Re: Can IIe bit-copy a Mac disk?

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

In article <2diank$21m@ausom.ausom.oz.au> paw@ausom.oz.au writes:
> dempson@swell.actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote:
> 
> A PC-Transporter with a 3.5" TransDrive will also work from the MSDOS side.
> It will only copy the first 360K from the ProDOS side.  :-(

Thanks for that information.  I've never used a 3.5" TransDrive on a
PC Transporter.

> >(b) SuperDrive with SuperDrive controller card, or Floptical drive
> >with SCSI card.  An Apple-based block copy routine should be able to
> >copy the disk.  Note that the SuperDrive card cannot format 720k
> >disks, but can read and write them.  1.44MB disks are no problem.
> 
> A SuperDrive and Apple SuperDrive Controller Card most definitely *CAN*
> format 720K disks!

Yes, but it doesn't work reliably, and GS/OS doesn't let you format
them (the option is disabled, presumably to avoid the bug in the card's
firmware).

> Due to a bug in the card(?), the *first* attempt to format to 720K a disk
> _previously_ formatted at 720K disk may fail. When retried, the format will
> succeed.

I made several attempts to format 720k disks, using direct SmartPort
calls from ProDOS-8.  I think I managed to successfully format a disk
in one case.  Most of the time, the format didn't work (it formatted to
800k), and in some cases, the card went offline and the next SmartPort
call froze the computer!

My memory is a little hazy on this - all I know is that it wasn't
reliable enough to try on a regular basis.  :-)
-- 
David Empson                                                               
dempson@swell.actrix.gen.nz                                                
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand