Copying files from old DOS to Win10

[Radio Man]

You could try another approach.

Instal VBox. This allows you to host another OS on, in say, Win 10.

Use VBox install an old dos (eg 3.3) but with a shared drive on Win 10 machine.

Install lap link on the VBox dos machine. Link the machines, transfer your files, pop them in the shared drive, where your Win 10 machine has access.

VBox is free.

[Bob Eager]

Programming the 8272 is great fun. I've done it.

[Martin Brown]

On DOS Simtel archive the Sydex driver could read and write most 5.25" floppy disk formats that use constant rotation speed. One of them even had a table of settings for comman machines if memory serves. I think it was ANADISK or maybe 22DSK (mostly for CPM disks).

I have certainly used that software to customise drivers for getting stuff off ancient CPM and Oliivetti word processors in the distant past. I have no idea if they are still selling the paid for version...

RS232 interconnection is still probably the simplest way out. (simplest way might be copy files to a none existent dumb RS232 printer and capture the whole lot at the other end with a terminal emulator)

You lose the robustness of error correction this way but the modern PC should be plenty fast enough to keep up.

[John Rumm]

Save it to the DOS boot disk (which will be FAT format), when done, reboot into win 10, and copy to the internal drive.

[John Rumm]

One advantage of going the laplink option is that it allows remote install so you run it on the new machine, then send it via the serial link to the old one.

Failing that there may already be some serial comms software on the Amstrad. Otherwise, you will need to stick it on a floppy.

[John Rumm]

IIRC PC1512 PCs used standard 5.25" DD (or in some cases HD) disk with FAT - so ideally a (more) modern machine with a 5.25" drive. Or add a

3.5" disk to the amstrad as previously discussed.

[John Rumm]

Here is the full procedure including links to download a suitable version of laplink, and instructions for running the new end in DOSBox rather than using a DOS boot image directly:

[John Rumm]

A PC1512 *is* a PC - very cheap and cost reduced in true Amstrad style - but a PC none the less.

(not to be confused with the 8256 and 8512 Z80 CP/M based word processors with their "odd" 3" disks, or the home computer CPC range of machines)

[Andy Burns]

bit tedious copying 20MB via 360kB floppies

you could send kermit over the serial ports,

copy /b kermit.exe com1:

except I think on the receiving size ^Z characters in the file will f*ck it up, write a bin2hex program on the modern PC, transfer the kermit.hex as ASCII, then use GW/QBASIC on the ancient PC to convert it back to binary?

[Grumps]

Thanks for that link. The old PC has Laplink already.

[Grumps]

Thanks. Interesting.

And thanks to everyone else and your comments.

[John Rumm]

You could certainly add a multi io card to an ISA slot and get an IDE interface that way.

[John Rumm]

Easy then - you could even send that to the virtual new one using the same process.

[No Name]

I wonder if one of these

with a universal floppy drive cable Would then get the data onto 3.5inch floppies which with a USB to floppy drive would then be readable on the modern PC such as

[No Name]

Goodness me, apparently PCI-e cards with both serial ports and a printer port exists!

So buy one of these for the modern PC if it has no serial or parallel ports.

You can get PCI equivalents....

S.

[John Rumm]

You can also get USB to RS232 adaptors (that work sometimes!)

[mm0fmf]

PC1512 5¼" drives were standard IBM double sided 9 sector disks with

360kB capacity.

[mm0fmf]

That's the kind of thing I'd do.

[mm0fmf]

The original 1512 came with a Xebec 20MB MFM drive and a proprietary controller card. It made a strange "whoop whoop" noise when the head was stepping between tracks.

Many 1512 were bought with only twin floppies and a hard card was the popular upgrade option. This was a normally a Western Digital WD1003 and a 20MB MFM 3.5in drive on a frame that was full length. Later versions were 32MB RLL. When 40MB discs were available typically you had 2x 20MB dirves, C: and D:

Then the floodgates opened and disc capacity increased exponentially.

The hard disc controllers had a few jumpers that set the capacity. If you had a bigger disc than the controller understood you used have a

2-3MB partition that contained DOS and soft disc controller program that would allow bigger disks. I used one with a Newbury Data 60Mb Penny drive on a 1512.

[tabbypurr]

I never played with the Amstrads. The CP/M Z80 I used had 2x 8" floppies to run a whole network.

I also remember being mightily impressed with a 70M HDD. Couldn't imagine ever filling all that space up. And later 10M networking - what possible use was such wild speed?

NT