Can i use PC floppies and use them for Amiga games

Daniel · 15 February 2006, 18:02

Can i use bog standard pc floppies in my amiga 600 .??

If no then were can i get compatible disks?

Cheers

Doc Mindie · 15 February 2006, 18:35

Sure, you can use them..... you HAVE to format them on the Amiga though..... and if you intend to transfer anything from the PC to Amiga, a piece of tape to cover the HD-hole on the floppy is quite useful.

Note, NOT the write protection hole, but hole on the other side of the disk.

Then you format them as PC720, since the A600 can't access a HD-floppy of 1.44 MB

Hope this helps

Daniel · 15 February 2006, 18:51

Thanks for that,

I am copying files from my pc to my amiga using a null modem serial cable direct onto floppy in the amiga drive, Could i copy an adf to a floppy in the pc drive if i used winuae? Coz using the modem cable takes ages ??

NOB · 15 February 2006, 19:47

Imho the only way to write ADFs or DMS images back to
a real disk, is a real Amiga.Or a Catweaselcontroller.

Doc Mindie · 17 February 2006, 00:21

Well.... what I'd do, is to make a DMS of the image in WinUAE, and copy the DMS file (via serial) into RAM: on the Amiga side, and undms it there..... but that is more effort than transfering just one and one ADF. If you have like ten disk-images, it would be faster, I believe

(unless the files on the disks are packed from before, the ratio I get is typically between 33 and 66 % of the ADF-image)

Adderly · 17 February 2006, 01:00

Reading that you use DMS just reminds me of those nasty "errdms!" errors sometimes found on .dms files. Seems that the disk-masher-system is not always working 100%. Don't use it for essential or rare stuff without verify!

Doc Mindie · 17 February 2006, 12:42

Well.... I figure.... as long as you actually have the ADF..... if you get an error, you just try again.

On my A1200 (before my acc died) I used this method with great success. instead of transferring Monkey Island 2 as ADF's, I DMS'ed them in WinUAE, and transfered them, undms'ed to those virtual floppy thingies (can't remember the name off the top of my head) and they worked wonders.

Might be I've been very lucky though

Photon · 17 February 2006, 20:37

I've never been able to format a HD disk, hole covered or not, as a functional Amiga DD disk. GOOD LUCK :S

Daniel · 18 February 2006, 11:47

So does it work or not??

alexh · 18 February 2006, 17:21

@photon

I think your drive must be busted, I've done it squillions of times. Perhaps you have a panasonic drive.

alexh · 18 February 2006, 17:23

@daniel

It's much faster to install cross dos on your Amiga and use a program to either compress the adf files (lzx) or split them over multiple disks. There is a program on aminet called disksplit

Even better... if you have an Amiga hard drive, shove it in the PC and use ADFView to mount it as a drive and copy the adf's over. Slam it back into the Amiga and use BlitzADF

Daniel · 18 February 2006, 22:00

I was banging the hd in my pc but i have now replaced my 3.5 inch hard drive with a 2.5 inch which i can now fit in my a600 and i really dont want to keep opening her up, Ive already managed to cock up my keyboard from pulling the ribbon to many times, now my Amiga wont soft reset????

Anyway as pc disks work ill pop out and buy a few for those non install games.

Cheers

alexh · 18 February 2006, 23:18

You have an A600 eh? I wrote an FAQ's on how to get back from workbench as much RAM as possible in order to run Miami TCP/IP stack on a 68000 2Meg A600 so that you could buy a £5 PCMCIA network adapter to transfer ADF's using Amiga Explorer directly to the Amiga floppy drive.

Would that be of any use to you?

Daniel · 09 March 2006, 14:16

Thats just what i need, Ive got myself 3com pcmcia network card but dont know how to set it up, I need a complete guide and i mean complete, including what leads i need to use, i have been trying to connect it up to my lan port on my pc and i have followed some setup instructions that i have found but everytime i try and ping the connection it says Time Out,

Please help Alexh

_ThEcRoW · 09 March 2006, 15:27

I prefer catweasel route. I write disks for my amigas onto 1,44 mb pc disks and they work perferct!!!. Only if you will use it for storing data, then you should put tape in the other hole. Otherwise, for games isn't neccesary, as i buy new floppies and write em with the catweasel to play on my 500 and the work fine.

Ironclaw · 09 March 2006, 17:03

PC floppies??... there are no "PC" floppies, they all work for all systems which use floppies. But only some systems can take advantage of the extra space HD floppies has (two holes in it).... but still, all systems can use that one aswell.

Calgor · 10 March 2006, 15:09

daniel, you are using 115200 baud rate aren't you? I use that method as well to transfer adfs, it is a pain.

I think if someone has a ready-made boot floppy which automatically sets up the network card, that would be perfect for you. That is what I once had, but I lost it. To avoid the ping timeout, I still had to make sure the IP addresses matched (different, but in same 192.168.x.x) on both machines tho, and firewall let thru the traffic on pc side.

But I think it was AmiTCP or something simpler than Miami. And the floppy had ftp tools to transfer files once connected.

Daniel · 10 March 2006, 16:25

ive got it sorted now, i was using the wrong cable, ive since got a cross over cable and 1 floppie that does everything, Im amazed at the speed i can transfer files at now, it took a fraction of a second to transfer a 1.5 mb file, much ,much faster than by null modem cable.

15 February 2006, 18:02	#1
Daniel Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Lincoln UK Age: 46 Posts: 23	Can i use PC floppies and use them for Amiga games Can i use bog standard pc floppies in my amiga 600 .?? If no then were can i get compatible disks? Cheers

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15 February 2006, 18:35	#2
Doc Mindie In deep Trouble Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Manchester, Made in Norway Age: 51 Posts: 841	Sure, you can use them..... you HAVE to format them on the Amiga though..... and if you intend to transfer anything from the PC to Amiga, a piece of tape to cover the HD-hole on the floppy is quite useful. Note, NOT the write protection hole, but hole on the other side of the disk. Then you format them as PC720, since the A600 can't access a HD-floppy of 1.44 MB Hope this helps

15 February 2006, 18:51	#3
Daniel Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Lincoln UK Age: 46 Posts: 23	Thanks for that, I am copying files from my pc to my amiga using a null modem serial cable direct onto floppy in the amiga drive, Could i copy an adf to a floppy in the pc drive if i used winuae? Coz using the modem cable takes ages ??

15 February 2006, 19:47	#4
NOB Zone Friend Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Germany Age: 52 Posts: 424	Imho the only way to write ADFs or DMS images back to a real disk, is a real Amiga.Or a Catweaselcontroller.

17 February 2006, 00:21	#5
Doc Mindie In deep Trouble Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Manchester, Made in Norway Age: 51 Posts: 841	Well.... what I'd do, is to make a DMS of the image in WinUAE, and copy the DMS file (via serial) into RAM: on the Amiga side, and undms it there..... but that is more effort than transfering just one and one ADF. If you have like ten disk-images, it would be faster, I believe (unless the files on the disks are packed from before, the ratio I get is typically between 33 and 66 % of the ADF-image)

17 February 2006, 01:00	#6
Adderly [Satan^God] Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Germany Posts: 701	Reading that you use DMS just reminds me of those nasty "errdms!" errors sometimes found on .dms files. Seems that the disk-masher-system is not always working 100%. Don't use it for essential or rare stuff without verify!

