Re: How to read a disc in LISA-format?

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

In article <R6xYCj5.robert5874@delphi.com>,
Robert Beecher  <robert5874@delphi.com> wrote:
> I have a LISA (MAC X-L) and an original LISA. I also have a IIgs and
> a pair of old 128k MACs. I have NEVER been able to  get ANY of these
> machines to read a disk made on another of them.

I don't know about the Lisa disks, but original Macintosh 400k disks
(MFS) can be read on a IIgs using a program called "MacTransGS".  I
think it was freeware.

The Mac Plus and later use HFS (Hierarchical File System) on their
800k and 1.44MB disks, and the IIgs is quite capable of reading HFS
disks.  There are a couple of ProDOS-8 utility programs (HFSLink and
A2FX), and there is the HFS File System Translator for GS/OS (System
6.0 and later).

The Mac Plus and later can also read ProDOS 800k (and 1.44MB) 3.5"
disks with appropriate software (Apple File Exchange, ProDOS File
System Extension, or the System 7.5 version of PC Exchange).

> My friend has a 4-75 Mac Performa and again, it won't read ANY of the
> 3.5 disks from my collection of machines. 

This might be because MFS support has been removed from recent
versions of the Mac system software (I don't know if this is the
case).  It could also be a case of one of the "bad batch" of drives
which Apple used in some machines - they work fine when accessing MFM
disks (720k and 1.44MB formats) but can't reliably access GCR disks
(400k or 800k).


-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand