[Coco] Dumb way to write 3.5" floppy in Coco RSBASIC?

[Robert Gault]

KnudsenMJ at aol.com wrote:
> I alluded to something in passing that some folks didn't understand what I 
> was asking or wondering about.  Well, here it is:
> 
> My Coco3 has 3 disk drives -- two 5.25" and one 720K 3.5".
> I use the 3" drive only under OS-9, with the /C0 descriptor.
> 
> Now, my dumb question is this:
> If I stick a blank 3" floppy in it, and while still in RSBASIC, simply type
> FORMAT #2 (which is what BASIC would call this drive),
> will BASIC go ahead and do a SS 35T format of this disk?
> Without complaining?  Probably, RSBASIC doesn't look around very much :-)
> 

NO! RSBasic will complain bitterly unless you type DSKINI2.

> Now, second question:  Suppose I copy some BASIC files to this disk, again 
> without telling BASIC what I'm doing and hoping it can't tell.
> 
> I then stick this 3.5" floppy in my PC, run Jeff V's Import.exe or whatever, 
> and try to read this disk the way I used to read 5.25" floppies on my old PC.
> Will this work?
> Will I have to "lie" to DOS by temporarily hacking the BIOS settings about my 
> PC drive?  It's a high-density model, and I've heard you have to tell the 
> BIOS CMOS settings that it's something else (like 8", I forget).
> 

There might be a problem. If the disk can't be read by the emulator, 
just run the DSKINI from the emulator and use the resulting disk on the 
Coco. Then any files placed on the disk will read nicely from the emulation.

> Any predictions what will happen?  I'd like to find a way to get some BASIC 
> code of mine onto the PC for sharing with others.  I do have a 5.25" drive, 
> actually several, lying around, but don't know their condition .  I do have room 
> in my PC.
> Thanks, Mike K.
> 

The best means for transfer is still null modem if you have an RS-232 pak.