[Coco] OS-9 Floppy / Printer configuration?

Mon Jul 26 04:38:46 EDT 2010

Chad,

check what's in the "STARTUP" file on the NitrOS9 disk. If it's the same as the Level 2 disks, it will load some utils into memory. You could maybe do without those.

As well, the default NitrOS9 bootfile probably has a lot of device driver and descriptors that the DeskMate disk doesn't have.

hope that helps

Regards, Bob Devries
Dalby, QLD, Australia

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Chad H 
  To: 'CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts' 
  Sent: Monday, July 26, 2010 6:25 PM
  Subject: Re: [Coco] OS-9 Floppy / Printer configuration?

  Well the "move programs to NitrOS9" didn't work with DeskMate..haven't had
  time to try with others yet.  DeskMate tries to load under NitrOS9 but exits
  almost immediately saying "NOT ENOUGH MEMORY".  The OS9 on the DeskMate disk
  seems very stripped down. I'm thinking NitrOS9 is loading too many modules.
  I even tried booting from original OS-9 disk and then loading DeskMate, same
  error message.  I've looked at the Cobbler and OS9Gen utilities thinking
  maybe they could help.  The OS9Gen is said to be able to rebuild from
  scratch a bootstrap file with only the modules you specify.  The OS-9 manual
  also says that a certain list of modules are required.  Question is, how do
  I  pick and choose which of those modules I want to use in OS9Gen?  It seems
  to be looking for the original bootstrap file or actual module files (which
  I don't see residing on the disks matching the bootup modules)  Where are
  these bootup modules other than in the original bootstrap file??

  I'm starting to miss MSDOS... :/

  - Chad

  -----Original Message-----
  From: coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On
  Behalf Of Chad H
  Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2010 11:46 PM
  To: 'CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts'
  Subject: Re: [Coco] OS-9 Floppy / Printer configuration?

  That has been my thoughts in the last little while.  I have a good NitrOS9
  (2008 build) that is already setup for the double-sided drives.  I had
  copied the DMODE utilty to a OS9 disk, rebooted from it and tried it.  Yea,
  it let me view and change the tracks/sides...but the FORMAT failed, oh well.
  So yea, I'm in the process now of making a testing copy of the NitrOS9 to
  see if I can't move some of my OS9 programs over to it.  If that works, I
  will just have to get the printer configured then.  Thanks.

  -----Original Message-----
  From: coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On
  Behalf Of Bob Devries
  Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2010 11:35 PM
  To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
  Subject: Re: [Coco] OS-9 Floppy / Printer configuration?

  Chad,
  since NitrOS9 and Tandy's OS9 are completely functionally identical, why
  would you want to move the drivers/descriptors from one to the other. If you
  have a programme which currently works on Tandy's Level 1, you could more
  easily move the programme files to the NitrOS9 disk, since NitrOS9 should be
  able to read both single and double-sided disks.

  Regards, Bob Devries
  Dalby, QLD, Australia

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Chad H 
    To: 'CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts' 
    Sent: Monday, July 26, 2010 2:09 PM
    Subject: Re: [Coco] OS-9 Floppy / Printer configuration?

    Sorry, I'm only familiar with RTSI on the web or FTP.  I don't really know
    much about IIRC.  Can the driver/descriptors be extracted somehow from
    Nitro-OS9 to a OS-9 system disk?

    - Chad

    -----Original Message-----
    From: coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com]
  On
    Behalf Of Bob Devries
    Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2010 10:37 PM
    To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
    Subject: Re: [Coco] OS-9 Floppy / Printer configuration?

    Hi all,

    may I be so bold as to point out that Chad H is using Level ONE of OS9?

    AFAIK, level ONE was HARD CODED for single-sided disks. You needed to
    replace the floppy driver and descriptors with a modified one (available
  on
    RTSI IIRC) to read/write double-sided disks.

    Regards, Bob Devries
    Dalby, QLD, Australia

      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Chad H 
      To: 'CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts' 
      Sent: Monday, July 26, 2010 1:04 PM
      Subject: [Coco] OS-9 Floppy / Printer configuration?

      Ok, I've only slightly tinkered with OS-9 slightly over the years.  I
      usually only load it because an application or game requires it.  I'm
    trying
      to learn a bit more about it so I can make better use of it.

      Here's the issue I'm working on right now: trying to configure it to
  take
      advantage of the printer and floppy drive setup I have attached.  I have
  a
      FD-502 with dual 5.25 double-sided 360k drives with a modified RS-DOS
    EPROM
      that allows the top unit to be drives 0/1 and the bottom 2/3.  How do I
      configure OS-9 to take advantage of the other sides of the drives,
  either
    as
      /d2, /d3, etc. or by making /d0 and /d1 double-sided devices.   Also, a
      person on this list was gracious enough to sell me a serial-to-parallel
      converter that allows me to print to a old HP DeskJet 540 printer rather
      well.  I've coded some RS-DOS BASIC programs to work properly with it
    (i.e.
      setting 1200baud and CRLF) but is there a way to set such parameters in
      OS/9?  If memory serves, the printer is /P device, right?  I've seen a
      couple of OS-9 applications allow the setting of the baud rate inside
  the
      application setup, but not much other settings.   Only way I could get
    these
      to printt down a page instead of all text on the first line was to run a
      RS-DOS BASIC initialization program to initialize the printer and then
  go
      into the OS-9 apps and print.

       I know there are more advanced things out there now for the CoCo.  I
  find
      the idea of using SD card for storage fascinating.  However, I got into
    the
      world of computers and programming on this very CoCo 2 when I was 14 and
    I'm
      trying to remain true to its original character.  Some of what I once
  had
      learned years ago I've forgotten and I'm slowly trying to relearn all I
    can
      and then some.

      P.S. I have the original OS-9 level 1 rev. 1.0.0.  Wish I could find a
    later
      revision.  I know the DeskMate diskette I have says level 1 rev. 2.0.0
  but
    I
      think it's missing a lot of the OS-9 files. 

      Thanks for any help.

      --
      Coco mailing list
      Coco at maltedmedia.com
      http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco

    --
    Coco mailing list
    Coco at maltedmedia.com
    http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco

    --
    Coco mailing list
    Coco at maltedmedia.com
    http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco

  --
  Coco mailing list
  Coco at maltedmedia.com
  http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco

  --
  Coco mailing list
  Coco at maltedmedia.com
  http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco

  --
  Coco mailing list
  Coco at maltedmedia.com
  http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco