8 replies to this topic

[ti99userclub]

Hi Guys,

may be some one can help me...
i would want help a friend in Italy that bought at a flea market and then restored a PEB with a TI99, but nothing for test it...
i found a Catalog Program in Basic, but my friend haven't any TI99 floppy.
someone of you can help me with a little basic program for format the DSK1 unit ? it could help to understand if the drive is working ?

thankyou

Ciro.

[kl99]

The Disk Manager 1/2 cartridge is almost essential for formatting. Of course there are assembler programs which do the same but they are on disk which your friend doesn't have.

Here is an extract from the Disk Controller Manual to test the unit:

Quote

Note: Do not put any diskettes in the drives yet. If you have more than one external drive attached, they
must all be switched on, even if you plan to use only one.
Go into TI Basic and enter the following program.
100 OPEN #1:"DSK1.X"
110 CLOSE #1
Run the program and observe drive one (DSK1). The light should come on briefly, indicating that the
drive is connected properly. If the drive light does not come on or if it comes on and stays on, check all
connections and see that all devices have power. Note: The Controller Card light flashes when the
controller accesses a disk drive.
Even though the disk drive is operating, the following message appears on the screen because there is no
diskette in the disk drive.
*I/O ERROR 06 IN 100
Repeat the test for drives two and three if you have them, altering the program to reference DSK2 and
DSK3, respectively.
When you have verified that the disk drives are operating, type BYE and press ENTER. You are ready to
start using your disk system as described in the following sections of this manual.

[ti99userclub]

Hi Klaus thankyou but is not what i need...

i know that disk manager is an important cartridge but i know that there are simply basic programs for operate with drives...
like the catalog basic program shoud exist a fromatting program...

i can't belive that isn't another method for formatting disks without Disk Manager Carts... you sure ?

Thank You

[kl99]

Well, the above method is for testing the drives and the controller. The manual gives basic code examples for cataloging a disk but not for formatting. As far as I know the necessary formatting routines were not in the TI-Basic ROM but in the Disk Manager cartridge.

The Cyc (www.cadd99.com) doesn't give me any info about disk formatting in basic, only plenty of catalog programs.

[Lee Stewart]

Actually, the formatter is part of the DSR that resides in the PEB disk-controller card. The Disk Manager (DM) cartridge is a higher-level program that organizes access to the DSR subroutines, formatting being one of them. The formatter subroutine only formats the disk without doing much checking. The DM checks each sector after formatting, etc. I would think it possible (likely?) that there is a BASIC program somewhere that would format a disk. TI Forth has such a routine (no checking, however), but you would need a TI Forth disk and the Editor/Assembler cartridge---always a gotcha somewhere.

...lee

[RXB]

Besides Cartridge you can use XB Cart and almost a hundred different disk utilities that have Format built in.
Here is a very old tool I used to use called BACKUP it has everything in one disk. DSKU, MCOPY, PFC, and DSR SCAN.

Attached Files

•  BACKUP.zip   52.63K   1 downloads

[ti99userclub]

Thank you Guys, i have a lot of programs about formatting... but my friend is very far from me and i can't try with my diskette software...
i just wanted for looking about a fast program in basic that him should type on the computer, like a catalog program... are 36 lines...
if we can't help him about, well ... i will ship to him the disk manager cartridge and come floppy disks

but really thank you to all for answer, now i understand better...

bye

Ciro.

[Cory]

Hey Ciro!

If he has a TI RS -232 card and a serial cable let him know that he can download vdm99 from Thierry Nouspikel's site. VDM99 allows you to use the physical drives attached to the PEB via a PC running vdm99.

I'll post the links when I get home.

[ti99userclub]

Hi Cory !
thankyou for the info !
i sended a Disk Manger Cartridge to the italian 99er i wrote in the first post !
but i am curious to try myself about your suggestion...

Thankyou !

Edited by ti99userclub, Wed Apr 25, 2012 1:27 PM.