======== Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm Subject: COMP.SYS.CBM: General FAQ, v3.1 Part 6/9 From: brain@mail.msen.com (Jim Brain) Date: 13 Aug 1996 00:54:08 -0400 X-Posted-By: YPost, version 0.08 Archive-name: cbm-main-faq.3.1.p6 Comp-answers-archive-name: commodore/main-faq/part6 News-answers-archive-name: commodore/main-faq/part6 Comp-sys-cbm-archive-name: main-faq/part6 Version: 3.1 Last-modified: 1996/08/12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents (for this file) --------------------------------- 7. Exchanging Data 7.1. How do I exchange data among Commodore 8-bit machines? 7.2. How do I exchange data between an IBM(tm) and my Commodore? 7.3. How do I exchange data between an Amiga and my Commodore? 7.4. Ho data between a Macintosh(tm) and my Commodore? 7.5. How do I exchange data between an Atari ST(tm) and my Commodore? 7.6. How do I exchange data between a UNIX(tm) machine and my Commodore? 7.7. Are there other ways to exchange data becomputers? 8. Operating Systems 8.1. What Operating Systems are available? 8.2. What is GEOS? 8.3. What is UNIX? 8.4. What is CP/M 9. Demonstrations 9.1. Just what is a demonstration, or demo? 9.2. What does NTSC and PAL mean? 9.3. Where do I get demos? 9.4. What is a demo competition? 9.5 What does FLI, DYCP, etc. mean? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Exchanging Data At some point in time it becomes necessary to move data from one machine to another. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes it is not. This section will | help you decide which way of transferring files is best. For those who have + WWW access, additional information is at + http://www.funet.fi/pub/cbm/transfer/ 7.1. How do I exchange data among Commodore 8-bit machines? You can exchange data between Commodore machines in a number of ways, but each way requires an exchange medium, whether it be tape, disk, modem, or null modem. To transfer files between any Commodore machines besides the Plus/4 series that have datasette ports, the file can be save to tape and exchanged. The Plus/4 series tape drives read and write data in a format not compantible with asystem. To transfer files between any Commodore computers with disk drives, you need to find a drive that can be connected to either computer, or two drives with compatible disk formats. Some examples of two drive setups: 2031 1541 4040 1541 (Read but not write compatible_ 8050 8250 (can't use back side of 8250 disk) 8050 SFD1001 (can't use back side of SFD1001 disk) 1551 1541 1571 1541 (can't use back of 1571 disk) Modems can be used to exchange the information, if both computers can use modems. Just perform a dowload on one end, and an upload on the other. Null modems can make this job simpler, by removing the data-> telephone line step performed in a modem. With all of these methods, data files should transmit fine, but program file written in ML will most likely not work, and BASIC programs will usually fail is machine with a differing version of BASIC. 7.2. How do I exchange data between an IBM(tm) and my Commodore? Commodore computers use a disk format which is not compatible with the disk formats of other computers. However, some programs exist which allow you to read foreign, specifically MS-DOS, di that in general to do this, you must have either a 1571 or 1581 disk drive. The 1541 cannot read MS-DOS disks without some hardware modifications. Big Blue Reader A commercial package, The Big Blue Reader, from SOGWAP software, runs on either a 64 or a 128, will read and write MS-DOS format 3.5" (with a 1581) and 5.21571) disks. Crosslink Other freely distributable programs exist to read and write 5.25" MS-DOS disks. One such program is Crosslink, (available on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca although it is limited to reading files 43K in size or there are a few CP/M MS-DOS reading utilities that work in the C128's CP/M mode. RUN Reader RUN magazine (4/89 to 6/89) published a series of programs that would use 1571/1581 drives to transfer MS-DOS files to and from a Co limited in file size handling ~43-44K. Little Red Reader Issues 4 and 5 of C= Hacking magazine presented a program called Little Red Reader for the 128 that will copy files to and from MS-DOS floppy disks. The menu-drwo disk drives to work, where the one containing the MS-DOS disk must be a 1571 or 1581 (or compatiblram does not buffer data internally, so the only size restriction on copying is the capacity of the target disk. The programSCII/ ASCII conversion but will work only with the root directories of MS-DOS disks. The program is also available via FTP and is FREE. 1541-dos To read and write to MS-DOS disks with 1541 