EPROM Software

[Ynot.zer0]

I found a disk containing this software.


Is it of any use to anyone?  (I don't have the hardware, so of no use to me!)


[I do have a question though if someone does want it...how do I get the files from the 3" disc to my PC?  I have a 3.5" disc drive, so could copy from 3" to 3.5", but then would my PC actually 'read' the 3.5" disc properly to get the files off it? - suggestions welcome]

[TFM]

You can read a 3.5" disc using CPCDiskXP. Great tool! Wonderful! Reliable! Lovely! And a link...
 
http://www.cpcmania.com/index2.asp?urldest=cpcdiskxp/cpcdiskxp.htm
 

[Cholo]

Also, if you 3,5" drive hooked up to your cpc you can then read/write/copy to normal pc-dos 720kb formatted floppies with software like Symbos (no additional hardware required). Quite handy if you need to copy over a backup image of a protected floppy or similar.

[Ynot.zer0]

Yay...... ooooo....darn it.  I have 2 laptops, one running Windows 7 and the other Linut Mint 12 - both do not have internal floppy drives.


I have a USB floppy drive.  When I run the CPCDiskXP software it prompts me to install the Low Level Disk controller, I download and run it.... it then throws an error stating "USB and SCSI drives not supported".  Darn it.


Without packing a "2day hamper of food" and venturing in the attic to see if I can find an old win98/win2k laptop with internal floppy drive - are there any other options available to me?





(I do have a PC tower that runs Dos 6 that has a floppy and CDRom that I use with TurboTR and a cable to manually copy DSK images from the PC to a CPC6128 onto a 3" disc in drive A)

You can read a 3.5" disc using CPCDiskXP. Great tool! Wonderful! Reliable! Lovely! And a link...
 
http://www.cpcmania.com/index2.asp?urldest=cpcdiskxp/cpcdiskxp.htm

[Johnny Olsen]

Maybe you can use CPDread - CPDwrite with your dos pc.

http://www.einstein.talktalk.net/3inch.html

[Ynot.zer0]

...after hunting in the attic and only finding a win98 laptop with a floppy drive (software needs a minimum of win2k - d'oh!)....I wondered why I was so cold.... then I cam eout of the attic and found it is snowing - a lot!


In an effort to not be beaten, I pondered the option from Johnny.... I don't really have a spare 3" drive to extract and put into the DOS PC...


and then I remembered, I have 2 HxC SDCard boards! one is rigged as an external drive replacement and the other is..... around somewhere.... after an hour or so of hunting, I found it.  Quick review of the docs and fiddling with the jumpers I got it hooked up as a B-drive.  I was having odd behaviour when using my megaflashRom and running Parados, it seemed to refuse to copy the contents from the 3" disc to an empty disc in the HxC drive.... and then after reading the 'Ruck Zuck' thread, I thought I'd download it to a DSK / HFE image and fire it up.  I had to remove the megaflashRom and then it worked okay (maybe I have a faulty ROM loaded and that is causing me issues?... will investigate later).


So, running Ruck Zuck I'm now able to Copy the entire contents of the 3" disc to an empty disc in the HxC.... alas, that is now in .HFE format.  I note that the HxC software DOES convert from .HFE back to .DSK? SWEET!


DSK Image attached (just incase it's of any use to anyone)

[Bryce]

Before you go to any more bother (and risk starving to death due to lack of food). Check this ROM on the MegaFlash: http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Fleet_EPROM_Programmer
If it's exactly the same software, then there's no real need for the disk based version.

Bryce.

[Ynot.zer0]

cheers Bryce, yep, looks like the same version.


My only useful lesson to this exercise is I now have a proven method is copying software from a CPC 3" disc to my PC and back again.


I wont bore you with the details of the accidental electric shock I got this morning by opening an external 3" drive (in an attempt to re-use the 5v power connector for a 3.5" drive) and reaching around the back to switch it off and being 1" too high with my finger... it gives a mighty Zap!).  I'm glad I have the HxC to hand, it really is a life saver 

[Gryzor]

I wont bore you with the details of the accidental electric shock I got this morning by opening an external 3" drive

Ooh, you're not the only one

[Bryce]

How do you guys manage things like that.... Simple precaution: Step 1 - Unplug whatever you are about to dis-assemble!

Bryce.

[Ynot.zer0]

Now you sound like my wife..... 
 it is true though, normally I pull the plug first, but for a single second I lapsed and thought, "hey, I'll just switch it off at the switch around the back"... lesson re-learnt.

How do you guys manage things like that.... Simple precaution: Step 1 - Unplug whatever you are about to dis-assemble!

Bryce.

[Gryzor]

Yeah... you know how it is. You open it up, fully aware of the danger and you know you're going to pay attention, then your girlfriend starts whining or your mother-in-law calls or Georgia Salpa comes up on the telly and next thing you know you have forgotten all about security measures.

[Bryce]

Well if my mother-in-law is on the TV I would pay more attention to the disk drive, and if Georgia Salpa calls around I would stop messing about with electronics for a while

Bryce.

[TFM]

I wont bore you with the details of the accidental electric shock I got ...

This explains a lot