Sequencers and Music Software: Because the Atari has had built-in Midi ports since it's earliest days, it has been used in studios and on stages all over the world as a professional system for music. Some programs are listed below: o Sequencing : Dr.T's, Notator (Emagic), Logic (Emagic), Cubase (Steinberg) o Direct To Disk : Logic Audio (Emagic), Cubase Audio (Steinberg), Devil Studio (Softjee) o Sampling : Zero-X (Copson Data), Studio Son (Centek), Expand (Softjee) Internet and Communication Software: this topic is covered later in the the Communication section of this FAQ.

Back to the top

Can I upgrade my operating system ?

The ST's operating system TOS (see the list here), is on ROM chips on most STs. Upgrading your TOS means replacing the old ROMs with new ROM or EPROM chips. It is extremely difficult to find those ROMs today however from time to time you will find some offer on eBay. Another solution is to use the SELTOS freeware program that allow you to load a different TOS image from a floppy disk. There are also third party replacement operating systems such as MagiC and Geneva (TOS-like multitasking systems) or MiNT and Linux-68K (UNIX-like systems). For more information on TOS follow the TOS links
Back to the top

How do I backup my original program ?

In most country it is legal to make one backup copy of your original software for safety reason. Most commercial programs on Atari are protected either by a key that plug into the cartridge port or by incorporating protection mechanism in the original floppy disk. For software with a key (e.g. most Steinberg programs) you can make as many copy of the original disk with any standard copy program. The second protection mechanism works by placing specific "defects" on the floppy disk (e.g. CRC errors, weak sector, holes, ...) that prohibit a normal copy program to work. In the early days it was easy to circumvent the protection by using specially design copy programs, but as protection mechanisms were perfected you had to use some specially designed hardware to make copy of the original disk. The most famous HW for copying protected programs are the Blitz cable (specially design cable connected to the ASCI and Floppy connectors of the Atari and requires an external

floppy drive) and the Discovery Cartridge from Happy Computers (that plug into the cartridge and floppy disk connectors). There is also the preservation of Atari software project that allow to create disk image of virtually any original protected programs but it does not allow to make backup copy and thereforeonly works for emulators. For more information please refer to backup on my page on protection.
Back to the top

HARDWARE

How can I upgrade memory in my Atari ? How can I connect a hard disk drive to my ST ? Floppy drives What about printers ? Mice, mouse ? The Universal 4 Inch Drop Fix (tm) Schematics and Connector Pinouts

Back to the top

How can I upgrade memory on my Atari ?

How can I get Atari ST software to run on a PC,Mac or Unix box ? What's a ROM image and where can I get one ? What are .ST files and what can I do with them ?

I also provide more in depth information in a specific page about Atari's Memory.
Back to the top Expanding SIMM equipped models

If your ST is equipped with SIMM memory, you can easily upgrade your memory to 1, 2 or 4Mb by just taking out the old SIMMs and popping in the new ones. The correct memory type is 30 pin SIMMs, with or without parity, capacity being either 256Kb or 1Mb. The minimum speed of 256Kb SIMMs is 150ns and 120ns for 1Mb SIMMs. It is best not to mix different SIMM types. They must be installed by pairs in slots 1 and 3, then 2 and 4 (from back to front). Atari STEs are originally equipped with either 2 (520STE) or 4 (1040STE) 256Kb SIMMs that can be replaced by 2 or 4 x 1Mb SIMMs. Because of a bug in TOS, STEs will not recognize a 2.5Mb configuration (2x256Kb + 2x1Mb) without a small bootup program like silkboot2e or simmfix. These can be found on most FTP sites but are quite unreliable.
Back to the top Expanding DRAM equipped models

On DRAM memory models, the memory chips are soldered directly to the computer's motherboard. This makes memory expansion a lot more tricky. A way to avoid the soldering and memory

limitations is to use a special memory expansion board that replaces the original memory banks with standard SIMM sockets. Several such solutions were available like the Marpet Xtra Ram board or the Aixit 10Mb expansion board, or the JRI-RAM+ board. DIY conversions require serious soldering skills, and are not for the faint hearted. Descriptions of such modifications can be found below:

In German (with interesting diagrams) In English

Back to the top 4Mb, the Final Frontier

On ST, STF and STE computers, the MMU (Memory Management Unit) has a hardware limit of 4Mb. However recent developments have seen third party expansion boards that allow going beyond this limit. The Magnum-ST board from Woller+Link in Germany allows up to 16Mb on aplain ST/STF (not STE). TOS versions below 2.06 will not deal with more than 4Mb, so either a TOS upgrade or MagiC is necessary.
Back to the top Falcon boards

The step forward from DRAM to SIMMs on the STE series became a step back to a proprietary memory board system on the Falcon. The falcon was pre- equipped with 3 memory board models: 1, 4 or 14Mb. Upgrading a Falcon means scrapping the original memory and replacing it with either a new proprietary memory board or a third party SIMM board. There are many of these available and can sometimes be combined with a CPU accelerator board.
Back to the top

How can I connect a hard disk drive to my ST ?

ACSI Hard drives (Atari Megafile and SH series). SCSI hard drives IDE hard drives ZIPs, CDROMs, Syquest drives and anything else non-SCSI Hard disk driver software New Hard Disk Replacement

Back to the top ACSI Hard drives (Atari Megafile and SH series).

ACSI is Atari's proprietary hard drive connector. It is similar to SCSI which was standardized later, but not directly compatible. ACSI drives were the Atari Megafile and SH series that ranged from 20 to 60Mb capacities. Supra, and maybe some other manufacturers also made some ACSI drives at one point, but these are quite rare. These are the only hard drives that are directly "plug'n'play"

compatible with the Atari ACSI/DMA port on stock STs. Atari SH drives have the advantage of being made up of an ACSI to SCSI host adapter connected to an Adaptec 4000 SCSI to MFM adapter that is attached to the drive. It is thereforesometimes possible to adapt these drive to use SCSI drive mechanisms. This is not the case for Megafile drives.
Back to the top SCSI hard drives

In order to use SCSI peripherals, and unless you have an internal Atari interface (Mega ST, Mega STe) you need a SCSI host adapter that connects the SCSI drive to the ACSI hard drive port on the Atari. There are several models available depending on whether or not you need parity, whether or not they are for external or internal drives. The 2 most common SCSI host adapters are the Link II from ICD and Link'97 from WB Systemtechnik. Don't forget also that there is not much room for a 3.5" hard drive inside an original ST case. You will need either to put the whole system into a PC type tower case, or to find an external housing and power supply for your hard drive. The Mega STE internal SCSI interface does not support parity.
Back to the top IDE hard drives

The Upgrade Shop, a UK based company sells an internal IDE host adapter for STE only, It plugs into the processor socket and requires 4 wires to be soldered to the board. It is mainly aimed at connecting 2.5" IDE drives internally, but 3.5" drives can be attached to it if the computer is towermounted. Instructions to build your own DIY interface also exist, but should only be performed by people with a solid knowledge in electronics, soldering and programming GAL chips. See also the Atari IDE disk Interface from Pera Putnik The Falcon has an internal IDE slot for internal 2.5" IDE drives. Some Falcon users have managed to fit a replacement 3.5" drive after cutting parts of the metallic shielding. Just a general note: You can partition IDE drives as much as you like, but do not format them. Some of them will not recover from a "low level" format.
Back to the top ZIPs, CDROMs, Syquest drives, anything else non-SCSI

Using a parallel ZIP drive on any Atari computer's parallel port is impossible because of the lack of several signals in Atari's implementation of the parallel port. You should use a SCSI ZIP drive. There is however a parallel port interface that plugs into the cartridge port of Atari computers, available from Woller+Link (Germany). See the Zip Drive FAQ SCSI versions of ZIPs and CD-ROMS are recommended, so that you can use a SCSI host adapter. Be aware also that CD ROMS and ZIP drives use parity, so you must have a parityenabled SCSI adapter.
Back to the top Hard disk driver software

In order to get TOS to recognize the drive, a HD driver package will be needed. Here are some of the more popular packages:

AHDI (V3, V4, V5, V6) is Atari's Hard Disk Driver. However, it appears that it is not as capable and efficient as some 3rd party driver software. ICD Tools: adSCSCI V6.5.5 SW provided with ICD host adapters. Quite efficient and easy to install but has a few compatibility problems with advanced setups (alternative operating systems etc). HDDriver: Probably the best commercial driver available. It can be bundled with some host adapters, and it also includes support for removable media, such as ZIP or JAZ drives. CBHD: another freeware driver, probably not as good as the two commercial ones, but certainly better than AHDI. Only german docs are provided, so setup might be a bit tricky.

It also seems that some drivers are more suited to one type of drive whereas they can have problems with other drives. A good idea might be to ask in forums or the software vendor forany compatibility issues before buying.
Back to the top New Hard Disk Replacement

By far the best solution to replace ASCI/SCSI/IDE hard disks on an Atari system is to buy the HW developed from Jookie's two projects. The first project is called SatanDisk. It has now been replaced by a more powerfull solution called the UltraSatan project. Basically these boards allow to use MMC or SD cards as a Hard Disk replacement for the Atari.
Back to the top

Floppy Drives ?

Replacing a floppy drive Upgrading to a HD drive

Back to the top Replacing a floppy drive

The disk drives used by Atari ST computers are industry standard 360K (single sided) or 720K (double sided) double-density DD floppy drives. PC drives can be used as replacement drives, only nowadays it is difficult to find 720K drives. You can however use just about any 1.44Mb HD drive as these will perform perfectly well in DD 720K mode. Nevertheless, you have to be aware of the following:

You need to be able to change the ID number of the drive to 0 instead of the default 1 for PCs. Usually there is a jumper to do this, but it tends to disappear on modern drives, making this rather tricky. It now often involves connecting a solder pad on the drive's PCB. You need to connect the cable upside down on the drive. This can mean cutting a little plastic part that is designed to make this impossible. You need to set the Media Change Detect jumper, or else, under certain circumstances, your disks might end up scrambled. This jumper no longer exists on most modern drives, but you can work around the problem by using the Force Media Change program. Most modern HD drives can no longer read single sided 360K disks. Force Media Change

Back to the top

Upgrading to a HD drive

Using a high density drive in High Density mode on an ST, is feasible, but requires a few hardware hacks, both on the ST and on the drive. Ready made HD kits are available at several places, and a few DIY text files describe (sometimes contradictory) modifications too on several FTP servers. Then there is the issue of the controller chip. The WD-1772 is not designed for handling the faster frequency needed to use HD mode, although some people have had one running for years with no problem so an 'Ajax' chip is highly recommended. Most STEs seem to have an Ajax chip fitted as standard. Lots of information on the subject can be found at the Atari Hardware Hack Page
Back to the top

What about printers ?

What kind of printers can I connect ? Where do I get a driver for my printer ?

Back to the top What kinds of printers can I connect ?

All Atari computers have a standard bidirectional printer port, which means that basically any printer that connects to a PC parallel port should work with an ST, with the same cable. A problem lies, however, with the recent appearance of cheap printers "Optimized for Windows 95". These units actually lack hardware, making them rely on require Windows 95 to run. They will also not work with a Mac or Unix box, so be careful when you buy. Atari became famous in the DTP for offering the first cheap laser printers. This was done by using the computer's RAM instead of having built-in memory. The SLM laser printers therefore require at least 2Mb of RAM to run. They also attach to the ACSI/DMA port, which means that they cannot be connected to a Falcon. A Falcon/SLM adapter, called the Heatseaker, didexist but never got to the market.
Back to the top Where do I get a driver for my printer ?

The issue of printer drivers is mainly an application problem. The part of TOS originally devoted to printing and graphic output, called GDOS, was not included in ROM, therefore some applications bypassed it and developed their own printing routines. This sort of application will require it's own proper drivers to be written. Properly written programs will use the GDOS standard, allowing use of proportional fonts and standard drivers. To run GDOS on your computer, there are several solutions. FontGDOS is the latest freeware GDOS implementation from Atari, but is slow and handles only bitmap fonts. SpeedoGDOS and NVDI are both commercially available and fully maintained, and handle both bitmap and proportional fonts. NVDI is also a very efficient screen accelerator. Basically, if you plan on using a printer, you should consider obtaining NVDI.
Back to the top

Mice, mouse
The Atari mouse was quite poor, and very few remain in good working condition after the years. When it finally needs replacing, these mice are very hard to find. Try contacting an Atari dealer in your area, as most of them carry some sort of Atari compatible mouse. A PC serial mouse can be connected directly to the serial (modem) port. There are two drawbacks to this. Firstly, on a machine with only one serial port it prevents from connecting anything else (modem, extra midi ports...). Secondly, you will need to load a serial mouse driver at each boot. Genmouse or Mouse25 are such drivers and can be found on your favorite FTP sites. The problem is that, being auto folder programs, they will obviously not run with auto booting programs such as games. Some Amiga mice have a little Amiga/ST switch allowing them to be used on an Atari. There is reportedly a means of converting an amiga mouse to an ST mouse by inverting two wires, but I could not not find the instructions. Erratic mouse behavior is sometimes caused by a faulty connector. The mouse port connections under the keyboard, are subject to stress when there is continuous plugging and unplugging of the mouse (to connect a joystick for example). A remedy for this is to take apart the ST and touch the solder joints that connect the mouse connector to the keyboard PCB with a soldering iron, just to reestablish a good contact by slightly melting the solder. If all else fails, you can always use the Alt + Arrow keys trick (Alt + Shift + Arrow keys for pixel scale movement, Alt+Clr/Home for left click, and Alt+Insert for right click) as a lifesaver, but that's hardly a practical solution in the long run. The best replacement for Atari mouse is to use the PeST (PS2 Mouse Interface for the Atari ST) adapter. See also here
Back to the top

The Universal 4 Inch Drop Fix (tm)

A common problem on Atari ST computers is socketed chip connections coming loose. The symptoms are erratic behavior, sudden resets, unexpected bombs, blank screen (white), disk errors, etc... This is the result of the PCB aging, heating, dilating, warping, slowly easing the chips out of there sockets. A common, and quick fix to this is the famous 4 inch drop, and it goes like this:

Switch off the machine, Lift it horizontally about 4 inches (10 cm) above the desktop, Drop it.

As silly as it may sound, this sometimes works, reseating the chips and solving the problem. The result is not 100% guaranteed however. If the problem still occurs you probably have a more serious problem. Of course, another (more professional) option is to take apart the machine and reseat all the chips by hand.
Back to the top

Schematics and Connector Pinouts.

When your computer breaks and there is no Atari Service Center in your neighborhood to repair it for you, you'll want to see if you can do it yourself, or get someone else to fix it. Chances are that you will need some schematics of the machine. You can find most of these at The Atari Hardware Hack Page See also my page about the Atari connectors and cables.
Back to the top

COMMUNICATION

How can I transfer files between an ST and another computer ? o Exchanging TOS and MS-DOS disks o Exchanging TOS and Macintosh disks o Exchanging TOS and Windows SD/MMC cards o Serial/Parallel file transfer o LAN Networking o MIDI file transfer o File conversion issues How can I get on the Internet ?

Back to the top

How can I transfer files between an ST and other computers ?

Exchanging TOS and MS-DOS floppy disks

Disk exchange between MS-DOS and TOS is absolutely possible, if you follow these rules:

TOS versions from 1.04 onwards are 100% compatible with MS-DOS. If using TOS 1.02 or earlier, you must either format the disk on a PC, use preformatted PC disks, or use a DOS compatible formatter on the ST. Choose a PC format compatible with the Atari drive, i.e.: 720K for double sided drives and 1.44M for HD drives. The internal drives of some older 520STF and SF354 units were limited to single-sided 360K disks that modern PCs can no longer read or write. Microsoft Windows uses long filenames that can sometimes corrupt TOS disks, so be sure to use the good old 8+3 filename format. The same goes for directories. Do not use HD disks formatted in DD mode (i.e. with sticky tape over the HD hole). This sometimes works momentarily, but is very unreliable, as the magnetic coating of HD disks is not the same as with DD disks.

