PCW9512+

[geeb]

Hi

I'm new and hope someone can help me with a 9512+ problem.

First though can I say I have spent most of this year it seems replacing belts in 9512, 8256,  6128s, DDIs, 6128Plus and Spectrum+3. I thought I had come to the end of my belts and then when I finally opened the faulty Citizen drive on the 9512+, what did I find... another belt. Amazing that I was able to use a 6128 belt in a 3.5" floppy drive. The computer is working and booting off a 3.5" floppy that came with the machine into Locoscript.

Here is the thing, none of the other disks work. I was able to copy this floppy that I had through the Locoscript interface and also able to copy the CP/M disk which when I do a file check has all the relevant CP/M files. Trouble is the PCW9512+ refuses to boot anything other than the Locoscript 2 disk that I have. I also have the official disks and they will not work either.

Is there something I can do to the file structure using Locoscript to boot up the CP/M from the files on the disk. Does seem odd to me. I was kinda thinking it may be a drive alignment thing but the Locoscript disk I have works. Black lines and then boot no problem... like my 9512 with 3" and 8256 with 3". Same procedure.

Anyway here is the machine teardown

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog_november17/scuzzblogdnovember17_2301.htm

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog_november17/scuzzblogdnovember17_2201.htm

and the main site

Thanks for reading

[Ace]

Make an image of all the disks you have with CPCDiskXP and upload them here so we can track wherever is a hardware or a software problem.

[GeoffB17]

Hello,

Not sure what you're saying.

I think you tell that none of the disks other than one Loco disk will boot.   BUT, if you do boot from the Loco disk, and then check the other disks through Loco, you can see the files, and copy them, etc.   Is that so?

If that is the case, the probable problem is that the boot code in the first sector of the other disks is NOT on the other disks.   That code cannot be copied using the normal processes.  The easiest way to get that code in place would be to FORMAT the disk first, then copy files to it.   If this code is missing from all your CP/M disks, then you cannot do the complete disk copy.   The CP/M utility DISCKIT will install the boot code, but you cannot run DISCKIT?

I think that later versions of Loco did have facility to copy disks, even format?   Have you got such a version?

If you can just copy, you could do something via:

make a complete disk copy of the Loco disk that will boot.   Then delete ALL the files from the copy - the delete process cannot get at the boot code either.   Then, copy the files from the CP/M disk onto the now empty disk (in fact, it will be empty EXCEPT for the boot code in sector 1 of track 1).   This disk should then boot, assuming that there is an .EMS or .EMT file there.

If you've got system versions mixed up, and with the machines you list, this is possible. you may end up with a boot sector that is looking for an .EMS file to load, but the files on the disk include an .EMT!   The extension does not really matter, so if one still does not work, just rename the *.EMS to *.EMT (or vice versa).

As far as I'm aware, the boot sector for Loco is the same as that for CP/M.   Both do little more than search the disk for an .EMS or .EMT file (depending on machine), then load and run said file.

If this still doesn't work, we'll think further.   As noted, an image of the disk would be a help, this will reveal if the boot code is there, and will also say what it's looking for.

[GeoffB17]

Just an afterthought - yes, the 9512+ probably contains an .EMT system file.   Maybe the boot code on the disk you've got is looking for an .EMS file to load.  You need to get the two consistent.

Geoff

[GeoffB17]

Just looked at your pics.

The image of the 'Disk management' screen could be helpful, if you changed the settings to show the system files too.   This would show if the Loco system file is .EMT or .EMS.   The CP/M disk will need to be the same, if you're using the same boot sector code.

Geoff

[geeb]

Hi

Feel such a fool. The box of disks were for the 9256 which sadly isn't working. Anyway... as advised I simply used Locoscript to reveal all hidden files on a copy of the Loco disk. I then deleted all files from all groups. I then inserted the CPM disk and copied the files over to M and then after a bit of disk swapping copied all the CPM files to my blank Locoscript disk. When finished it didn't work. So relaunched Locoscript and then did the old F7 and swapped to my CPM disk and renamed the extension to a EMT for the CPM file.

Magic !! That worked and now I have my beloved RPED working on the machine.

Well a big thanks for that. I do enjoy the 9512. Use it every day with the 3".

All the very best.

Geeb [ scuzz ]
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/car_001.htm

[GeoffB17]

That's good to hear.

Don't know why Amstrad did things that way.   The use of the EMS/EMT extension is of no significance, except to allow the same version number to be reused in the filename, i.e. if there's been a J21 for 2.1 they can use J21 again for 2.11 by changing the EMS to EMT.

The code in the boot sector looks for file ??EMS.   Later for ??EMT. This is OK, but once they'd decided to go to the EMS/EMT thing, they COULD have started to use ??EM? in the boot sector.   Couldn't they??   Then either would have been OK.

I've got quite a few versions of the CP/M system file on my 8256, including some that WERE .EMT files, renamed to .EMS.   Most work fine.   There's one, I believe, that does NOT, but I'm sure that's something to do with floppy disk parameters which are fixed into the prog, before they began using the .FIB files to allow such a setting to be changed.

Geoff

[geeb]

Geoff

Interesting. I have a 3.5" connected to my 8256 which I believe works, though never used it so I can have a play with some of those files now I have active 3.5" drives. Was always a problem with the 3" also with the double sided and other formats. If they had standardised things I could have read my 9512 stuff on the 6128 or through the DDIs. Surprised me I couldn't see the files. I have so much on 3" on the 9512 that would be nice to transfer over. I could get a LocoLink I guess. I even have Locoscript Pro on 5.25" and an active IBM that I could use with 5.25... dunno.

Anyway I copied the CPM disk just and tested with BASIC and ran a couple of small progs through to see if it all worked fine. No problems. The file management on Locoscript is very good in truth. Keyboard clicking isn't a real problem.

Thanks anyway. No doubt have more questions now I'm here. I have so many Amstrads. I actually like the 3" drives .. kinda see the disk belts in my sleep these days. Good thing you can still get them. Been playing wuth GEM on a 1512 all week. Struggled a bit with the 5.25" disks on that which I managed in the end to salvage copies. All working fine now. Seems all I do is disk belts and batteries. I had to remove a battery from a ALT386 this week ... didn't even know it had one. Wasn't leaking, though an adjacent capacitor had popped and fell off the motherboard.

Waffling.. better go.

scuzz

All the best.