ParaDOS and Votex format?

[TFM]

Hi all,
 
Did someone ever patch ParaDOS to work with the Vortex format?
 
 

[norecess]

Please, please, please : why everybody love the words "hack" and "patch" these days?


Why not directly contacting the author (executioner in this forum) ?

[TFM]

Please, please, please : why everybody love the words "hack" and "patch" these days?


Why not directly contacting the author (executioner in this forum) ?

Because IMHO, he didn't alter ParaDOS in that way, but maybe somebody else did.
 
If you don't like the words h & p, well, tell me a better one an I'll use it :-)
 

[SyX]

Please, please, please : why everybody love the words "hack" and "patch" these days?

I think that you can not go more standard, it's not talking about use "romz" for games even in tape or floppy.

A "patch" is a few lines of code to fix a problem in a software (how my patches to use Renegade with a 3 fire buttons joystick or fix the fifth level boss in Builderland) and a "hack" would be a bigger "patch", always a bit awkard (how my hack to fix Triple Commando, intercepting the draw screen routine to avoid a lot of corruptions in the map data).

Returning to the topic, TFM, in the sources for ParaDOS that Richard has in his homepage appears this table with the format definitions:

Code: [Select]

.forms                    ;first sect, BSH, LSB of DSM
                    ;form enable, sects

db #91,#04,#c7,#fc,10,#c6,"80",#ff    ;1. PARADOS 80
db #81,#03,#cc,#ff,#8a,#c6,"41",#ff    ;2. PARADOS 41
db #a1,#04,#c7,#fa,10,#c6,"40D",#ff    ;3. PARADOS 40D
db #01,#04,#67,#f8,9,#c2,"1",#ff    ;4. ROMDOS D1
db #21,#04,#67,#f8,9,#c2,"2",#ff    ;5. ROMDOS D2
db #11,#04,#8f,#f8,10,#c2,"10",#ff    ;6. ROMDOS D10
db #31,#04,#8f,#f8,10,#c2,"20",#ff    ;7. ROMDOS D20
db #51,#04,#c7,#fa,10,#c2,"40",#ff    ;8. ROMDOS D40
db #71,#04,#c7,#fc,10,"S-DOS",#ff    ;9. S-DOS (ROMDOS D80)
db #c1,#03,#b3,#ff,9,#c4,#c7,#ff    ;10. DATA (SS 40)
db #c1,#04,#b3,#2a,9,#c4,#c8,#ff    ;11. DATA (DS 40)
db #c1,#04,#b3,#4c,9,#c4,#c9,#ff    ;12. DATA (SS 80)
db #c1,#05,#b3,#f8,9,#c4,#ca,#ff    ;13. DATA (DS 80)
db #41,#03,#aa,#ff,9,#c3,#c7,#ff    ;14. SYSTEM (SS 40)
db #41,#04,#ae,#2a,9,#c3,#c8,#ff    ;15. SYSTEM (DS 40)
db #41,#04,#ae,#4c,9,#c3,#c9,#ff    ;16. SYSTEM (SS 80)
db #41,#05,#b0,#f8,9,#c3,#ca,#ff    ;17. SYSTEM (DS 80)
db #01,#03,#9b,#ff,8,#c5,#c7,#ff    ;18. IBM (SS 40)
db #01,#04,#9d,#2a,8,#c5,#c8,#ff    ;19. IBM (DS 40)
db #01,#04,#9d,#4c,8,#c5,#c9,#ff    ;20. IBM (SS 80)
db #01,#05,#9e,#f8,8,#c5,#ca,#ff    ;21. IBM (DS 80)
db #10,#03,#cc,#ff,#8a,#d0,#ff        ;22. ULTRAFORMWith the values for the Vortex format, we could hack the rom with an hex editor to replace it for one of these formats.

[Executioner]

Does Vortex even use a standard CP/M based format?

[TFM]

Does Vortex even use a standard CP/M based format?

