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Re: Adding files to SD card with win32

Posted: 21 Dec 2013 01:31
by Dave
It's a real benefit for is Windows folks

- well done Andy!

regards
Dave

Re: Adding files to SD card with win32

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 01:17
by AndyKey
Have been peering inside FDXB.

It seems I have 2 variants.
One which only talks to the FDX FDC.
One which only talks to the SDX FDC.
(so it appears I lied above, ooops)
I've therefore renamed the latter SDXB.COM, as it only works on SDX.

SDX BASIC loads CP/M from the floppy and patches/relocates it.
xDXB.COM actually seem to have chunks of the FDC driver in question, and parts of CP/M itself baked together in an amorphous blob.

It assumes A: and two physical drives (B: and C:) which can only be type 07 or type 02 (or at least it looks that way), of the same type code.
If your FDX had drives configured with differing type codes, or if you had 8" D: or E:, or if you had Silicon or RAM Disc, it looks like you are out of luck.

In fact, it looks like bad things might happen if you refer to D: or higher.

It also looks as if it assumes that you booted from B:, because the DPH tables for A: and B: are the same.

When it starts, it looks for ROM 5 and above and initalises them.
Normal MTX BASIC looks for ROM 2 and above.
It seems to have special logic to avoid initalising the SDxx ROM.
I think when FDXB was written, they though the SDX ROM would have this name, whereas in fact I think FWxx is common.
This might cause problems for SDXB.COM on a modern SDX (with the SDX ROM in slot 5 rather than 3).

Anyway, this is nasty...

Re: Adding files to SD card with win32

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 02:04
by Dave
Hi Andy,

I think I agree with your summary, with the exception of the Type codes, did you mean 03 and 07, rather than 02 and 07?

regards
Dave

Re: Adding files to SD card with win32

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 12:19
by AndyGarton
AndyKey wrote:Given the title of this thread, I though it would be worth an update...


Accessing content on SD Cards, or on images of partitions copied from SD Cards is now massively easier under Windows.
Use the CP/M Callback Filesystem - see http://www.nyangau.org/cpmcbfs/cpmcbfs.htm.
Basically you map a drive letter to it, and then use normal Windows Explorer or other commands.

Same technique works on images of filesystems from other media, such as floppies.
Asking a lot I know, but as Andy's page is still down does anybody have the info and download(s) they could make available please? I know I should just be patient!

Re: Adding files to SD card with win32

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 13:13
by Dave
Andy,

I have put a copy for you here . . . .

http://primrosebank.net/computers/mtx/t ... tm#cpmcbfs

regards
Dave

Re: Adding files to SD card with win32

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 14:23
by AndyGarton
Cheers Dave!

Re: Adding files to SD card with win32

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 14:53
by AndyGarton
Dave I think the "local copy" link is wrong? It actually points to Andy's site.

EDIT - half right, the icon link is fine, so thanks :)

Re: Adding files to SD card with win32

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 16:36
by AndyGarton
Ok, so dumb questions time :)

I've installed the driver ok, but the next step (mounting the drive) requires an sddisc.bin file, which I assume is an image of the SD card. How do I get that exactly please? If I insert the card then Windows claims it isn't formatted (as expected I guess, because it is in CP/M format).

A related question once I've solved this problem is how do I wrote the modified sddisc.bin file back to my SD card?

Thanks in advance,
Andy

Re: Adding files to SD card with win32

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 16:43
by AndyGarton
So I RTFM'd properly and got it working, sorry.

Just in case anybody else is similarly confused (unlikely I know), I needed:

Code: Select all

cpmcbfs -i \\.\F: -v
... where F: is the drive letter of my SD card.

Re: Adding files to SD card with win32

Posted: 31 Dec 2013 16:55
by AndyGarton
I have hit a problem now though - I can copy files to my card apparently fine (they show up in the virtual Z drive anyway), but after I hit enter to disconnect the drive, and then reconnect it again, the new files aren't there. Is there a step necessary to "commit" the files perhaps?