As a summary, it is usually best to format a DD 720K floppy on the PC before using it to transfer files.
Back to the top

Exchanging TOS and Macintosh floppy disks

TOS is not compatible with the Mac's HFS disk format, but MacOS versions from 7.5 onwards are supplied with PC Exchange, that allows reading and writing of MS-DOS disks, which are compatible with TOS as explained above. PC Exchange is also sold separately by Apple dealers. An old ST program called DCFormat can reportedly format HFS and MFS disks.
Back to the top Exchanging TOS and Windows SD/MMC cards

By using a Satan or UltraSatan "Hard disk" (see above) and proper hard disk driver it is possible to exchange directly information between Atari computers and PC. More information to be provided.
Back to the top Serial/Parallel file transfer

Another way of exchanging files between ST and PC is to connect the two computers through serial or parallel links. Here we are talking about file transfer not real network setups which are covered in the section below

Using a serial null modem (DB25F-DB25F or DB25F-DB9F): o Ghostlink: the PC drives are mounted on the Atari desktop, just like ST drives, but it suffers several limitations, of which speed of transfer, the need to run it under DOS (not a DOS session under windows) on the PC, and it's inability to launch programs from the remote drive. In the following link there is a solution to the problem with Windows XP and MS-DOS applications such as ghostlink. o Zmodem is a standard for terminal and file transfer connections. Zmodem programs can be found on practically any platform, including Atari, Mac PC, Unix, etc... but transfer are quite slow Using a specially made parallel cable (standard null parallel printer cable do not work) o PARCP: This is definitively my favorite program. Transfer are extremely fast and it has an excellent interface. o Paralink 2000 (could not find any living link to this solution) o HDD Daemon

Back to the top LAN Networking

If you plan on integrating your Atari into a real heterogeneous network with other computers, then you will probably have to setup some kind of Local Area Network. Beware, as this is not for the faint-hearted. Issues related to LAN networks and Ethernet are best dealt with on the following web page. The best general purpose TCP/IP stack around on Atari platform is STiNG, which has drivers for nearly all the ports available on Atari machines, including the very rare Riebl Ethernet cards or the Falcon/TT030 LAN ports. There is still no NFS auto-mounting client though. The other networking solution is MiNTnet, and extension to MiNT, which offers unix-like connectivity to the Atari platform. Here are some instructions for setting up a serial NFS connectionwith a PC.

Back to the top MIDI file transfer

MIDI is one of the main activities on Atari computers. The issue of transferring MIDI files, other than through the means described above, can be solved by recording the MIDI data directly with MIDI cables.

Connect the Atari MIDI OUT cable to the other computer's MIDI IN with usual MIDI cables. Fire up sequencer programs on both machines. Load the MIDI file into the Atari sequencer. Set the PC sequencer sync to the external MIDI source. Hit record. Hit play on the Atari.

Back to the top File conversion issues

Just because a file has been transferred does not make it readable by the software. Here are some file types that come up often.

Midi: Midifiles are platform independent, so there should be no problem transferring them to or from any midi capable computer. Text: The shareware word processor Marcel can read and write 1stWord, 1stWord Plus, WordPerfect, WordWriter, STWriter and the universal RTF format. TWP28 can translate between WordPlus ThatsWrite and WordPerfect. In other cases it is probably easier to export/import plain ASCII text. Pictures: You can use Gemview to convert just about any graphic format to GIF or JPG formats. Paint Shop Pro on the PC can read IMG and GEM files. Sound: FiveToFive (525) can convert many sample formats, including .WAV and .AIF.

All of these programs are shareware and can be found on your favorite ST archive If you no longer have an ST to run these conversion programs, you might try using an ST emulator
Back to the top

How can I get on the Internet ?

This section is here for historical reason as I doubt anyone want to use an Atari to connect to Internet through an ADSL connection? The ST can be used to send and receive email, read usenet newsgroups, download from FTP archives, and surf the web, chat on IRC, basically all you'll want to do on the Internet. For this you need :

a modem : note that machines up to STE included are limited to 19200bps, unless modified. a subscription to an Internet access provider, who must provide SLIP or (preferably) PPP, a TCP/IP layer : STiK (SLIP only) or STinG, or MiNT with MiNTnet, or CAB 2.x (PPP but commercial) or WENsuite (commercial) or Draconis (beta), ( a Web browser : CAB 1.5 (freeware), Draconis, CAB 2.x or WENsuite (all commercial) or Chimaera and Lynx under MiNTnet. a News/Mail reader : Newsie, Okami or Oasis

4. Communication
4.1 How can I transfer files between an ST and another computer ? 4.1.1 Exchanging TOS and MS-DOS disks 4.1.2 Exchanging TOS and Macintosh disks 4.1.3 Serial/parallel port file transfer 4.1.4 LAN Networking 4.1.5 MIDI file transfer 4.1.6 File conversion issues 4.2 How can I get on the Internet ? 4.3 Where are those nifty Atari Web pages ? 4.1 How can I transfer files between an ST and another computer ? 4.1.1 Exchanging TOS and MS-DOS disks Disk exchange between MS-DOS and TOS is absolutely possible, if you follow these rules:

TOS versions from 1.04 onwards are 100% compatible with MS-DOS. If using TOS 1.02 or earlier, you must either format the disk on a PC, use preformatted PC disks, or use a DOS compatible formatter on the ST. Choose a PC format compatible with the Atari drive, ie: 720K for double sided drives and 1.44M for HD drives. The internal drives of some older 520STF and SF354 units were limited to single-sided 360K disks that modern PCs can no longer read or write. In this case, a drive mechanism swap (see section 3.3) is highly suggested. Windows 95 uses long filenames that can sometimes corrupt TOS disks, so be sure to use the good old 8+3 filename format. The same goes for directories, avoid them at all costs. Do not use HD disks formatted in DD mode (ie: with sticky tape over the HD hole). This sometimes works momentarily, but is very unreliable, as the magnetic coating of HD disks is not the same as with DD disks.

As a summary, it is usually best to format a DD 720K floppy on the PC before using it to transfer files.

The following is an MS-DOS program that allows conversion of old ST disks to make them readable by a PC. Do NOT use it with executable boot sector disks (ie: games) and if possible, only use it on a copy of the disk. This program messes around with the disk's boot sector, and if anything goes wrong, chances are your data will be lost.
ST2DOS.EXE ftp://sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/atari/umich/Misc/st2dos10.zip If all else fails, another solution can be to make a disk image file from the disk, and use an emulator to transfer the files over to the PC. See section 1.5 for more details on Atari ST emulation.

4.1.2 Exchanging TOS and Macintosh disks TOS is not compatible with the Mac's HFS disk format, but MacOS versions from 7.5 onwards are supplied with PC Exchange, that allows reading and writing of MS-DOS disks, which are compatible with TOS (See section 4.1.1). PC Exchange is also sold separately by Apple dealers.

An old ST program called DCFormat can reportedly format HFS and MFS disks.
DCFormat http://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/Dc/dcfmt30.arc

4.1.3 Serial/parallel port file transfer Another way of exchanging files between ST and PC is to connect the two computers through serial or parallel links. Here is a quick review of several PC to ST connection packages. The following suggestions are file transfer solutions, not real network setups. Please check section 4.1.4 for networking information.

Ghostlink uses a serial null-modem cable. The PC drives are mounted on the Atari desktop, just like ST drives, but it suffers several limitations, of which speed of transfer, the need to run it under DOS (not a DOS session under Win95) on the PC, and it's inability to launch programs from the remote drive.
Ghostlink ftp://ftp.lip6.fr/pub/atari/telecomm/ghostlnk.zip The following packages all require a special parallel cable to be built (or bought), but are much faster. They also use their own file transfer programs. PARCP http://www.stehlik.cyberstrider.org/parcp/

ParaLink 2000 http://www3.mistral.co.uk/thomas/ HDD Daemon http://risc.upol.cz/~cieluch/atari.html

Zmodem is a standard for terminal connections. Zmodem compatible terminal programs can be found on practically any platform, including Atari, Mac PC, Unix, etc... Zmodem requires a serial null-modem cable, but as above, serial connections are quite slow.

4.1.4 LAN Networking If you plan on integrating your Atari into a real heterogeneous network with other computers, then you will probably have to setup some kind of Local Area Network. Beware, as this is not for the faint-hearted. Issues related to LAN networks and Ethernet are best dealt with on the following web page. The Atari Network Connectivity page http://gallery.uunet.be/saka

If all you need is to connect several Atari computers together, then STinG can do this, either through the serial port or over a MIDI network. STiNG http://www.stud.uni-hannover.de/~perot/index-e.html

The other networking solution is MiNTnet, and extension to MiNT, which offers unix-like connectivity to the Atari platform. Here are some instructions for setting up a serial NFS connection with a PC. Setting up a PC <-> Atari NFS link http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/jacquesa/atari/stpc-nfs.html http://www2.imperial.co.uk/home/ben/pc2st.htm

4.1.5 MIDI file transfer MIDI is one of the main activities on Atari computers. The issue of transferring MIDI files, other than through the means described above, can be solved by recording the MIDI data directly with MIDI cables.

Connect the Atari MIDI OUT cable to the other computer's MIDI IN with usual MIDI cables. Fire up sequencer programs on both machines. Load the MIDI file into the Atari sequencer. Set the PC sequencer sync to the external MIDI source. Hit record. Hit play on the Atari.

4.1.6 File conversion issues Just because a file has been transferred does not make it readable by the software. Here are some file types that come up often.

Midi: Midifiles are platform independant, so there should be no problem transferring them to or from any midi capable computer. Text: The shareware word processor Marcel can read and write 1stWord, 1stWord Plus, WordPerfect, WordWriter, STWriter and the universal RTF format. TWP28 can translate between WordPlus ThatsWrite and WordPerfect. In other cases it is probably easier to export/import plain ASCII text. Pictures: You can use Gemview to convert just about any graphic format to GIF or JPG formats. Paint Shop Pro on the PC can read IMG and GEM files. Sound: FiveToFive (525) can convert many sample formats, including .WAV and .AIF.

All of these programs are shareware and can be found on your favorite ST archive (section 2.2.3). If you no longer have an ST to run these conversion programs, you might try using an ST emulator (section 1.4).

4.2 How can I get on the Internet ? 4.2.1 What do I need to connect ? The ST can be used to send and receive email, read usenet newsgroups, download from FTP archives, and surf the web, chat on IRC, basically all you'll want to do on the Internet. For this you need :

a modem : note that machines up to STE included are limited to 19200bps, unless modified. a subscription to an Internet access provider, who must provide SLIP or (preferably) PPP, a TCP/IP layer : STiK (SLIP only) or STinG, or MiNT with MiNTnet, or CAB 2.x (PPP but commercial) or WENsuite (commercial) or Draconis (beta), ( a Web browser : CAB 1.5 (freeware), Draconis, CAB 2.x or WENsuite (all commercial) or Chimaera and Lynx under MiNTnet. a News/Mail reader : Newsie, Okami or Oasis

There is a whole lot of information resources on the subject. A good start might be to check out the following pages, although some of these are outdated : Mille Babic's home page http://hem1.passagen.se/atari/

The STiK support page http://www.flinny.demon.co.uk/ The Atari Internet guide http://zippy.spods.dcs.kcl.ac.uk/~garfield/aig/aig.htm L'Atari Branch (french) http://www.cedep.net/~gstamant/atari/atanet_f.htm The Draconis Web package http://dc2.uni-bielefeld.de/atari/edracon.htm Connecting to the Internet with STinG http://www.acay.com.au/~stevebj/sting.txt

4.2.2 How do I connect ? This section is intended to be a quick step by step introduction on how to connect to the Net. I will by no means be covering everything, just the quick method to get the most widespread Internet package running. Please note that this method applies to a clean "normal" setup, with a "normal" commercial ISP. Things might be different if you are connecting through a network, to a university or a "proprietary format" provider such as CompuServe or AOL.

This method requires all the software below. Be sure to get THE LATEST packages from the following locations. Do not trust FTP sites or CD-ROMs for these packages, as internet software is in ongoing development.

HSModem - Serial port driver replacement

http://www.student.informatik.th-darmstadt.de/~aclauss/download_e.html

Follow the docs to install HSModem. Always put the DRVIN.PRG first in your AUTO folder, then MFP.PRG or SCC.PRG depending on your setup.

XControl - Atari's good old eXtended Control Panel

ftp://sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/atari/umich/Utilities/Controlpanels/xcontrol.zip

If you haven't already got it, put the xcontrol.acc file in your root directory, and configure it to use the correct CPX folder.

STiNG - TCP/IP connection and PPP Dialer software

http://www.stud.uni-hannover.de/~perot/index-e.html

Install STiNG as described in the docs. Put the CPXs in you usual CPX folder and STING.PRG and STING.INF in your AUTO folder. All the other stuff should go in a separate STING folder. You can remove the STX files that you don't need (MASQUE, LCLTLK, ETHER, CENTR, MIDI) and make sure the RESOLVE.STX is the last one to be loaded. Edit the STING.INF file to show the path of the STING folder and the DIAL.INF to show the dialer's folder. There is no need to mess around with the other config files. Reboot and run the DIALER.PRG. Enter all the necessary parameters in the Configuration section (DNS servers, login and password) and save. If your provider supports PAP, then forget the script part. Now you can try to connect: run the STING CPX, and set it to active, then run the dialer. If the dial-in process works, try a ping to 127.0.0.1 (yourself), then to your own DNS server. Next try a ping or a traceroute to some other server, such as www.yahoo.com. If successful, you are ready for the next step.

CAB - HTML Browser (v1.5 is freeware, later versions are commercial).

http://www.student.informatik.th-darmstadt.de/~aclauss/download_e.html

Setup CAB as described in the docs. The package contains various language RSCs and docs, so you can set your own language. Test it with the test files that are included with the package. Setup a CACHE directory.

CAB Overlay - Software interface for using CAB with STiNG

http://www.netset.com/~baldrick/ovl.html

CAB requires this overlay program to get online and to communicate with STiNG. Put the appropriate file in your CAB folder. You should now be able to go online and start web surfing.

NEWSie - News/Email/FTP software

http://www.primenet.com/~rojewski/newsie.html

NEWSie is the most widespread mail and newsreader. Just install it as described in the docs, and fill in all the file pathnames and server names as required. Another step by step guide on connecting to the Net with STinG can be found here:
http://users.ticnet.com/newell/download.htm

Detailed instructions on how to connect 1Mb machines with no hard drive can be found here. Please note that this kind of setup is not the best way to access the net.
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Technology/NSACUG/faq/stfsting.txt

4.2.3 Ok, I'm online. What next ? Well, if you are really new to the Internet, here are some introductive sites to get you started. The Internet Help Desk http://w3.one.net/~alward/

The Netiquette Homepage http://www.albion.com/netiquette/index.html

As far as newsgroups go, you can check out the comp.sys.atari.st and comp.sys.atari.st.tech groups for support on just about anything Atari-related.

And for other Atari links, it is probably best to have a look at the following section (4.3) for a nice and quick web page list.

4.3 Where are those nifty Atari Web pages ? There are too many excellent web sites to list them all here, but there are people who maintain some very up to date pages with plenty of pointers, so here is a quick list of some of the most complete general purpose link pages for Atari related stuff: The Atari ST Launchpad http://launchpad.atari.org

Elysium http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/aseabrook/a_index.htm The Atari Reference Desk http://personalpages.tds.net/~tross3/ard/atari001.htm

Catfish Corner http://www.wingnet.net/~catfish/ Atari Internet Resource Guide http://hem2.passagen.se/patsa/atari/ Victor Bobier's Superman Desktop Theme Homepage http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/8103/ The Atari Web Ring http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=atari;list The Yolo Atari Club http://vme.net/dvm/yac/ Mario Becroft's Home Page http://planet.ak.planet.gen.nz/~mario/ K.Ellis' Home Page http://kellis.atari.org What is TOS ? http://www.dsoe.com/people/roughley/tos_main.htm Falcon Computer Resource http://www.tmisnet.com/~strads/hq/atari.html Atari Stacy and TT030 Homepage (Funkyware) http://hal.fishpool.com/~q-funk/TT030/

Table of Content

Atari Low Level Formatting o Atari / PC / ISO DD Formats o Atari Standard Double Density Format o Standard 9-10-11 * 512 Bytes Sect. Format o Std 128-256-512-1024 Bytes/Sect. Format Overall Track/Sector Description
o o o o o

Track Description Sector ID Description Sector DATA Description Track Write Splice Sector Write Splice

Atari High-Level Formatting o Getting a Floppy Disk Ready o The Boot Sector o Directory Structure o FAT Structure Floppy Disk Images o Disk Image Formats o Format Supported by Emulators o Making disk images from FDs o Making FDs from disk images o Disk Image Utilities

This page contains information about ST Floppy disks from a software "point of view": This includes information on FD layouts, Low and High level FD format, FD images, etc... There is another page on the Hardware side of the Atari ST Floppy Disks containing information on the Floppy Disk Media (down to the flux level), the FD Drives, the FD controller, etc ... This information should be specially usefull for duplication (backup) or preservation (images) of Atari ST diskettes (protected or not).

Atari Low Level Formatting

The first step in preparing a diskette involves the creation of the actual structures on the surface of the media that are used to hold the data. This means recording the tracks and marking the start of each sector on each track. This is called low-level formatting, and sometimes it is called "true formatting" since it is actually recording the format that will be used to store information on the

disk. Once the floppy disk has been low-level formatted, the locations of the tracks and sectors on the disk are fixed in place.

