FileStore
Description
Hardware
Error codes
NVRAM
Disc format
Disc image
Accessing
Password file
E01 vs E01S
Rescuing
Emulator
SD card
Intro
MDFS
Others
Clocks
Bridges
Interfaces
Misc h/w
Testing
Misc info
Introduction
There may be times when you need to create a floppy disc but getting into the FileStore is difficult, or you'd rather just do it on your PC.What you'll need:
- A PC with a half-decent disc controller.
- A copy of Omniflop - you'll get this from www.omniflop.com (it is free).
Instructions below. - A double density floppy disc.
If you can't find any, use a high density and put a sticker around the hole on the lower right of the disc. - A disc image! ☺ - two are provided below,
a utility disc and an initial disc.
FileStore disc - utility disc
The FileStore disc image, link above, expands to a 640KiB image. It is a standard disc image with extension ".img". It is also compatible with software expecting a "double sided interleaved image" (extension ".adl").
It should be written to the disc using the following topology: 80 tracks, 16 sectors per track, 2 heads, 256 byte sectors.
This disc image is called FSdisc and is set up with three users and a number of useful utilities.
The users are:
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The disc image also contains a number of useful utilities.
In ArthurLib, you have useful user utilities:
The software (for RISC OS machines, not BBC-era) is:
- FSTime (Rick Murray) Report file server's time.
- ListFS (Rick Murray) List available file servers.
- ListOpen (unknown) List open files and their handles.
- Notify v2.21 (Rick Murray) Simple *Notify replacement.
- notify4 v4.00 (Rick Murray) 'sexed up' *Notify replacement.
- Servers (Rick Murray) List available servers.
In the Syst directory (Syst URD), you have useful management utilities:
The software (for RISC OS machines, not BBC-era) is:
- fspoke (Rick Murray) Pokes a 'sane' configuration into a FileStore with an ailing battery (may lead to nonsense in NVRAM).
- ListUsers v2.02D (unknown) Lists the contents of Level3/FileStore password files. I think it can do Level4 as well.
- mon v1.00 (Philip Blundell) The network packet monitor that Acorn should have written, instead of the highly obscure hex-obsessed thing they did... This monitor makes tracing faults a LOT simpler.
- SetFree v2.01 (Acorn Computers Ltd) Sets the user's free space quota.
- SetStation v2.02 (Acorn Computers Ltd) Runs on a RISC OS machine to permit the station number to be configured.
- UnSetProt (Rick Murray) Unset station protection - not generally advised, but may be useful for testing programs. [ps: yes, it's just a single SWI call...]
- UserList (Rick Murray) Lists users currently logged on.
- WarnClose v1.00 (Rick Murray) Send a Notify to all stations warning of impending shutdown. Reports how many stations received the message.
The Felicity directory (Felicity URD) is empty, but as Felicity is a system user it is possible to access the Syst directory...
There is no Guest directory, hence Guest's URD will be the root directory. They have 'locked' access, so can't do a lot.
All of the software is provided to help you get a useful system running quickly.
FileStore disc - initial disc
The FileStore disc image, link above, expands to a 640KiB image. It is a standard disc image with extension ".img". It is also compatible with software expecting a "double sided interleaved image" (extension ".adl").
It should be written to the disc using the following topology: 80 tracks, 16 sectors per track, 2 heads, 256 byte sectors.
This disc image is called NewDisc and contains only a Passwords file with the user Syst - exactly as is created using *FSFormat...
OmniFlop
OmniFlop will need a special floppy disc driver installed in order to perform the low-level access required for reading and writing discs in formats that Windows doesn't recognise. The driver is not 'signed', however I can report that I have been running it awhile with no undesired effects. On the contrary, the ability to access a variety of disc formats is a definite plus.You may need to register the software in order to access this disc format. I don't know, try it without. In any case, registration is free. Omniflop will provide a cryptic key and Jason Watton will reply with an equally cryptic key.
Get Omniflop to check out your computer, make sure your floppy controller is capable. I have a generic MSI motherboard with a combi-chip and it works, so here's hoping that your computer will work!
NOTE: If you have a more modern computer without a floppy disc drive, you're stuck. I don't think USB drives will work.
Formatting the disc
Start Omniflop and instruct it to Format:
Select floppy drive A:
Look through the list of disc formats for 80/2/16x256 (3.5" Acorn ADFS L) 640kB:
Let it format...
Copying the image
This time, select Write disc:
Once again, floppy disc A:
And once again, the 80/2/16x256 (3.5" Acorn ADFS L) 640kB format:
Now select the disc image file. It is important that the type is Standard disk image (not .adl):
Sit back and wait as the image is written to the disc...
