LocoLink: Unable to Load PCW Program

[Andrew Ferguson]

Hi,

Following my last post (a few weeks ago), where I uploaded the LocoLink LLINK202.EMS file for someone on this list that wanted it, I finally decided that I would try and use LocoLink myself.

I am using LocoLink for Windows, and I managed to get the PC-side of things sorted, and I have the LocoLink application running quite happily on a Windows 95 PC.

However, when I tried to get the PCW-side of things working, I ran into an issue. The manual talked about making a 'LocoLink startup disk', but I wasn't quite sure how to do that, so instead I tried running the 'LLINK202.EMS' file. However, this did not work, with the PCW simply saying 'LLINK202.EMS ?', which I presume means that it cannot find the file. I have checked using 'DIR' and the file is definitely there, but it cannot run.

Has anyone successfully used LocoLink and could provide me with instructions, or does anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks,
Andrew

[Enrique Garcia]

.EMS extension files are bootself, so yo can boot directly.
Insert disk and turn on the PCW to boot, simply.

[Geoff Barnard]

As noted, the .EMS file is in effect a replacement boot file.

The previous reply maybe should have suggested that the LocoLink file should
be the ONLY .EMS file on the disk. If you have another .EMS file there,
then I'd assume ONLY the first one 'found' will boot, the second will be
disregarded. If you don't want to mess too much with the files on the disk,
then simply rename the one you do NOT want to boot.

Geoff

[Andrew Ferguson]

Post by Geoff Barnard
As noted, the .EMS file is in effect a replacement boot file.
The previous reply maybe should have suggested that the LocoLink file should
be the ONLY .EMS file on the disk. If you have another .EMS file there,
then I'd assume ONLY the first one 'found' will boot, the second will be
disregarded. If you don't want to mess too much with the files on the disk,
then simply rename the one you do NOT want to boot.
Geoff

There was no other EMS file on the disk, but there was a EMT file. I tried renaming this and rebooting, but no luck - the PCW refused to boot at all. I then tried formatting the disk and copying ONLY the LLINK202.EMS file onto the now blank disk, however again, the PCW refused to boot.

Perhaps I should mention that I am getting the LLINK202.EMS file from a 3-inch, 180kB per side disk, and am copying it to a 3.5-inch 720kB disk (my PCW has a 3" drive and a 3.5" drive). The 3-inch disk I am copying the file from has what appears to be the same file on both sides.

Unfortunately I can't boot off 3-inch disks, only 3.5-inch disks, so I cannot try booting off the 'original' (a user copy) LocoLink disk.

I have got a PCW9512 that can boot of 3-inch disks, will my LocoLink disk work with that? Oh, and how do you write-protect a 3-inch disk - I would hate for anything to happen to my only LocoLink disk!

Any suggestions?
Andrew

[Geoff Barnard]

Hello,

Right!

The normal PCW boot disk contains code in the boot sector, and this lookes
for the *.EMS file on the disk. However, some later versions of the
system, and this may well include the 95xx series, changed to .EMT, and this
could mean that the boot sector would be changed to suit.

If you are moving the file for LocoLink from a machine that expects .EMS to
one that expects .EMT that this could well cause part of the problem. If
you have a disk that normally does boot, that tells you which variety you
need, otherwise use a disk editor to check what's in the boot sector.

Maybe you can just change the .EMS to .EMT to suit the boot sector of the
disk that normally boots.

Next, as far as I know, the 95xx series CAN boot from a 720k disk, if that
is so, then it should be able to boot from a 3.5" as well as a 3", assuming
the disk has the correct boot sector on it. For my PCW, I am putting a PCW
format onto 3.5" disks, including the necessary boot sector, although I'm
not booting as my machine is a PCW8256 currently with a 5.25" A: and a 3.5"
B: (the 3" A: SSSD drive is working but presently disconnected). The
system expects a SSSD 40T boot disk, and I use 5.25" disks formatted to that
for booting. However, to achieve the boot, the drive MUST be recognised as
A:. I suspect that your drive may be hardware set as B:. Given the
maching, maybe this can be changed on the drive, or maybe it can be changed
with a twist in the cable (to swap around the drive select lines) like in
many PCs where most recent floppy drives are manufactured as B: and made to
appear as A: via the twist in the cable.

