Re: PC Transporter and Zip Disk

[dempson@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

In article <4ql0oj$khl@louie.csun.edu>,  <hbcsc419@huey.csun.edu> wrote:
> I have an idea, but I do not know whether it would work, and I do not have
> the proper equipment for it. My idea is on a way to utilize the Zip drive
> while in MS-DOS on the PC Transporter. If you can find the slot and drive
> number of the Zip drive while it is in ProDOS 8 mode, and configure it as
> a ProDOS drive in the PCT control panel, can the PCT recognoze it?

I doubt it.

The PC Transporter only supports three types of drives:

1. Directly-connected floppy drives: TransDrive 5.25 (360K),
   TransDrive 3.5 (720K) or Apple 3.5 (720K in PC mode, 800K in Apple
   mode), or equivalents.

2. Drives connected to other disk controllers, which may be used as PC
   disks, possibly with unusual emulated track/sector organisation.

3. Emulated hard drives, stored as an image file on a ProDOS volume.

The first two types can only appear as floppy drives, as far as the PC
software is concerned.  I don't know if MS-DOS and the BIOS are able to
cope with unusually large floppies, but I doubt it.


On a real PC, I would expect the ZIP drive to appear as a hard drive
(possibly removable) or a special type of drive with its own device
driver.  The PC Transporter doesn't support real PC hard drives, and
doesn't support loaded drivers for devices connected to other slots,
unless a portware driver is also written to hook the device into the
PC's I/O space (and this has never been documented).
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand