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  • Installing software in CP/M emulators

    From Paul Richards@21:1/5 to All on Mon Nov 21 14:42:37 2022
    I've been exploring CP/M with an emulator. It seems that I am restricted
    to using applications which have been formatted in a specific/particular
    format e.g. SIMH AltairZ80 and their .dsk format.

    However if I want to use software, say, from retroarchiv.org, how do I
    install it in an emulator?

    TIA

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  • From Jack Strangio@21:1/5 to Paul Richards on Mon Nov 21 07:04:01 2022
    Paul Richards <[email protected]> writes:
    I've been exploring CP/M with an emulator. It seems that I am restricted
    to using applications which have been formatted in a specific/particular format e.g. SIMH AltairZ80 and their .dsk format.

    However if I want to use software, say, from retroarchiv.org, how do I install it in an emulator?


    One way is to use software like say cpmtools where you would read the disk-image using the appropriate disk format for the disk image you receive
    and then write the files using cpmtools to a disk format that the emulator
    can use.

    example:

    disk -image is IBM 8" in IBM3470 format.

    using cpmtools extract file1, file2, file3, etc from the IBM format
    disk-image.

    using cpmtools write file1, file2,file3, etc to a disk-image in SIMH format.

    Jack.

    --
    My wife says I have two faults:
    I don't listen and something else.

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  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to All on Mon Nov 21 03:59:30 2022
    cpmtools is certainly one good way to do this. If you are requiring a CP/M definition that isn't included in cpmtools, have a look at github.

    https://github.com/ldkraemer/CPM-Floppy-Definitions

    There are a few typo's in the list which I'm trying to get updated, but Github isn't allowing me to push the update, since I'm new to git.

    Also have a look at SAMDISK, and libdsk, as they can do lots of conversions.

    https://simonowen.com/samdisk/formats/ https://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=112244%5B/url%5D https://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=61888%5B/url%5D https://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=151313%5B/url%5D

    Larry

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  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to All on Mon Nov 21 06:26:09 2022
    Here are a couple of url's on the subject.

    Reading 254-track SIMH Altair disks using CPMTOOLS? https://groups.google.com/g/comp.os.cpm/c/SyW9dOA7wpc

    Altair 8800 simulator
    https://hc-ddr.hucki.net/wiki/doku.php/cpm/altairz80


    https://github.com/lipro-cpm4l/cpmtools/blob/cpm4l/cpmtools-2.21/diskdefs
    # ALTAIRZ80 SIMH *dsk 8MB Harddisk (Type AZ80 HDSK)
    diskdef 8megAltairSIMH
    seclen 128
    tracks 2048
    sectrk 32
    blocksize 4096
    maxdir 1024
    skew 0
    boottrk 6
    os 2.2
    end

    # ALTAIRZ80 SIMH *dsk MITS 88-DISK 137 Byte/Sektor
    # speedball (copylib) skewtable
    diskdef simh
    seclen 128
    tracks 254
    sectrk 32
    blocksize 2048
    maxdir 256
    skew 17
    boottrk 6
    os 2.2
    end


    Larry

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  • From Bill McMullen@21:1/5 to All on Mon Nov 21 13:43:40 2022
    Perhaps I've misread the original question but I think the answer to installing software from the .zip files in www.retroarchive.org is simpler and not concerned with diskdef details.

    The version of SIMH I'm using has drive I: with lots of free space on it and I use it as the transfer drive from/to the Windows directory that has altairz80.exe (\CPM-3 in my case). To load files from www.retroarchive.org onto the I: drive:

    1) Under Windows, unzip the package into the \CPM-3 directory.
    2) In the CP/M window, switch to drive I:
    2) For each of the unzipped files you want to install on CP/M's I: drive, enter the CP/M command "R filename" which transfers it from the Windows directory to the CP/M disk. After the transfer, the Windows copy of the file can be deleted.
    3) If you want to save a CP/M file to the Windows directory, there is a corresponding "W filename" command.

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  • From Paul Richards@21:1/5 to Bill McMullen on Tue Nov 22 14:01:34 2022
    On 22/11/2022 8:43 am, Bill McMullen wrote:
    Perhaps I've misread the original question but I think the answer to installing software from the .zip files in www.retroarchive.org is simpler and not concerned with diskdef details.

    The version of SIMH I'm using has drive I: with lots of free space on it and I use it as the transfer drive from/to the Windows directory that has altairz80.exe (\CPM-3 in my case). To load files from www.retroarchive.org onto the I: drive:

    1) Under Windows, unzip the package into the \CPM-3 directory.
    2) In the CP/M window, switch to drive I:
    2) For each of the unzipped files you want to install on CP/M's I: drive, enter the CP/M command "R filename" which transfers it from the Windows directory to the CP/M disk. After the transfer, the Windows copy of the file can be deleted.
    3) If you want to save a CP/M file to the Windows directory, there is a corresponding "W filename" command.

    Thanks to all who replied. In principle Bill's suggestion seems by far
    the easiest - for me at least. However I can 'attach' an I: disk but it
    does not persist i.e. when I log off CP/M and then restart
    AltairZ80/CP/M and try to log on to I: I get the 'BDOS error' and I: has disappeared :-(

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