Date   : Wed, 19 Feb 1992 02:09:36 GMT
From   : att!fang!tarpit!cs.ucf.edu!ki4pv!edus!news@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Bob Perkins)
Subject: Re: Reading a 1S/4D 16-sector disk under MS-DOS

david@osage.ctr.columbia.edu (David Friedlander) writes:

>I'm wondering if anyone knows of any neat utilities (or even hardware)
>to read foreign disk formats in an MS-DOS machine.
Uniform, from Microsolutions. Ads in several magazines. (I have seen
their ads, but don't own a copy.)

>I have a 5 1/4" disk formatted by a prehistoric Lexus machine -- it
>looks like it might run under CP/M, though I'm not sure.  The disk
>says on the front: Single-Sided/Quad-Density 16 sectors/With hub ring.
>I've already tried unix dd with all the floppy types on my Interactive
>system.
Check for many (17) holes in the index ring. If 1 hole, it is soft-
sectored, if 17 holes, it is hard-sectors.

>I suspect it is a hard-sectored disk, and can not be read by my 1.2MB
>floppy no matter what, but I'd like to be sure.  Perhaps someone out
>there has a better idea.  Any idea is welcome.
One of my hobbies is reading those old things. If you are a glutton
for punishment, the thing can be read with a uart and some fancy
programming. If you want to pursue this course, look for some old
H89 disk-controller diagrams and the H89 bios code. It works.

Good Luck.

>David Friedlander