Atari / PC / ISO DD Formats Atari Standard Double Density Format Standard 9-10-11 Sectors of 512 Bytes Format Standards 128-256-512-1024 Bytes / Sector Format

Back to the top

Atari / PC / ISO Formats

The Atari ST uses the Western Digital WD1772 Floppy Disc Controller (FDC) to access the 3 1/2 inch (or to be more precise 90mm) floppy disks. Western Digital was recommending to use the IBM 3740 Format for Single Density diskette and to use the IBM System 34 Format for Double Density diskette. Actually the default Atari Format used by the TOS is slightly different (nearer to the ISO Double Density Format) as it does not have an IAM byte (and associated GAP), before the first IDAM sector of the track (see diagram below). However the WD1772 ( and therefore the Atari) is capable to read both format without problem but the reverse is usually not true (i.e. floppies formatted on early Atari machines can't be read on PCs but floppies created on PC can be read on Atari).

IBM System 34 Double Density Format (this is the format produced on a DOS machine formatting in 720K)

ISO Double Density Format.

Back to the top

Atari Standard Double Density Format

Below is a detail description of the "Standard Atari Double Density Format" as created by the early TOS. Note: There is no standard GAPS naming convention and it is not clear on how they must be decomposed. This document uses a GAP naming/numbering scheme which is a combination of the IBM and ISO standards with more details for the description of the GAP between the ID record and the DATA record. Usually only one gap is used to describe the content between these two records but here we decompose it into a post ID gap (Gap 3a) and a pre-data gap (Gap 3b) as this allow a more detail description. Of course they can be easily combined into one Gap 3 which is more conventional. Not show in the diagram below when the floppy is formatted with an IAM (index address mark) the Gap1 is further decomposed into two gaps: A post index gap (Gap1a) and a post IAM gap (Gap1b).

The tables below indicates the standard values of the different gaps in a "standard" Atari diskette with 9 sectors of 512 user data bytes. It also indicates the minimum acceptable values of these gaps, as specified in the WD1772 datasheet, when formatting non standard diskettes.

Name Gap 1 Post Index Gap 2 Pre ID Gap 3a Post ID Gap 3b Pre Data Gap 4 Post Data Gap 5 Pre Index

Standard Values (9 sectors) 60 x $4E 12 x $00 + 3 x $A1 22 x $4E 12 x $00 + 3 x $A1 40 x $4E ~ 664 x $4E

Minimum Values (Datasheet) 32 x $4E 8 x 00 + 3 x $A1 22 x $4E 12 x $00 + 3 x $A1 24 x $4E 16 x $4E

Standard Record Gap Value (Gap 2 + Gap 3a + Gap 3b + Gap 4) = 92 Bytes / Record Minimum Record Gap Value (Gap 2 + Gap 3a + Gap 3b + Gap 4) = 72 Bytes / Record Standard Record Length (Record Gap + ID + DATA) = 92 + 7 + 515 = 614 bytes Minimum Record Length (Record GAP + ID + DATA) = 72 + 7 + 515 = 594
Back to the top

Standard 9-10-11 Sectors of 512 Bytes Format

Note that the 3 1/2 FD are spinning at 300 RPM which implies a 200 ms total track time. As the MFM cells have a length of 4 sec this gives a total of 50000 cells and therefore about 6250 bytes per track. The table below indicates possible (i.e. classical) values of the gaps for tracks with 9, 10, and 11 sectors.

Name Gap 1 Post Index Gap 2 Pre ID Gap 3a Post ID Gap 3b Pre Data Gap 4 Post Data Gap 2-4 Record Length Gap 5 Pre Index Total Track

9 Sectors: # bytes 60 12+3 22 12+3 40 92 614 664 6250

10 Sectors: # bytes 60 12+3 22 12+3 40 92 614 50 6250

11 Sectors: # bytes 10 3+3 22 12+3 1 44 566 20 6250

Respecting all the minimum value on an 11 sectors / track gives a length of: L = Min Gap 1 + (11 x Min Record Length) + Min Gap 5 = 32 + 6534 + 16 = 6582 (which is 332 bytes above max track length). Therefore we need to decrease by about 32 bytes per sector in order to be able to write such a track. For example the last column of the table above shows values as used by Superformat v2.2 program for 11 sectors/track (values analyzed with a Discovery Cartridge). As you can see the track is formatted with a Gap 2 reduced to 6 and Gap 4 reduced to 1 ! These values do not respect the minimum specified by the WD1772 datasheet but they make sense as it is mandatory to let enough time to the FDC between the ID block and the corresponding DATA block which implies that Gap 3a & 3b should not be shorten. The reduction of gap 4 plus gap 2 to only 7 bytes between a DATA block and the next ID block does not let enough time to the FDC to read the next sector on the fly but this is acceptable as this sector can be read on the next rotation of the FD. This has an obviously impact on performance that can be minimized by using sectors interleaving (explain below). But it is somewhat dangerous to have such a short gap between the data and the next ID because the writing of a data block need to be perfectly calibrated or it will collide with the next ID block. This is why such a track is actually reported as "read only" in the DC documentation and is sometimes used as a protection mechanism. Of course you have more chance to successfully write 11 sectors on the first track (the outer one) than on the last track (the inner one) as the bit density gets higher in the later case. It is also important to have a floppy drive that have a stable and minimum rotation speed deviation (i.e. RPM should not be more than 1% above 300).
Back to the top

Standard 128-256-512-1024 Bytes / Sector Format

The table below indicates some "classical" gaps values for tracks with sectors of size of 128, 256, 512, and 1024.

Name Gap 1 Post Index Gap 2 Pre ID Gap 3a Post ID Gap 3b Pre Data Gap 4 Post Data Gap 2-4 Record Length Gap 5 Total Track

29 sectors of 128 bytes 40 10+3 22 12+3 25 75 213 73 6250

18 sectors of 256 bytes 42 11+3 22 12+3 26 77 343 76 6250

9 Sectors of 512 bytes 60 12+3 22 12+3 40 92 614 664 6250

5 Sectors of 1024 bytes 60 40+3 22 12+3 40 120 1154 480 6250

Interleaving: Normally the sector number is incremented by 1 for each record (i.e. there is no need to interleave with DD like it used to be with older FD) however sectors can written be in any order. Back to the top

Overall Track / Sector Description

Track Description

Back to the top

Sector ID Segment

ID PREAMBLE o PLL SYNCH FIELD This is a 12 bytes long field of repetitive clocked data bits. The preamble normally will be all zeroes of NRZ data (encoded as 1010. . . in MFM). During the ID preamble, the signal Read Gate will go active, indicating that the incoming data pattern has to be locked on to. o ID SYNCH FIELD The synch mark byte contains a missing clock code violation, typically in MFM. The violation is detected by circuitry to indicate the start of an ID Field or a Data Field. The first decoded

byte that does not contain all 0s after the preamble will be the synch mark. The first 1 to be received is then used to byte align after the all zeroes preamble. The DD format have three ID synch mark byte. On soft sectored drives Synch field precedes the address mark (AM). ID FIELD o ID ADDRESS MARK FIELD ID Address Mark (IDAM) is required on soft sectored drives to indicate the beginning of a sector, because this type of drive does not have a sector pulse at the start of each sector. o ID content Field The ID content Field format contains a track number bytes, a sector number byte, a head number byte. It is 4 bytes long. o ID CRC FIELD CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Checking) code is appended to the header field. The CRC consists of two bytes of the standard CRC-CCITT polynomial. The code detects errors in the header field. This appendage is basically a protection field to make sure that the ID field contains valid information. ID POSTAMBLE This field is used to give the disk controller time to interpret the data found in the ID field and to act upon it. It provides slack for write splicing that occurs between the ID and Data segment. A Write splice occurs when the read/ write head starts writing the data field. A splice is created each time a sector's data segment is written to. The slight variations in the rotational speeds cause the first flux change to occur in different positions for each write operation. It also allows time in a write disk operation for the read/write circuitry to be switched from read to write mode. Finally it allows time for the PLL circuit to re-lock on to a fixed reference clock before it returns to synchronize to the preamble of the data field.

Back to the top

Sector DATA Segment

Data PREAMBLE FIELD o PLL Synch Field The Data Preamble field is necessary when reading a sector's data. It ensures that the PLL circuit locks on to the Data segment data rate. Initially, the ID segment and the data segment of every sector will be written when formatting the disk, but the Data segment will be written over later. Due to drive motor speed variations within the tolerance specified, the ID and Data segments will have slightly different data rates because they are written at different times. This implies that the PLL must adjust its frequency and phase in order to lock on to the data rate of the Data segment before the incoming preamble field has finished. Hence the need for a second preamble field in the sector. o DATA SYNCH FIELD Following the PLL Synch Field will be the Data synch field similar to the ID synch field. DATA FIELD

Data Address Mark field Following the Data Preamble will be the Data Address Mark for soft sectored drives similar to the ID Address Mark field. o Data Content Field The Data field is transferred to or from external memory. It is usually from 128 bytes to 1024 bytes per sector. o DATA CRC A CRC appendage follows the Data field. CRC generating (when writing to the disk) and checking (when reading from the disk) are performed on the Data field. Errors may therefore be detected. DATA POSTAMBLE FIELD This has the same function as the ID Postamble field. It is the final field of the sector. It allows slack between neighboring sectors. Without this gap, whenever a data segment is written to a sector, any reduction in drive motor speed at the instance of writing to the disk would cause an overlap of the data segment and the succeeding ID segment of the next sector. This field is only written when formatting the disk.

Note 1: A final gap field is added from the end of the last sector until the INDEX pulse occurs and this gap is often termed Gap 5. It takes up the slack from the end of the last sector to the Index pulse. Note 2: When writing a sector the write gate is tunrned on at the begining of the DATA preamble (location of the write splicing) and is turned off in the data postamble (one or two bytes after the last CRC).
Back to the top

Sector Write Splice

The area at the begining of the DATA preamble provides slack for write splicing that occurs between the ID and Data segment. A Write splice occurs when the read/ write head starts writing the data field. A splice is created each time a sector's data segment is written to. The slight variations in the rotational speeds cause the first flux change to occur in different positions for each write operation. It also allows time in a write disk operation for the read/write circuitry to be switched from read to write mode.
Back to the top

Track Write Splice

A Track write splice occurs when writing a complete track. When you write a whole track, you start writing bytes at the index mark for 200ms. The problem is that floppy drives do not run exactly at 300 rpm all the time, so there's pretty much no chance you'll get an exact joining once you've done a complete revolution. So you'll either have some leftover noise just before your starting point, or some overwriting there.
Back to the top

Atari High-Level Formating

Getting a Floppy Disk Ready

The Boot Sector Directory Structure FAT Structure

Getting a floppy disk ready

There are two steps involved in getting a floppy disks ready for usage on an Atari:

As already described in this section the first step involves the creation of the actual structures on the surface of the media that are used to hold the data ans is called the Low_Level formatting. The second step is called the high-level formatting. This is the process of creating the disk's logical structures such as the file allocation table and root directory. The high-level format uses the structures created by the low-level format to prepare the disk to hold files using the chosen file system. In order for the TOS to use a diskette it has to know about the number of tracks, the number of sectors per tracks, the size of the sectors and the number of sides. This information is defined in a special sector called the boot sector. Beyond that it is necessary for the TOS to find information (e.g. location of all the sectors belonging to this file, attributes, ...) about any files stored on the diskette as well as global information (e.g. the space still available on the diskette). This information is kept in directories and FATs structures.

Back to the top

The Boot Sector (BS)

The boot sector is always located on track 0, side 0, first sector of the diskette. This sector is tested by the TOS as soon as you change of diskette to find important information about the diskette (e.g. it contains a serial number that identify the diskette). Some parameters are loaded from this sector to be used by the BIOS and are stored in a structure called the BPB (Bios Parameter Block). Eventually the boot sector also contain a bootstrap routine (the loader) that allow to start a relocatable program a boot time (usually a TOS image). The structure of the boot sector is described below (the grayed areas are stored in the BPB). Note that the Atari boot sector is similar with the boot sector used by IBM PC and therefore 16 bits words are stored using the low/high bytes Intel format (e.g. a BPS = $00 $02 indicates a $200 bytes per sector).
Name BRA Offset Bytes $00 2 Contents This word contains a 680x0 BRA.S instruction to the bootstrap code in this sector if the disk is executable, otherwise it is unused. These six bytes are reserved for use as any necessary filler information. The disk-based TOS loader program places the string 'Loader' here. The low 24-bits of this long represent a unique disk serial number. This is an Intel format word (low byte first) which indicates the number of bytes per sector on the disk (usually 512).

OEM

$02

SERIAL BPS

$08 $0B

4 2

SPC

$0D

This is a byte which indicates the number of sectors per cluster on the disk. Must be a power of 2 (usually 2) This is an Intel format word which indicates the number of reserved sectors at the beginning of the media preceding the start of the first FAT, including the boot sector itself. It is usually one for floppies. This is a byte indicating the number of File Allocation Table's (FAT's) stored on the disk. Usually the value is two as one extra copy of the FAT is kept to recover data if the first FAT gets corrupted. This is an Intel format word indicating the total number of file name entries that can be stored in the root directory of the volume. This is an Intel format word indicating the number of sectors on the disk (including those reserved). This byte is the media descriptor. For hard disks this value is set to 0xF8, otherwise it is unused on Atari. This is an Intel format word indicating the number of sectors occupied by each of the FATs on the volume. Given this information, together with the number of FATs and reserved sectors listed above, we can compute where the root directory begins. Given the number of entries in the root directory, we can also compute where the user data area of the disk begins. This is an Intel format word indicating the number of sectors per track (usually 9) This is an Intel format word indicating the number of heads on the disk. For a single side diskette the value is 1 and for a double sided diskette the value is 2. This is an Intel format word indicating the number of hidden sectors on a disk (not used by Atari). This is a word which is loaded in the cmdload system variable. This flag is used to find out if the command.prg program has to be started after loading the OS. This is a word indicating the load mode. If this flag equal zero the file specified by the FNAME field is located and loaded (usually the file is TOS.IMG). If the flag is not equal to zero the sectors as specified by SECTCNT and SSSECT variables are loaded. This is an Intel format word indicating the logical sector from where we boot. This variable is only used if LDMODE is not equal to zero

RESSEC

$0E

NFATS

$10

NDIRS

$11

NSECTS

$13

MEDIA

$15

SPF

$16

SPT

$18

NHEADS

$1A

NHID

$1C

EXECFLAG

$1E

LDMODE

$20

SSECT

$22

SECTCNT

$24

This is an Intel format word indicating the number of sectors to load for the boot. This variable is only used if LDMODE is not equal to zero This is an Intel format word indicating the memory address where the boot program will be loaded. This is an Intel format word indicating the address where the FAT and catalog sectors must be loaded This is the name of an image file that must be loaded when LDMODE equal zero. It has exactly the same structure as a normal file name, that is 8 characters for the name and 3 characters for the extension. Reserved Boot program that can eventually be loaded after loading of the boot sector. The entire boot sector word summed with this Motorola format word will equal 0x1234 if the boot sector is executable or some other value if not.

LDAADDR

$26

FATBUF

$2A

FNAME

$2E

11

RESERVED BOOTIT

$39 $3A

2 452

CHECKSUM

$1FE

The data beginning at offset $1E (colored in yellow) are only used for a bootable diskette. To recognize that a diskette is bootable the boot sector must contain the text "Loader" starting at the third bytes and the sum of the entire boot sector should be equal to $1234. The boot process is usually done in 4 stages:
1. The boot sector is loaded and the boot program contained is executed. 2. The FAT and the catalog are loaded from the diskette and the loader search for the file name indicated 3. The program image is loaded usually starting with address $40000 4. The loaded program is executed from the beginning.

See also some Boot sector code.

Back to the top

Directory Structure
The TOS arranges and stores file-system contents in directories. Every file system has at least one directory, called the root directory (also referred as the catalog in Atari), and may have additional directories either in the root directory or ordered hierarchically below it. The contents of each directory are described in individual directory entries. The TOS strictly controls the format and content of directories. The root directory is always the topmost directory. The TOS creates the root directory when it formats the storage medium ( high level formatting). The root directory can hold information for only a fixed number of files or other directories, and the number cannot be changed without reformatting the medium. A program can identify this limit by examining the NDIRS field in the BPB structure described in the boot sector section. This field specifies the maximum number of

root-directory entries for the medium. A user or a program program can add new directories within the current directory, or within other directories. Unlike the root directory, the new directory is limited only by the amount of space available on the medium, not by a fixed number of entries. The TOS initially allocates only a single cluster for the directory, allocating additional clusters only when they are needed. Every directory except the root directory has two entries when it is created. The first entry specifies the directory itself, and the second entry specifies its parent directorythe directory that contains it. These entries use the special directory names ". "(an ASCII period) and ".." (two ASCII periods), respectively. The TOS gives programs access to files in the file system. Programs can read from and write to existing files, as well as create new ones. Files can contain any amount of data, up to the limits of the storage medium. Apart from its contents, every file has a name (possibly with an extension), access attributes, and an associated date and time. This information is stored in the file's directory entry, not in the file itself. The root directory is located just after the FATs (i.e. on a single sided FD: side 0, track 1, sector 3 and on DS DF side 1, track 0, sector 3) and is composed of 7 sectors. Each entry in the root directory can be describe by the following structure:
Name FNAME Bytes 8 Contents Specifies the name of the file or directory. If the file or directory was created by using a name with fewer than eight characters, space characters (ASCII $20) fill the remaining bytes in the field. The first byte in the field can be a character or one of the following values:

$00 The directory entry has never been used. The TOS uses this value to limit the length of directory searches. $05 The first character in the name has the value 0E5h. $2E The directory entry is an alias for this directory or the parent directory. If the remaining bytes are space characters (ASCII 20h), the SCLUSTER field contains the starting cluster for this directory. If the second byte is also 2Eh (and the remaining bytes are space characters), SCLUSTER contains the starting cluster number of the parent directory, or zero if the parent is the root directory. E5h The file or directory has been deleted.