Sure, it has two reserved tracks and it run with CP/M 2.2 and CP/M Plus. it is the standard format for 80 track DS drives in germany. Sectors from 1-9, 704 KB free space. I'm really curious that in GB seemingly nobody knows it. In Germany it was supported from a variety of companies (Vortex, Dobbertin, FutureSoft...etc. )
 

[Executioner]

Sure, it has two reserved tracks and it run with CP/M 2.2 and CP/M Plus.

I never really understood the point of the reserved tracks (except the CP/M boot discs). What was the block sizes, directory extent, number of entries etc. Do you have an example DSK image you can send me.

[steve]

I never really understood the point of the reserved tracks (except the CP/M boot discs).

Pure guesswork here, but I would say that the bootstrap loader was assumed to be loaded in binary code using switches and leds, so it had to be short and it had to assume that the reserved tracks held CP/M, if the user were to put data in the reserved tracks and then tried to load the operating system using that disk (no operating system), the computer would try to execute that data and the computer would crash, possibly causing some damage as it crashed, but it would certainly be necessary to reload the bootstrap code using the front panel again, which would be time-consuming and frustrating, if you had a box of mixed system and data disks it could be very easy to put in the wrong disk when loading CP/M, later that boot code might be in ROM, but it was still a good idea not to use the reserved tracks for data.

[TFM]

I never really understood the point of the reserved tracks (except the CP/M boot discs). What was the block sizes, directory extent, number of entries etc. Do you have an example DSK image you can send me.

Well, you give the answer a bit by yourself. CP/M 2.2 and CP/M Plus can be boot-strap-loaded from the Vortex formatted discs, and therefore they need reserved tracks: Containing the CP/M 2.2 or the loader of the CP/M Plus EMS file.
 
The block size is 4 KB.
 
The directory has 128 entries, the directory size is 4 KB.
 
You can get example disc images from hy homepages download section (www.futureos.de). However I don't know if they fit your ideas.
If you want to have a defined DSK with a defined number of files, in defined sizes, files with defined content (to trace 128 byte records for example) - just let me precisely know what you need, and I will create that according to your definitions.
 
 

[Executioner]

The only thing I can recommend (and you should be able to try this just using WinAPE and a hex editor). Edit ROMDOS D1 to be Vortex format.

You need to change the block shift, total blocks, reserved tracks and name:

DFFC: B0 00 02 00
FEDA: 05 B0 F8 09 56 58

See if that works for you. It would be nice to support Vortex fully, but given that it uses exactly the same sectors as ROMDOS D1 it would be impossible without adding extra configuration parameters.

[TFM]

Great! I will check that now...
 
Thank you very much!!!
 

[xesrjb]

And? Does it run?
 
 
xesrjb

[TFM]

No, it doesn't run    And it doesn't work 
 
Vortex is a format in which one disc has one directory and 704 KB free. Both sides are accessed.
 
Seems that the patch treats the disc like two separarted side.... I attach the file, if you like to check.

[Executioner]

No, it doesn't run    And it doesn't work 

Not sure why, must be some other internal stuff in ParaDOS detecting the wrong block size. Try this (on the original), it converts IBM160 to use 2 reserved tracks and 9 sectors per track. The rest of the format is the same, but you have to do three things:

1. Enable Electro Formats (that means you'll also get large DATA and SYSTEM formats on 80 track/DS drives).
2. Enable IBM rather than ROMDOS D1
3. Configure the required drive to 80 track double sided (this should be the default for drive B).

DFC7: 24 00 b0 00 02 00 01 09 2A
FF69: B0 F8 08 56 58 FF

The 56 58 here allows it to show up as VX if you log the drive, so if you've got it all set up correctly you'll get VX, 128 entries, Total Space 704K.

Cheers,
Richard

[TFM]

Hi Richard!
 
(Damn editor, now I write it the 2nd time!)
 
This time it works great!!! I took some time to test faithfully. All seems to work.
 
To activate it I had to do this:
 
- !DRIVE
- Activate IBM formats
- Reset CPC
 
Now Vortex works on B :-)
 
Thank you very much!!!
 
 

[GUNHED]

Looks this is an old version. How to patch the new released Parados 1.2+ ROM to switch on the Vortex format in general. It's much work to set up the format by hand every reset. Does anybody know? Any help appreciated.