Transfer of B360K- Discs

[Shining]

I converted my "normal" cpc 3" and 3.5" disks to .dsk images years ago. But I also want to do that with my
3.5" disks using the b360k format-tool. I tried to copy the files back from that extended format to a 3" disk using crown's file-copy tool but they were not readable. Does FutureOS or SymbOS support this format to help me with this task ?

[TFM]

You meant .DSK format? Well, that's for PCs and so on. There is CPC-DSK which can read a .DSK from an MS-DOS disc and copy it back to the CPC drive. But I would use CPCDiscXP for that task. It can make .DSK's and it can write them back. See there:

CPCDiskXP - Write and Read Amstrad CPC disks from a PC

[Bryce]

No, I think he means he has disks in b360k format and wants to convert these to DSK.

Bryce.

[TFM]

So.... again CPCDiscXP and some PC with some drive... 

[Bryce]

Dunno, I've no idea whether CPCDiskXP does b360k or whether a drive in a PC can read them.

Bryce.

[Shining]

Thanks. I know cpcdiskxp, cause i use it everyday I code on my game (after compiling and assembling I use it to make a .dsk out of the game-files).

To describe my problem mor in detail: When I bougth my 3.5" drive bak in the 80s, it was not delivered with a rom or something like that but the drive consist of a switch to choose between the headers and if you wanted to use more capacity you had to start the b360k-tool which installed a rsx-command and switched drive b to :

B360K
------
Disk-Kapazitaet:  2 x 360k                  Freigegeben zur Weitergabe
Anz. d. Spuren :  80                        aber dennoch Copyright bei:
Bytes / Sektor :  512                       
Sektoren / Spur:  9                         Andreas Ki~linger
Bloecke /Sektor:  2048                      Haberstr.10
Directory Zahl :  64 Eintraege              8000 M}nchen 50
Off            :  2
Nr. des 1.Sekt.:  65 (&41)           
Skew (Versatz) :  5                         SCHNEIDER CPC USER CLUB
Reihenf. d.Sek.:  AMSDOS                      c/o Peter Immerz
62k-CP/M m.RAM :  kompatibel, CP/M+ ab V4         Elsenheimer Str. 54
Steprate       :  CP/M Voreinstellung          8000 Muenchen 21   
                   bleibt erhalten              ......................
                   B360K.BAS stellt 12 ms ein   :B360k =Public Domain:
                   Aenderung kein Problem.      :Format dieses Clubs.:

So my goal no is to transfer this weird format to something common today. So i tried to copy the files on real cpc back to a 3" disk using a file copy program from crown of beng which should support this format. But I had no success. The files were not readable on 3". (I crosschecked following: when i use the b360k-tool, i can start the programs on the 3.5" drive. So that I can say that tey are OK).

So is cpcdiskXP able to copy these disks into a .dsk ?

[Bryce]

Hi shining,
     I've just been looking for info on the net about b360k and it seems that the disks are just 80 track disks instead of 40, so you should be able to read them on a PC. But for obvious reasons, a b360k disk wouldn't fit on a standard 3in disk.

Bryce.

[Shining]

Hi Bryce,

Its clear that not everything fits on 3".

Ok I'll give it a try on my wifes pc then (mine lacks FDD-support).

[TFM]

Dunno, I've no idea whether CPCDiskXP does b360k or whether a drive in a PC can read them.

Bryce.

IIRC, the B360 K is Data format on a B drive with 2 heads using 40 Tacks only (not 80). So every 3.5" drive on PC with CPCDiskXP should be able to read it. B360 was common back that day before 80 tracks and after single-head. Yes, not the biggest era of mankind. 


EDIT: Mixed that up, not 40 and 2 sides, it's 80 tracks and one side.

[Shining]

As written above it IS using 80 tracks an it IS a single-head solution cause the drive had a switch.

[TFM]

Ah the good old B360 from Andreas Kisslinger. Back the day we both meet very often at SCUG meetings in Munich. How times go by...

[TFM]

Thanks. I know cpcdiskxp, cause i use it everyday I code on my game (after compiling and assembling I use it to make a .dsk out of the game-files).

To describe my problem mor in detail: When I bougth my 3.5" drive bak in the 80s, it was not delivered with a rom or something like that but the drive consist of a switch to choose between the headers and if you wanted to use more capacity you had to start the b360k-tool which installed a rsx-command and switched drive b to :
So my goal no is to transfer this weird format to something common today. So i tried to copy the files on real cpc back to a 3" disk using a file copy program from crown of beng which should support this format. But I had no success. The files were not readable on 3". (I crosschecked following: when i use the b360k-tool, i can start the programs on the 3.5" drive. So that I can say that tey are OK).

So is cpcdiskXP able to copy these disks into a .dsk ?

Well, I never used it, but since B360K is Amsdos compatible you could use FutureOS to copy from B360K to 3'' for example. I don't know if it works, but I assume so. You need two physical drives too (A and B f.e.).


EDIT: I guess I wrote too quick here, if it uses 16 Bit Block numbers (you would need them for more than 256 blocks), then it's all different again, but if he uses bigger blocks... I gotta need to go into this more deep.

[Shining]

Thanks ! I'll give it a try...