FEXT

Specifies the file or directory extension. If the extension has fewer than three characters, space characters (ASCII $20) fill the remaining bytes in this field. Specifies the attributes of the file or directory. This field can contain some combination of the following values:

ATTRIB

$01 Specifies a read-only file. $02 Specifies a hidden file or directory. $04 Specifies a system file or directory. $08 Specifies a volume label. The directory entry contains no other usable information (except for date and time of creation) and can occur only in the root directory. $10 Specifies a directory.

$20 Specifies a file that is new or has been modified. All other values are reserved. (The two high-order bits are set to zero.) If no attributes are set, the file is a normal file.

RES FTIME

10 2

Reserved; do not use. Specifies the time the file or directory was created or last updated. The field has the following form:

bits 0-4 Specifies two-second intervals. Can be a value in the range 0 through 29. bits 5-10 Specifies minutes. Can be a value in the range 0 through 59. bits 11-15 Specifies hours. Can be a value in the range 0 through 23.

FDATE

Specifies the date the file or directory was created or last updated. The field has the following form:

bits 0-4 Specifies the day. Can be a value in the range 1 through 31. bits 5-8 Specifies the month. Can be a value in the range 1 through 12. bits 9-15 Specifies the year, relative to 1980.

SCLUSTER FSIZE

2 4

Specifies the starting cluster of the file or directory (index into the FAT) Specifies the maximum size of the file, in bytes.

Back to the top

FAT Structure
The file allocation table (FAT) is an array used by the TOS to keep track of which clusters on a drive have been allocated for each file or directory. As a program creates a new file or adds to an existing one, the system allocates sectors for that file, writes the data to the given sectors, and keeps track of the allocated sectors by recording them in the FAT. To conserve space and speed up recordkeeping, each record in the FAT corresponds to two or more consecutive sectors (called a cluster). The number of sectors in a cluster depends on the type and capacity of the drive but is always a power of 2. Every logical drive has at least one FAT, and most drives have two, one serving as a backup should the other fail. The FAT immediately follows the boot sector and any other reserved sectors. Depending on the number of clusters on the drive, the FAT consists of an array of either 12-bit or 16-bit entries. Drives with more than 4086 clusters have a 16-bit FAT; those with 4086 or fewer clusters have a 12-bit FAT. As Atari diskette has always less than 4086 clusters the FATson Atari diskettes are always 12-bit FATs. The first two entries in a FAT (3 bytes for a 12-bit FAT) are reserved. In most cases the first byte contains the media descriptor (usually $F9F) and the additional reserved bytes are set to $FFF. Each FAT entry represents a corresponding cluster on the drive. If the cluster is part of a file or directory, the entry contains either a marker specifying the cluster as the last in that file or directory, or an index pointing to the next cluster in the file or directory. If a cluster is not part of a file or directory, the entry contains a value indicating the cluster's status.

The following table shows possible FAT entry values:

Value $000 $002-$FEF Meaning Available cluster. Index of entry for the next cluster in the file or directory. Note that $001 does not appear in a FAT, since that value corresponds to the FAT's second reserved entry. Index numbering is based on the beginning of the FAT Reserved Bad sector in cluster; do not use cluster. Last cluster of file or directory. (usually the value $FFF is used)

$FF0-$FF6 $FF7 $FF8-$FFF

Each file and directory consists of one or more clusters, each cluster represented by a single entry in the FAT. The SCLUSTER field in the directories structure corresponding to the file or directory specifies the index of the first FAT entry for the file or directory. This entry contains $FFF if there are no further FAT entries for that file or directory, or it contains the index of the next FAT entry for the file or directory. For example, the following segment of a 12-bit FAT shows the FAT entries for a file consisting of four clusters:

$003 Cluster 2 points to cluster 3 $005 Cluster 3 points to cluster 5 $FF7 Cluster 4 contains a bad sector $006 Cluster 5 points to cluster 6 $FFF Cluster 6 is the last cluster for the file $000 Clusters 7 is available ...

Note that if a cluster contains $000 it does not mean that it is empty but that it is available. This is due to the fact that when a file is deleted the data are not erased but only the first letter of the name of the file in the directory structure is set to $E5 and all clusters used by the deleted file are set to $000. Back to the top

Atari Floppy Disk Images

Disk Image Formats Format Supported by Emulators Making disk images from FDs Making FDs from disk images Disk Image Utilities

This section is also related to the Atari FD Preservation section.

Disk Image formats

Disk images are usually used by SW or HW emulators. There are a lot of sites dedicated to the subject of Atari SW emulation and I will therefore point you to a list of links on the subject. For example Emulateurs & TOS (in French!). The most famous and still maintained Atari Emulators running on PC are Hatari, Steem, and Saint. In order to run an emulator you need a TOS ROM also not covered here. There is also the HxC2001 Universal FD Drive Emulator that can be used on real Atari. The major disk image formats used by the Atari emulators are:

ST : Supported by all emulators, it is the most simple format since its a straight copy of the readable data of a disk. Created originally for the PacifiST emulator, it does not allow copying copyprotected disks. MSA : An acronym for Magic Shadow Archiver, it is a format created on Atari by the compression program of the same name. This format, is also supported by almost all emulators. It contains the same data as the ST format, the only difference is that the data is compressed. A variation of the program on Atari allows saving the data without any compression. This result in an ST file but with an MSA header. A nice feature of the MSA program is that it allows to split an archive into multiple files, thus facilitating the transfer of large disk images on floppies. DIM : A format created by the well known Atari copy program: "FastCopy Pro". The noncompressed version of this format contains the same information as the ST and MSA formats, but with a proprietary header. This format is also supported by most emulators. STT : Created and developed by the creators of STeem Engine emulator, it is supposed to allow the copy of many original disks, including certain copy-protected games. It supports disks of various numbers of tracks that can be of different size as well as other details. For example it supports irregular sector numbers, sector numbers in range $F7-FF and 1 KB sectors. STX: Created by the PASTI initiative (Atari ST Imaging & Preservation Tools). The imaging tools can virtually create images of any ST disk including copy protected disks. The STX Images can be used by the STeem and SainT emulators. There is also a plan to support it in the Hatari Emulator. Unfortunately Ijor has not published information on the STX format. However you can find information here, here, and here (you have to look into the source code). IPF: Created by the Software Preservation Society (SPS). -- The provided DCT imaging tool can create images of any ST disk including copy protected disks. This format is "new" to the Atari scene and support in emulators is not yet available.

Note also that most recent emulators like STeem can directly read zipped disk images. For example STeem or Hatari can mount directly a zipped file (.zip) that contains a disk image of any of the supported disk image format.

Formats supported by Emulators

The following table summurize the supported formats for each emulators:

ST Hatari Yes

MSA Yes

DIM Yes

STT

STX

IPF

Steem Saint USB HxC SD HxC

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Yes

Yes Yes

Yes Yes

Yes No VBR

Yes No VBR

Back to the top

Making Disk Images from ST Original Floppies

This section try to answer the question: I have Atari floppies that I want to use with my favorite emulator...