17 February 2006, 12:42	#7
Doc Mindie In deep Trouble Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Manchester, Made in Norway Age: 51 Posts: 841	Well.... I figure.... as long as you actually have the ADF..... if you get an error, you just try again. On my A1200 (before my acc died) I used this method with great success. instead of transferring Monkey Island 2 as ADF's, I DMS'ed them in WinUAE, and transfered them, undms'ed to those virtual floppy thingies (can't remember the name off the top of my head) and they worked wonders. Might be I've been very lucky though

17 February 2006, 20:37	#8
Photon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Eksjö / Sweden Posts: 5,602	I've never been able to format a HD disk, hole covered or not, as a functional Amiga DD disk. GOOD LUCK :S

18 February 2006, 11:47	#9
Daniel Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Lincoln UK Age: 46 Posts: 23	So does it work or not??

18 February 2006, 17:21	#10
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,337	@photon I think your drive must be busted, I've done it squillions of times. Perhaps you have a panasonic drive.

18 February 2006, 17:23	#11
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,337	@daniel It's much faster to install cross dos on your Amiga and use a program to either compress the adf files (lzx) or split them over multiple disks. There is a program on aminet called disksplit Even better... if you have an Amiga hard drive, shove it in the PC and use ADFView to mount it as a drive and copy the adf's over. Slam it back into the Amiga and use BlitzADF

18 February 2006, 22:00	#12
Daniel Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Lincoln UK Age: 46 Posts: 23	I was banging the hd in my pc but i have now replaced my 3.5 inch hard drive with a 2.5 inch which i can now fit in my a600 and i really dont want to keep opening her up, Ive already managed to cock up my keyboard from pulling the ribbon to many times, now my Amiga wont soft reset???? Anyway as pc disks work ill pop out and buy a few for those non install games. Cheers

18 February 2006, 23:18	#13
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,337	You have an A600 eh? I wrote an FAQ's on how to get back from workbench as much RAM as possible in order to run Miami TCP/IP stack on a 68000 2Meg A600 so that you could buy a £5 PCMCIA network adapter to transfer ADF's using Amiga Explorer directly to the Amiga floppy drive. Would that be of any use to you?

09 March 2006, 14:16	#14
Daniel Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Lincoln UK Age: 46 Posts: 23	Thats just what i need, Ive got myself 3com pcmcia network card but dont know how to set it up, I need a complete guide and i mean complete, including what leads i need to use, i have been trying to connect it up to my lan port on my pc and i have followed some setup instructions that i have found but everytime i try and ping the connection it says Time Out, Please help Alexh

09 March 2006, 15:27	#15
_ThEcRoW Amiga NetRunner Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Spain Age: 45 Posts: 941	I prefer catweasel route. I write disks for my amigas onto 1,44 mb pc disks and they work perferct!!!. Only if you will use it for storing data, then you should put tape in the other hole. Otherwise, for games isn't neccesary, as i buy new floppies and write em with the catweasel to play on my 500 and the work fine.

09 March 2006, 17:03	#16
Ironclaw Banned Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: ... Age: 45 Posts: 3,313	PC floppies??... there are no "PC" floppies, they all work for all systems which use floppies. But only some systems can take advantage of the extra space HD floppies has (two holes in it).... but still, all systems can use that one aswell.

10 March 2006, 15:09	#17
Calgor (Amigas && Amigos)++ Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Anrea Posts: 999	daniel, you are using 115200 baud rate aren't you? I use that method as well to transfer adfs, it is a pain. I think if someone has a ready-made boot floppy which automatically sets up the network card, that would be perfect for you. That is what I once had, but I lost it. To avoid the ping timeout, I still had to make sure the IP addresses matched (different, but in same 192.168.x.x) on both machines tho, and firewall let thru the traffic on pc side. But I think it was AmiTCP or something simpler than Miami. And the floppy had ftp tools to transfer files once connected.

10 March 2006, 16:25	#18
Daniel Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Lincoln UK Age: 46 Posts: 23	ive got it sorted now, i was using the wrong cable, ive since got a cross over cable and 1 floppie that does everything, Im amazed at the speed i can transfer files at now, it took a fraction of a second to transfer a 1.5 mb file, much ,much faster than by null modem cable.

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