disk drives you have to make a small hardware modification. The 1541-dos package contains instructions on how to modify Commodore 1541 and Oceanic OC-118/OC-118N disk drives, and programs to read disks in MS-DOS format and to write to disks in a format that can be read by MS. The newest version of the package is available via anonymous ftp on ftp.funet.fi in /pub/cbm/documents/1541-dos. x1541 To read CBM disks on an IBM, you can use the program x1541 available on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca in /pub/cbm/emulatihis program uses the PC parallel port to emulate a C= serial port. You need to have a unique cable built to make the connection. The cable is connected to a 1541 drive. The documentation has a schematic for the cable. + If you would rather not build the X1541 cable, the following individual + offers them fcost: + Paul MacArthur + attn: X1541 Cable Offer + 24 Central Street + Braintree, MA 02184 22DSK If you own a Commodore 1581, there is a PC program which can read 1581 formatted disks. The latest version is 1.4.2 and is available aakland.edu/Simtel/msdos/diskutil/22dsk142.zip. Note that this program will only handle CP/M formatted disks. C64-Connect A very fast way of transferring one file programs between the Commodore and PC is C64-Connect. All youble between user port of C64 and PC's parallel printer port (LPT). Loading of a 50 KB program takes about 3.0 seconds and transferring the same program from C64 to PC takes 4.5 seconds. (Times were measured on a P0, NTSC units will see slighly faster times) This program is a boon for every C64 user that has only a cassette drive, as the loader program needed fori the C64 is shorter than most cassette turbos and aboyt 45 times faster. C64-Connect stores C64 progra PRG format, so you can easily convert them to various file formats used by emulators. The latesConnect is 0.99. You can get it from file://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/transfer/CBM-to-PC/ Email Ville Muikkula at vmuikku@raahenet.ratol.fi for more information. PC2VIC This package enables you to send programs (and other data) to your VIC20. The data is sent from the PC:s printerport to the VIC20:s userport, which makes the transfer rather fast. adam.bergstrom@um.erisoftrom Storgatan 92,2 903 33 Umea SWEDEN + Anadisk + Anadisk will allow you to read, write, and edit sectors of 1581 disks in + an IBM PC floppy drive. The current version is 2.07 and has the filename +tarCommander + StarCommander (V0.71 open beta) + Joe Foster/STA (Author) + sta@ludens.elte.hu (Internet Contact) + Norton-Commander lookalike. Us541 Cable. Transfers to and from up to + four connected CBM-Drives with normal/ turbo/warp mode. Support for + emulator-diskimages (.D64 ...) and some CBM-archives (LNX, ZipCode2 via + external programs) Availiable at all common CBM-FTP-sites (/emulator) + Trans64 + Trans64 (V1.24) + Bernhard Schwall (Author) + schwall@informernet Contact) + Uses X1541/Disk64 cable. Transfers to and from CBM-Drives/Disk-images/ + Tape-images/virtual disks/IBM-PC with normal/fast/turbo mode. Window + driven GUIf GEOS-VLIR files (icons, graphics, text) + and CBM files. DiskMonitor and Charsets for CBM-reading included. + Availiable at all common CBM-FTP-sites (/emulator) There are no programs that will read a 5.25" Commodore disk in a 5.25" PC d I exchange data between an Amiga and my Commodore? TransNib The TransNib 1.00 package for Amiga allows transferring files C64<->Amiga at up to 60000 bps. It uses a parallel<->user port cable that currently transfers 4bits at a time. Uses 2-way handshaking. 2 versions of the 64software are in the archive. Requires a disk drive. 1541 fastloader compatible. The Amiga side software can be run from shell of WB, multitasks fine and has nice simple GUI. For more information, get the archive from ftp.wustl.edu, /systems/amiga/aminet/misc/emu/TransNib100.lha PData The PData 3.51 package for the Amiga allows transfer of both binary and text files between the C64/C128 and the Amiga. It's about 25 times faster than a null modem cable, and it even leaves your Amiga serial port free for other applications. You can transfer up to 255 files in both directions in multitransfer mode. The program works with an cable attached between the 64 user port and the Amiga parallel port. The A can be run from any Amiga, although Kickstart v37.175 (v2.04) is required to utilize all functions. for more information, get the archive at: ftp://ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk/computing/systems/amiga/mods/chip/NemeSIDs-Extra.lzh prlink ink is a program that uses the X1541 cable to transfer data from the Commodore to the Amiga It is at: ftp://pub/cbm/tr...
Amiga7878