Making ST Disk Images (Only on a PC): To make ST images on a Windows system the best solution is to use the Floppy Imaging & File transfer (FloImg) program from P. Putnik.You can also use Makedisk (DOS), imgbuild (DOS), wfdcopy (Windows 95/98 you will have problem on XP/7). Instruction can be found at Mr Nours site. I have tested these three program successfully on simples non protected FD without problem. Although it should be possible to use the gemulator explorer to create disk images but it did not worked for me. Making MSA Images (On PC and Atari ST): To make MSA images on a Windows system the best solution is to use the Floppy Imaging & File transfer (FloImg) program from P. Putnik. On Atari I have made the tests with MSA II - V2.3. The process is straightforward : start the program specify the name and directory for the image, indicate if you want the file to be compressed or not and click the "Disk -> File" button ... and you are done. You should use compressed mode to get smaller disk images. Making DIM Disk Image (On Atari ST): First you need the FastCopy Pro version (version "no version", or 1.0 or 1.2 did work for me). Important if you are using the version "without version" number you must first select the "all" option from the get sectors choice, in V1.0 and 1.2 this choice is unavailable (always pre-selected to all). After that you need to click on the "image copy" button, then select the "read" button and enter the name of the file you want to create... This file should be directly readable by the emulators. Making STT Disk Images (On PC or Atari ST): To make STT images on a Windows system the best solution is to use the Floppy Imaging & File transfer (FloImg) program from P. Putnik. On Atari use the STeem Disk Imager that comes with STeem itself. Instructions are provided in the disk image howto.txt file. The STT image can be mounted by STeem only. Making STX Disk Images of copy protected disk (On Atari ST): Instruction on making STX images can be found in the Alone in the paST AitpaST site. Making IPF Disk Image of copy protected disk -- TODO

Back to the top

Making ST Floppies from Disk Image files

This section try to answer the question: I have some interesting disk images that I would like to run from a FD on my real Atari...

Making a floppy disk from a ST image (Only on PC): On a Windows system the best solution is to use the Floppy Imaging & File transfer (FloImg) program from P. Putnik to write ST images on an actual FD. You can also use makedisk (DOS), or ST Disk (DOS), or wfdcopy (Windows 95/98 you will have problem on XP/7). Instruction can be found at the Mr Nours site. Making a floppy disk from a MSA image (On PC or Atari ST): On a Windows system the best solution is to use the Floppy Imaging & File transfer (FloImg) program from P. Putnik to write ST images on an actual FD. I have made the tests with MSA II V2.3. The process is straightforward : start the program specify the name and directory of the image, click the "File -> Disk" button ... and you should have your disk ready. Making a floppy disk from a DIM image (On Atari ST): First you need the FastCopy Pro version (version "no version", or 1.0 or 1.2). you need to click on the "image copy" button, then select the "Restore" button and enter the name of the image file... Making a floppy disk from a STT image (on PC or Atari ST): This is only possible if no protection or specific protections have been used. Your best choice is to use the Floppy Imaging & File transfer (FloImg) program from P. Putnik. In some cases (when no protection are used) it is possible to first convert the STT image to an ST or MSA image using the MSA converter program, and from this converted image use one of the procedure described above. Making a floppy disk from a STX image: It is not yet possible to create a protected disk from an STX image. The reason is that protected disk uses specific data that cannot be written directly by the Atari FD controller. Might be possible in future with the "Discovery Cartridge" or the KryoFlux Board. Making a floppy disk from a IPF image: TODO - see the KryoFlux Project and the KryoFlux Board Back to the top

Other PC Disk image utilities

As already mentioned above, if you deal with disk images there is one program you must have: the Floppy Imaging & File transfer program (FloImg) from P. Putnik. This program can be used to create images in ST / MSA / STT format directly from a ST floppy placed in the PC Floppy Drive. It is also possible to create FD directly from images. It also support ST <-> to MSA conversion. Another must have program is the MSA converter that run under Windows. This program not only allow conversion between different image formats but it also gives useful information about the image content. For information there are some older programs that run under DOS for st to msa conversion or from msa to st conversion. As well as two DOS programs to convert a PC disk to/from an ST disk.

Make disk Tutorial

From AtariForumWiki Jump to: navigation, search

Original from http://home.tu-clausthal.de/~ifmar/makedisk/index.pl 2002/2003 by Matthias Arndt <marndt@asmsoftware.de>

Contents
[hide]

1 Introduction 2 Involved tools o 2.1 Makedisk o 2.2 Imgbuild 3 How to operate the tools involved? o 3.1 Makedisk and Imgbuild o 3.2 Windows Floppy Disk Copy 4 Software o 4.1 PC based 5 Frequently Asked Questions o 5.1 What can I actually do with the procedures described here? o 5.2 What sort of disks can I transfer to images? o 5.3 What are those .MSA and .ST files?

Introduction
Many people want to know how to keep their old Atari ST games and howto play them on their PC using an emulator. This page is intended for persons who want to convert ST disks to disk image files for emulator use and to transfer those images back to disk to use them on a real ST. Actually I'm tired of telling hundreds of people the same basic things via mail. That's why I decided to write this little tutorial page. Anyone who mails me for further informations on transfering his games will simply get the URL of this tutorial. If you do not belong to one of groups mentioned below, you're out of luck. This tutorial is Atari specific.

Atari ST owners and users Atari ST emulator users

I do not want to give step-by-step directions howto invoke Makedisk. Instead I give you the informations what tools you need and a few basics. This site now contains a search engine so just type a search query into the search field on top of the screen. You can even click on Print Version to

get a simple black and white version of the current page suitable for printing. This Makedisk Tutorial page can now be accessed with the following URL: http://makedisk.atari.org/

Involved tools
Makedisk

This is the primary tool involved. It is DOS based. You can operate it from Windows 9x/ME but I do not recommend it. This is much slower and less reliable. For best performance, run it from plain DOS (use MSDOS Mode from Windows 9x/ME). I do not know if Makedisk runs with NT or XP try it. If it fails, don't blame me. Currently Makedisk can be found on several sites on the net. Its primary location is down at the moment. Try the following sites to grab a copy:

Here! (v1.5) Mr Nours Mail to Darren Birks, author of Makedisk

If these should fail, try your favourite search engine and look for: Atari Makedisk. Most ST emulation addicts have a copy around so asking on one of the various Atari ST forums may help as well.
Imgbuild

This is a simple DOS based tool that was shipped with PaciFiST, the first usable ST emulator. It is out of date but it may work as well if you only want to image a few disks but it isn't that reliable afterall. A copy may be downloaded from the PaciFiST Website. Windows Floppy Disk Copy This is the first and currently only disk imaging program that runs on Windows. The people have different opinions about this one. Some say it is unreliable and slow. Other claim it works pretty good. I must admit I have only transferred one disk to image with this tool and it worked. Just try it out - it may suit your needs. A copy may be downloaded from the PaciFiST Website.

How to operate the tools involved?

Makedisk and Imgbuild

Both tools are command line oriented. Call them without any parameters for short online help. This one is for Makedisk to read a disk to image.
1. insert the ST disk into the PC floppy drive 2. Type makedisk /read diskname.st /auto 3. Makedisk should fireup and create a image file out of the disks

To transfer the contents of an image file back to ST disk:

1. insert a blank DD floppy disk into the PC floppy drive 2. Type makedisk /write image.st /auto 3. Makedisk should then write the contents of image.st to the disk 4. next to Makedisks success insert the disk in your ST floppy drive and enjoy

For more advanced usage of Makedisk take a look at its help page by typing
makedisk

Windows Floppy Disk Copy

This is a Windows program and therefor damn easy to use. I won't help you with this one.

Software
Here you'll find a collection of useful software and involved tools.
PC based Makedisk The primary tool to be used. (I'm not the author of Makedisk!) download (30K)

Windows Floppy Disc A Windows based tool for writing images to disk. Copy download (26K) MSA Converter ST to MSA MSA to ST A Windows based tool for converting .MSA to .ST and vice versa. download (480K) A DOS based tool for converting .ST to .MSA download (10K) A DOS based tool for converting .MSA to .ST download (10K) MSA Converter Homepage

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I actually do with the procedures described here?

All of the following can be achieved with this tutorial:

play ST games on old disks with your emulator transfer disk images used on ST emulators back to disk to use them on your real ST, enabling you to play games found on the internet on your real ST machine make backups of your existing ST disks exchange ST software on the net

What sort of disks can I transfer to images?

In general due to problems with the PC floppy controller you cannot transfer copy protected disks with Makedisk or other well known tools. This means you're out of luck if you want to create disk images from your original ST game disks using those. There are efforts underway at The Caps Project to change that. Although they are currently working on copying Amiga disks, there are efforts underway to use these techniques with Atari ST disks. It works fine with unprotected copies, PD disks and all those famous menu disks.

What are those .MSA and .ST files?

Those are file formats like .jpg and .gif for graphics. Instead of graphics, they store the content of Atari ST floppy disks eq. the data stored on the various disk sectors. The main difference between the two formats is that .MSA files pack the data which results in smaller image files in most cases. The .ST file format has the advantage that it is a direct image of the sectors on the original disks making implementation on emulators easy. Any emulator can use .ST files and most can use .MSA files as well. The .MSA file format is actually much older than ST emulation. MSA is short for Magic Shadow Archiver, a tool on the ST developed to transfer demo disks via modem. The MSA program can be found on most Atari ST related ftp sites like umich.edu or ftp://chapelie.rma.ac.be/atari/