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Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program

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Andrew,

I'm a little bit confused now.   You say the PCW you've been using is an 
8256, and the one in the loft is a 9512?

This does not tie in with the img file you posted (and that I've been 
looking at)?   Or were you using a disk from the 9512 on the 8512?

The 8512 would normally have a SS A: and a DS B:, and would boot from the 
A:, and would therefore be using a 'normal' boot sector.   I understand that 
you have now fitted a 3.5" A:, maybe you have been using a boot disk from 
the 9512 to get that to work?   I would expect that it would NOT boot using 
the normal 8512 boot disk?   BUT, the 9512 (still in the loft) you say has a 
3" drive (which would normally be a 730k disk (does that drive still work, 
has the band perished - easily replaced if it has gone).   The .img file I 
got (from you) does have a different boot sector (not just the looking for 
an .EMT file), and the code in that may include extra bits to cope with 
booting from a DS disk rather than a SS disk, also the J15CPM3.EMT file does 
include the ability to handle the .FID/FIB files that can make on-the-fly 
changes to the system (there are 4 such files on your disk, the A35 file 
which is active and which sets A: for 3.5" disks, but also a B35 file, a 
B180 and a DISABLE file, all renamed as .XXX so they're not active, which 
could be used to set B: for 3.5", B: as a SSSD CF2 disk, and thirdly to 
totally disable B: if fitted).   None of these would normally be used on an 
8512.

One extra factor which I do not understand, as I've never needed to - the 
A35 setting refers to 3.5" A: (3 ms).   I'm not sure what the 3ms is about, 
but I think there's some sort of timing issue.   It could be that this has 
something to do with why you're having the trouble reading the disk/booting 
the Loco file, I don't know.   However, my PCW 8256 (in reality more an 
8512) has a 3.5" B: fitted (along with the 5.25" A:), and I've never noted 
any problem so it seems that any timing issue doesn't apply to me.   Why 
not?

Anyway, regarding the disk image, yes I could do one, but which?   I think I 
can make a .dsk file (which is a CPC format which is the default for 
'Joyce'), and I have another image prog but that creates a 'compressed' 
image (empty sectors and not stored in full).   Maybe you've got something 
that can process a .DSK (this file contains ALL the blocks of disk data, but 
the blocks have 'headers' so the resultant file is bigger that the actual 
disk contents).   For your partic machines, I'm not sure which would be 
best.   My inclination would be to create a 'normal' looking boot disk for a 
8512, which in your case would be a SSSD format with a normal 8512 boot 
sector for a 3" A:.   If I create that, I can at least check that my 3.5" 
will recognise/access it normally, although I cannot test booting from it. 
However, that boot sector is fairly stupid, as long as the disk matches what 
the boot sector expects, then it should be OK?   Unless there is a 'timing ' 
problem??

Else we'll need to pester John Elliott - he's the EXPERT.   I keep pestering 
him, a lot of what I'm writing here is the result of things I've learned 
from him, in connection with my getting my 5.25 working as A:, and re my use 
of his Joyce emulator system.

Geoff 

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LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program Andrew Ferguson <andrewferguson500@gmail.com> - 2016-01-02 06:14 -0800
  Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program Enrique Garcia <enriquegg@gmail.com> - 2016-01-03 00:40 -0800
  Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program "Geoff Barnard" <geoff@jgb17.co.uk> - 2016-01-03 15:26 +0000
    Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program Andrew Ferguson <andrewferguson500@gmail.com> - 2016-01-04 10:32 -0800
      Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program "Geoff Barnard" <geoff@jgb17.co.uk> - 2016-01-04 23:17 +0000
      Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program "Geoff Barnard" <geoff@jgb17.co.uk> - 2016-01-04 23:50 +0000
      Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program "Geoff Barnard" <geoff@jgb17.co.uk> - 2016-01-05 00:37 +0000
      Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program "Geoff Barnard" <geoff@jgb17.co.uk> - 2016-01-05 17:05 +0000
        Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program Andrew Ferguson <andrewferguson500@gmail.com> - 2016-01-06 08:23 -0800
          Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program "Geoff Barnard" <geoff@jgb17.co.uk> - 2016-01-06 18:39 +0000
            Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program Andrew Ferguson <andrewferguson500@gmail.com> - 2016-01-06 12:59 -0800
              Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program "Geoff Barnard" <geoff@jgb17.co.uk> - 2016-01-06 23:00 +0000
                Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program Floppy Software <floppysoftware@gmail.com> - 2016-01-07 11:27 -0800
                Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program Andrew Ferguson <andrewferguson500@gmail.com> - 2016-01-07 13:11 -0800
                Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program Matthew Phillips <spam2011m@yahoo.co.uk> - 2016-01-07 22:45 +0000
                Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program seasip.webmaster@gmail.com - 2016-01-07 15:17 -0800
                Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program "Geoff Barnard" <geoff@jgb17.co.uk> - 2016-01-08 00:42 +0000
                Re: LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program seasip.webmaster@gmail.com - 2016-01-08 06:23 -0800

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