17 replies to this topic

[Cebus Capucinis]

I'm trying to play Ultima and I need to make a character. I'm using an Atarimax Flashcart to load the .atr files for character creation and the game, which is no problem -- just SELECT-OPTION to override ROM and load to/from disk. Well, first I realized my floppy disks weren't working, so I quickly loaded up MyDOS 3 and started formatting away, right?

I've got a stack of about 5 that would format properly. When I go into the directory they say '0000 FREE SECTORS'. That means the disk is empty, right? But no! When I load up Ultima and try to create a character to save to the disk all I get is ERROR 162 - Disk Full. Trying to make a DOS disk does this as well. Error 162 every time.

If the disk is empty with free sectors, but the error says the disk is full, and it's formatting fine, I must be doing something wrong. What could I be doing? How can I get a disk to be copy-able to play this fun game?

[Rybags]

What was the other Dos you used?

Try using Atari DOS 2.5, use the Format Single option and see how that goes.

(I don't have this game or a flashcart, so have no idea if it'll work)

[Cebus Capucinis]

Is the formatting just not taking or something? I just formatted another disk and it directories to '0021 FREE SECTORS' and some .SYS files now. This one seems to work....does that mean the other disks are bad, they just *could* format but not write?

EDIT: Nope, that didn't work. Still coming up with ERROR 162 - DISK FULL.

I don't have a copy of Atari DOS 2.5, my Atari DOS disk is one of my dead ones and I couldn't find an actual .atr file for it. Does anyone have one?

[Rybags]

If a disk doesn't format properly, you should get an error message at the time you run the command from Dos.

I'm not sure, but MyDos created disks probably aren't fully compatible with normal Dos. MyDos supports subdirectories, Atari's Dos 2.0/2.5 doesn't.

[Cebus Capucinis]

Yeah, I have a bunch that are Error 173. Bad sectors = bad disks. These ones that I am using now formatted okay, no errors during the format, aside from the '0000 FREE SECTORS' bit. Very confusing. The disk is 'empty' but when I try to write it is 'full'.... Unfortunately MyDOS is the only one I have, thanks to my Atari DOS having crap sectors. I'd need another disk or a disk image.

[Rybags]

If you've got APE/SIO2PC, then you're laughing - images are out there for everything.

 DOS 2.5.atr   130.02K   17 downloads

If not, but you have a cassette drive, you can use Cas2Wav and create a tape-based bootable DOS 2.5 - link http://www.atariage....ost__p__1110134

Then you use that to format and write DOS 2.5 to a blank.

[Cebus Capucinis]

Where the deuce did you find that? I couldn't find it ANYWHERE! Okay, loading it up on the flashcart and we'll see if that format type works.

EDIT: Okay, doing a D1 format on a couple disks. Format was clean. Comes up with '000 FREE SECTORS'. However, when I try to copy DOS files, it comes up with 'NOT FORMAT TYPE 2' or something like that....'NOT DOS 2'...etc. I'm going to try playing it now.

Nope. Same thing. 'DOS ERROR CODE 162 - DISK FULL.' Can't write to the disk. I'm going to try one of my working disks.

I'm beginning to wonder if it's the Rana 1000 I am using. I am going to try a format with my Indus GT.

EDIT 2: Nope, still nothing. Single format works fine, comes up with '000 FREE SECTORS', then trying to write to the supposedly formatted disk to save a character in Ultima just gives me 'ERROR 162 DISK FULL' again. The Indus loads to about track 19, then it stops with the ERROR 162 code.

I just need to get APE and a SIO2PC I am thinking

[Cebus Capucinis]

Not to derail the thread too much, but here is another question:

Say I buy SIO2PC and APE. APE can make blank disks so I can make savegames, right? Since it's a full disk emulator I would assume, for example for Ultima 1, I would load the .atr for the game, then load the .atr for the character creation, then be able to save that character I created to a disk image that I could then use to continue the game?

[Rybags]

It's your thread, take it in whatever direction you want.

When I said APE, I was referring to the interface, not the software that drives it. Generally we call SIO2PC/APE the same thing these days. APE software can be had in trial mode indefinitely and there's alternatives around like ApeQT and Atari810.

You can build your own homebrew APE hardware, or just buy the RS-232 or USB interface versions. You can essentially do anything with any such setup that you can on an unmodified 1050 drive.

For savegames, yes, you get an advantage. e.g. with Alternate Reality, the game will delete a character once you load it. But with an APE type setup, the trick is to just save your character then make a copy of the image in Windows, so you can recover it if wanted.

[olavese@online.no]

Cebus Capucinis, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 11:03 PM, said:

I'm trying to play Ultima and I need to make a character. I'm using an Atarimax Flashcart to load the .atr files for character creation and the game, which is no problem -- just SELECT-OPTION to override ROM and load to/from disk. Well, first I realized my floppy disks weren't working, so I quickly loaded up MyDOS 3 and started formatting away, right?

I've got a stack of about 5 that would format properly. When I go into the directory they say '0000 FREE SECTORS'. That means the disk is empty, right? But no! When I load up Ultima and try to create a character to save to the disk all I get is ERROR 162 - Disk Full. Trying to make a DOS disk does this as well. Error 162 every time.

If the disk is empty with free sectors, but the error says the disk is full, and it's formatting fine, I must be doing something wrong. What could I be doing? How can I get a disk to be copy-able to play this fun game?

What type of floppies you use? Not working well with HD disk, use single or double density disks

[.....]

I am Thinking the same thing as olavese. If you are using DS/HD disks then you will have problems and eventually ruin your floppy drives. you Should always use DS/DD Disks.

The Rana 1000 and Indus GT's are usually pretty good drives so they should not be the problem. I have 2 rana's and an indus and have always thought they were pretty good drives.

If after a format, you're getting 000 Free Sectors then the format was NOT successful.

After a format of a single density disk, it should read 707 or 708 free sectors.

Edited by kjmann, Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:07 AM.

[Philsan]

Cebus Capucinis, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 11:29 PM, said:

Where the deuce did you find that? I couldn't find it ANYWHERE!

http://gury.atari8.i...egory/s_dos.htm
http://www.atarionli...ls&sub=7. DOS-y

[1050]

And I'm hoping this answer isn't stupid too.

MyDOS 3 does not support subdirectories? IIRC.

When using the AtariMax cart with Ultima game one stores the characters back to the Flash ROM of the cart - no disk drive required and thus no DOS needed???

Somehow you got both DOS and AtariMax running Ultima to format a real disk and you wonder why it miscarried the cross bred creature? I'm wondering how you loaded DOS with the cart, that should be the part that needs fixed to where you can't do that to start with??? Multiple question marks indicate a definate lack of certainty, and note that there are plenty.

Unless I misread all the Ultima threads over at AtariMax, in which case, my apologies, don't mind me, as you were, I'm out. I'm out in either case with nothing else to add.

[.....]

1050, on Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:07 AM, said:

And I'm hoping this answer isn't stupid too.

MyDOS 3 does not support subdirectories? IIRC.

When using the AtariMax cart with Ultima game one stores the characters back to the Flash ROM of the cart - no disk drive required and thus no DOS needed???

Somehow you got both DOS and AtariMax running Ultima to format a real disk and you wonder why it miscarried the cross bred creature? I'm wondering how you loaded DOS with the cart, that should be the part that needs fixed to where you can't do that to start with??? Multiple question marks indicate a definate lack of certainty, and note that there are plenty.

Unless I misread all the Ultima threads over at AtariMax, in which case, my apologies, don't mind me, as you were, I'm out. I'm out in either case with nothing else to add.

He's just using DOS to format a clean disk to use as a Character Save Disk and then he runs the game on the cart. the game has it's own DOS read and write routines for loading and saving characters from the disk.

[Cebus Capucinis]

You can't save to the flashcart at all, to the best of my knowledge. When I try to play with just the flashcart, swapping 'disk' to side 2 for character creation gets me to the character select screen, but then when it 'swaps' back to the original disk 1, it doesn't actually load any info, just goes back to the main screen. When I try to do a 'continue' (option 2) it doesn't find a file and doesn't let me swap disks or anything. So essentially it seems I need a disk to override so I can write the file.

These disks are all DD. I don't think I have any HD disks. Looks like a few are SS/DD, I will try formatting those and see what happens. But if it's 000 it's not taking the format....very odd.

I didn't think you could save games to the flashcart period. But for that question I will log-in at Atarimax and see what people tell me there. For here, I just want to figure out this very strange disk issue!

[Cebus Capucinis]

AH HA! I am wondering if it's just the disks now! Each time I try to format a disk with the Indus GT it spins up, starts the format, and then throws an F9 code. According to my look-up this is a Format Error....I will try going through all these disks to see what is going on but I think they are all kaput and can't format! Is that accurate? The F9 code on an Indus is Format Error? It runs through the tracks, goes back down to 0, then throws the F9.

This would make sense for the 'disk full' error as well -- if the drive throws a format error code then it's obviously not writing data properly, and there's a surface error on these disks! That would mean the track data wouldn't access and the disk would just throw a 'disk full' code because it can't write....

I am doing both an 'I' format and a 'P' format on them to try to see what happens. I had a couple disks that ran through the tracks without F9 code but they still say '000 SECTORS FREE', so the format still didn't work.

I think these disks are just bad. I have some good ones showing up soon so I will figure it out with those if nothing else!

[a8isa1]

Cebus Capucinis, on Fri Mar 19, 2010 12:03 PM, said:

AH HA! I am wondering if it's just the disks now! Each time I try to format a disk with the Indus GT it spins up, starts the format, and then throws an F9 code. According to my look-up this is a Format Error....I will try going through all these disks to see what is going on but I think they are all kaput and can't format! Is that accurate? The F9 code on an Indus is Format Error? It runs through the tracks, goes back down to 0, then throws the F9.

This would make sense for the 'disk full' error as well -- if the drive throws a format error code then it's obviously not writing data properly, and there's a surface error on these disks! That would mean the track data wouldn't access and the disk would just throw a 'disk full' code because it can't write....

I am doing both an 'I' format and a 'P' format on them to try to see what happens. I had a couple disks that ran through the tracks without F9 code but they still say '000 SECTORS FREE', so the format still didn't work.

I think these disks are just bad. I have some good ones showing up soon so I will figure it out with those if nothing else!

Bad disks can and do crud up the heads. Do you have a head cleaning disk?

[Cebus Capucinis]

a8isa1, on Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:21 AM, said:

Bad disks can and do crud up the heads. Do you have a head cleaning disk?

Yep! Used it when they started getting wonky.