CrossDos Version 3.02 READONLY The MS-DOS File System CONSULTRON 11280 Parkview, Plymouth MI 48170 Copyright (c) 1988,1989, CONSULTRON. All Rights Reserved. Author: Leonard Poma Date: July 8th, 1989 1 INTRODUCTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CrossDos is a software product that allows the user to read and write MS-DOS/PC-DOS and Atari ST formatted disks (Version 2.0 or higher) directly from AmigaDOS. It fully integrates itself into the Amiga operating system to allow your MS-DOS formatted disks to be accessed from virtually any utility or application. This allows you to access any MS-DOS file just as you would any other Amiga file. For more information about its features, installation procedures and other relevant facts, refer to the manual, CrossDOS.manual, supplied with this release. NOTE All further references to MS-DOS formatted disks also apply to PC-DOS and Atari ST formatted disks unless otherwise specified. The release you presently have is a "READONLY" version of the CrossDos. It is a fully functional version of the product with all writing functions disabled. If any writes are attempted to the MS-DOS disk you will get a "Write-Protected" requestor to pop-up. CrossDos should work on ANY Amiga (500, 1000, 2000, etc.) with ANY hardware configuration. It also needs Version 1.2 (or higher) of the Amiga operating system. If you should have any problems with any configuration, let us know by calling the Technical Support phone number or describing the problem in written form. We are using a marketing technique which we are calling "TRYWARE" for this product. Try CrossDos and see if you like it. Get comfortable with it. If you like it and you need the capability to write to MS-DOS disks, fill in the order form supplied in section "ORDER FORM" and send a check or money-order for the modest amount requested. A manual file is included with this "READONLY" release and it is called CrossDOS.manual. This manual is written for the user who has purchased the "READ/WRITE" version so that references to functions that require the ability to write do not apply for this release. Although the use of CrossDos is very simple and user transparent, a comprehensive manual is supplied for technical reference. 2 "TRYWARE" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is "TRYWARE" you say? That is a valid question. Just as the name implies, you try something. In this case, you try the "READONLY" version of CrossDos. If you like it and you need to write to MS-DOS disks, purchase the "READ/WRITE" version for a modest amount. We at CONSULTRON are just like anyone else. We would like to try any software first before we "fork over the big bucks". This is not a new idea, but it is sorely under-utilized. Others have tried this idea in its various forms (ie. shareware), with mixed success. We at CONSULTRON are also trying something risky. We are pricing this product well below what you might expect for something of this complexity. The only way we can succeed at this price is to cut overhead to the bone. When you buy any commercial product, not only are you paying for the materials, the development costs and support personnel, you are also paying for advertising in magazines and other promotional effects. We have nothing against commercial promotion, but those costs may contribute anywhere from 10 to 50 percent to the cost of the product. We ask YOU to become the bulk of our advertising. Once you see that this is a quality product, we hope you tell others about it. In fact, make them a copy of this "READONLY" release so that they may try it for themselves. 3 INSTALLATION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The installation instructions for mounting an MS-DOS device on the Amiga is detailed in the following sections. A simple program is included in this product for standard 3 1/2" or 5 1/4" floppy drive installation. 3.1 Installing the Software and MountList Parameters CrossDos provides a simple installation script either executable from the CLI only. To execute the program from the CLI, type the following: cd execute Install_MSDOSFS If you wish to modifiy these standard parameters, edit the mountlist file. The files will be transferred by this script to the following directories: C:, LIBS:, L: and DEVS: Some support files will not be transferred by this script. NOTE There is a bug in the Version 1.2 and Version 1.3 trackdisk.device code supplied with the Amiga operating system. It only causes problems with this product if you only have one 3 1/2" floppy drive. A patch program must be executed prior to using this product. Two patchs, TDPatch12 and TDPatch13 are included for Version 1.2 and Version 1.3 respectively. Version 1.4 and beyond should correct this problem. 3.2 Mounting a MS-DOS Device Once all the required files are installed in the proper directories, only "mounting" the device is needed to have the Amiga recognize the MS-DOS device. The filesystem is "mounted" by entering the command: mount FROM DEVS:mountlist.msdosFS The "mount" command can be entered manually when needed or can be executed in a startup routine such as "S:startup-sequence". If "mounted" in a startup-sequence, it can be setup to consume a minimal amount of memory (approx. 80 bytes) until MS-DOS file acccess is required. Once the device is successfully "mounted", the device can be accessed by any utility or application by specifying the device name. 4 FILE LIST ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the current listing of the CrossDos Version 3.02 READONLY release: c (dir) Mount V1.3 compatible cmd to "mount" device TDPatch12 trackdisk.device patch for V1.2 TDPatch13 trackdisk.device patch for V1.3 L (dir) MSDOSFileSystem MS-DOS file system code Devs (dir) mfm.device mfm device driver code mountlist.msdosFS partial mountlist for floppies LIBS (dir) arp.library ARP V1.3 library Utilities (dir) cmpPATH execution script to exercise filesystem devinfo display device info diskchk check disk blocks on any disk diskchk.info kill kill handler or filesystem rawcopy diskcopy MS-DOS disks btw 2 drives CrossDOS.manual The manual for this product Install_msdosFS execution script for auto-installation READ.ME This file A format utility called "MFORMAT" will be provided in the "READ/WRITE" version but not in this "READONLY" version. If you need to format an MS-DOS disk, you can use the PCUTILS/PCFORMAT utility found on the EXTRAS disk supplied with your Amiga operating system. A diskcopy utility called "MDISCOPY" will be provided in the "READ/WRITE" version but in this "READONLY" version a utility called "RAWCOPY" will be used instead. Also included in the "READ/WRITE" version, is a more comprehensive installation program. 5 COPYRIGHT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All software and documentation distributed in this product, CrossDos Version 3.02 READONLY, Copyright (c) 1988,1989, CONSULTRON. All Rights Reserved. The "READONLY" version of this product is distributed as "freely-distributable" providing the following conditions are met: - All files present in the distribution package must be redistributed with the package, including this documentation file. If you distribute on diskette, all files must be on a single diskette. - The distributor may charge a fee to recover distribution costs. The fee for diskette distribution shall not exceed $7.00 (U.S.) unless given written permission from CONSULTRON. - The distributor agrees to cease distributing this release or any subsequent releases if requested to do so by CONSULTRON. - This product or any portion thereof may not be included in any commercial product without obtaining licensing from CONSULTRON. Software programs contained in this product that were obtained from the "public domain" retain their own copyrights. All effort was made to distribute this software as it was received (where ever possible). This software has been found to be very useful in the creation of this product. I encourage the use of these supplimentary software products and I also encourage monetary remuneration where recommended. 6 DISCLAIMER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO MAKE THIS PRODUCT, SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION, USEFUL AND ERROR FREE. SHOULD ANY ERRORS OR PROBLEMS OCCUR, PLEASE CONTACT CONSULTRON PROMPTLY, IN WRITING, STATING THE PROBLEM AS THOROUGHLY AS POSSIBLE. THIS PRODUCT IS SOLD "AS IS" WITHOUT REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR ENDORSEMENTS REGARDING THE USE OF, THE RESULTS OF, OR PERFORMANCE OF THE PRODUCT, ITS APPROPRIATENESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILTY, OR CURRENTNESS. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE USE OF THE PRODUCT IS ASSUMED BY THE USER. COPY-PROTECTED MEDIA USED WITH THIS PRODUCT MAY NOT TRANSFER DATA PROPERLY AND WILL ALTER DATA UNFAVORABLY IF THE MEDIA IS WRITTEN TO. IN NO EVENT WILL CONSULTRON, ITS AFFILIATED COMPANIES, NOR ITS EMPLOYEES, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, RESULTING FROM ANY DEFECT IN THE PRODUCT, EVEN IF CONSULTRON HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS DISCLAIMER SHALL SUPERSEDE ANY VERBAL OR WRITTEN STATEMENT TO THE CONTRARY. 7 REVISION HISTORY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CrossDos versions prior to 3.01 are internally distributed. Corrections were made in the following versions: Version 3.02 - 'Divide by zero' guru when doing "info" on non-MSDOS disks. - Improved sector detection and recovery. - Better Canadian pricing ($40 -> $36) to reflect current exchange rate. - Improved documentation. 8 MISCELLENEOUS SERVICES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following are miscelleneous services provided by CONSULTRON. 8.1 Dealer and Distributor Quantity Discounts Dealer and Distributor quantity discounts are availiable. Inquire by phoning the Technical Support line. 8.2 Licensing Licensing of CrossDos in other commercial products is availiable. We believe that many commercial applications can benefit by the inclusion of this product particularly where data formats are shared between the Amiga and MS-DOS applications. Inquire by phoning the Technical Support line. 8.3 Technical Support Technical support is provided to answer any questions about CrossDos. Should you exhibit any problems with either release of the product, contact someone at the support line for help or bug reports. Inquire by phoning the Technical Support line. Technical Support Line -- (313) 459-7271 9:00AM - 5:00PM EST