Date   : Wed, 25 Mar 1987 12:49:01 GMT
From   : well!ari@lll-lcc.arpa (Ari Davidow)
Subject: Re: converting a CP/M operation to IBM PC

There are several options open to people converting from CP/M machines
with 8" floppies to 5-1/4" MS-DOS diskettes.  The simplest is to contact
a disk conversion service.  Prices from transferring the data can be as
low as $7.50/disk, and you then have the exact files you had on the CP/M
diskettes.  The .COM files will be useless in their new environment, but
the data files may be used if the equivalent program exists under MS-DOS--
this is especially painless for people using WordStar and dBaseII.
    Another transfer method would be to get the 8" floppy disk controller
marketed by the people who make the UNIFORM CP/M disk reading software.
This costs about $200, fits into your PC-compatible machine, hooks up to
an 8" drive (presumably disconnected from the CompuPro) and you are ready
to read whatever is needed at your convenience. 
    A less expensive variation on the same these is to hook up a cable
between two machines and use some convenient file protocol to transfer
the files.  The eliminates the need for a special disk controller on the
PC end, but it can be a hassle figuring out the proper ports and making
the transfer work.
    If you have trouble using the data once it is transferred, send me
e-mail and I should be able to help--we have done hundreds of machines
over the past few years and usually know what we are looking at and how
to get from there to someplace else.