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using Dave Dunfield's IMD on a U.K. Amstrad 1640 xt

D

Dustym

Experienced Member
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Sep 2, 2009
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220
Location
Lincolnshire U.K.
Has anyone managed to read a 40T SS SD Model 1 disk on an Amstrad 1640 using Dave's IMD program?
I'm not having much success at the moment, and wondered, if you've managed it, what are your parameters/command line options.
Any help would be appreciated.
 
Hmm, the Amstrad 1520/1640 were not 100% PC compatible. Near enough for most things mind you.

The IMD system comes with a prog to test the computer. Have you run that on your 1640, and what was the result.

You say 'not having much success' - what does this mean. Are you getting errors? What actually happens?

I've used ImageDisk on an old PC here, both to read a disk, and to write a disk, and it works fine, usually with the default settings.

What do you mean by a 'Model 1' by the way?

Geoff
 
Hi Geoff. Running TESTFDC various times with a combination of options just locks-up the computer. Switch off/on job! The 5.25 disk reads OK under DOS 6.2
Running IMD, trying various different options each time, reports 0 sectors after just 1 read and then just sits there with the 5.25 drive spinning. ESC goes back to the main menu.
The only time it attempted reading more than once was with the /F option, 'perform full analysis'! It seemed to read 40 tracks but the output file contain no disk information, other than the heading typed in.
The Tandy disks are from the M1 trs-80 disk system NEWDOS80 V2 and read OK.
As you mentioned, the 1640 is not 100% PC, so perhaps that's the problem
 
Yes, wonderful Amstrad!

Since my previous message, I found a document on the 'seasip' website about the 1640, and this gives a fair bit of detail about the use of the FDC and how this is integrated into the rest of the 1640 system. As regards the FDC, the 1640 may well be even less PC compatible than in other areas.

The ImageDisk system takes over the FDC and bypasses a lot of the rest of the system, and if it cannot do this, then it will fail. With the 1640, some functions that maybe should be fully under the control of the FDC are in fact partly handled by the FDC, but other parts of the system are involved too. This may be why you get the results (or non-results) that you do.

I totally accept that the disks may be fine, and will work fine under normal operations, even on the 1640 where the system will be able to operate as it's been designed to do.

The notes/docs for ImageDisk do point out that the system will not work if the hardware if not compatible, this is exactly why the test utility is included. There's nothing that can be done about it.

Geoff
 
Thanks for you time Geoff, I fully concur with you. It was worth a try though. IMD looked such a great piece of software and I had the 1640 just sat there!
 
Dustym,
Probably a better way to read the TRS-80 Model 1 floppy's would be with a GreaseWeazle or Super Card Pro.
The Model 1 has a Single Density Boot track and the remainder of the Floppy is Double Density, assuming
the Floppy Disk Controller has Double Density.

Larry
 
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