Regarding the copy protect, this depends on if the disk is a maxell type, or
a panasonic type. The former has a little red lever at each side of one
end, you need to use an implement to move the little red lever to one side
to open the hole through the disk. The panasonic type has a white plastic
piece that must be pushed into the disk, again to open up the hole through
the disk. Either way, the result is a clear hole through the disk which
the led/sensor in the drive can detect.

For more info, and a number of 'experts', check out the cpcwiki.eu website,
and the forum there. Although it's primarily the CPC machines, and games,
there is a section for the PCW. A chap there called 'Bryce' fixed my 3"
drive for me, even though it meant a total disassembly of the stepper
motor!! From that site, you could even PM to me via 'GeoffB17'

Geoff

[Geoff Barnard]

Hello again,

Further to my message a little while ago...

I've just downloaded the .img file you posted.

I've looked inside that file, I note that it's a raw image, without any
supporting info, so it's not a .DSK file like could be used with the Joyce
emulator. Maybe I could write a prog to convert it into an image file that
I could use directly?

However...

Looking at the image data, I see that the boot sector is looking for an .EMT
file, and NOT an .EMS file.


The disk directory shows J15CPM3.EMT, that would be the file that would
boot. The LocoLink file is an .EMS file, and the boot process would NOT
see it. To use that partic disk, you should rename the .EMT file to .EMS,
and the LocoLink file to .EMT, and see what happen then? If you've created
this disk on your system, then I'd expect that your system does expect the
boot files to be .EMS, so you should rename the LocoLink file to .EMT for
use on your system.

Geoff

[Geoff Barnard]

Interesting..

I've just had a further play with your .IMG file.

I have in fact found the options within the Joyce emulator to
load/access/read this file - I had a bit of a fiddle making sure the file
was in the right place, and select the right options in the right order, but
eventually...

Following that, I have extracted the J15CPM3.EMT file, the LOCOLINK file and
also the A35.FIB file.

The J15CPM3 file is version 1.15 (or 2.15) of the PCW system, and is just
about the latest version possible (I think). This version supported the
.FIB extensions, and the A35.FIB file will be the process that allows
support for the 3.5" A: drive. VERY interesting to have this. I'll have
a play with the LocoLink file, and check that I can get this to boot on my
PC. Interesting, although I don't need it, I can do all the file transfer
I need using the 22Disk system on my PC, which can read/write the amstrad
formats on either the 5.25" or the 3.5" disks - the 3.5" is easier as I
don't need to worry about the track widths (writing 40T data using an 80T
width head).

Geoff

[Geoff Barnard]

Another Update...

Since the last, I can report that I have now created a boot disk with
LocoLink 2.02. and when I boot my PCW from that disk, the prog loads and
sets (I assume) normally, so the prog does work (to that point).

The prog (correctly) reports no link to the PC, and a little indicator which
suggests that it is trying/waiting for such a connection. Other options
are available regarding the situation at the PCW end (files, etc).

So, once you get a valid/working drive, and a correct disk, then should be
OK.

Geoff

[Andrew Ferguson]

Post by Geoff Barnard
Another Update...
Since the last, I can report that I have now created a boot disk with
LocoLink 2.02. and when I boot my PCW from that disk, the prog loads and
sets (I assume) normally, so the prog does work (to that point).
The prog (correctly) reports no link to the PC, and a little indicator which
suggests that it is trying/waiting for such a connection. Other options
are available regarding the situation at the PCW end (files, etc).
So, once you get a valid/working drive, and a correct disk, then should be
OK.
Geoff

Hi Geoff,

Sorry for the delay in replying (I thought I'd set it up so I'd get emails from this group, but that didn't work).

How did you manage to make a working LocoLink disk? I renamed the EMS file to EMT and although the PCW started booting (I got around 5 or 6 black lines at the top of the display), it then stopped mid-way through and beeped to indicate the disk was invalid.

I know that the PCW's A drive (the 3.5 inch one) is configured to boot correctly (it boots with LocoScript / CP/M).

Would you be able to send me a working LocoLink disk image (preferably raw IMG format - I can easily write that onto a disk).

Thanks,
Andrew

[Geoff Barnard]

Post by Andrew Ferguson
Sorry for the delay in replying (I thought I'd set it up so I'd get emails
from this group, but that didn't work).
How did you manage to make a working LocoLink disk? I renamed the EMS file
to EMT and although the PCW started booting (I got around 5 or 6 black
lines at the top of the display), it then stopped mid-way through and
beeped to indicate the disk was invalid.
I know that the PCW's A drive (the 3.5 inch one) is configured to boot
correctly (it boots with LocoScript / CP/M).
Would you be able to send me a working LocoLink disk image (preferably raw
IMG format - I can easily write that onto a disk).
Thanks,
Andrew

Aha, I think I see the problem?

You've got your machine set up with the 3.5" as A:

In order for this to work, the system (either the CP/M startup. or the Loco
startup) needs to load the little A35.FIB file. Both the normal startup
systems are able to do this. BUT, the LocoLink file, which REPLACES the
normal start-up file, is - I'm pretty sure - NOT capable of doing this.
Therefore the startup fails, as the disk is NOT what the prog is expecting.

When I loaded the prog, I used a 180k format A: which had the LocoLink .EMS
on it, and YES, it is a much smaller file that the normal startup file so
YES it put much fewer bars on the screen while it was loading than normal.

I guess (again) that the 'error' is not a fault with the disk, just that the
loaded file is faulty, incomplete. The file is prob spread around both
sides of the disk, but the loader process is reading one side only.

The only possible solution I can think to try is to create a SS 40T format
on a 3.5" disk, incl the XDPB info in the first sector, and put the file
onto that, and see what that will do. Basically, you need to fool the
loading process into seeing a normal 180k floppy.

I could create such a disk with 22Disk, however I don't have anything to
hand to create the .IMG file you suggest. What software do you use, do you
have a link for where I can get it? I've looked into the .IMG file you
posted a while back, and the Joyce emulator will recognise it and allow
access to the disk. I'd guess I'd have to put the normal boot sector (from
an 8256 disk) in there, as that's part of the kid. If I created such a
disk, I could just post it to you, I have quite a pile of non-HD 3.5" disks.

Geoff Barnard, Guisborough

[Andrew Ferguson]

Post by Geoff Barnard
Aha, I think I see the problem?
In order for this to work, the system (either the CP/M startup. or the Loco
startup) needs to load the little A35.FIB file. Both the normal startup
systems are able to do this. BUT, the LocoLink file, which REPLACES the
normal start-up file, is - I'm pretty sure - NOT capable of doing this.
Therefore the startup fails, as the disk is NOT what the prog is expecting.
When I loaded the prog, I used a 180k format A: which had the LocoLink .EMS
on it, and YES, it is a much smaller file that the normal startup file so
YES it put much fewer bars on the screen while it was loading than normal.
I guess (again) that the 'error' is not a fault with the disk, just that the
loaded file is faulty, incomplete. The file is prob spread around both
sides of the disk, but the loader process is reading one side only.
The only possible solution I can think to try is to create a SS 40T format
on a 3.5" disk, incl the XDPB info in the first sector, and put the file
onto that, and see what that will do. Basically, you need to fool the
loading process into seeing a normal 180k floppy.
I could create such a disk with 22Disk, however I don't have anything to
hand to create the .IMG file you suggest. What software do you use, do you
have a link for where I can get it? I've looked into the .IMG file you
posted a while back, and the Joyce emulator will recognise it and allow
access to the disk. I'd guess I'd have to put the normal boot sector (from
an 8256 disk) in there, as that's part of the kid. If I created such a
disk, I could just post it to you, I have quite a pile of non-HD 3.5" disks.
Geoff Barnard, Guisborough

Oh, I think I understand now.

I use IMG because that's the default format that 'dd' (Linux command-line utility) uses when I backup an PCW 3.5" disk. However, I looked online, and dd can work with other files as well (although I'm not sure if it'll work with the type of file you are suggesting).

My PCW 9512 has a 3-inch A: floppy drive, so soon (probably at the weekend) I'll get it down from the loft and I'll try with that, but in the meantime if you could upload / email a disk image in the easiest format for you, I'll try and get it running on my PCW 8512.

Thanks for all your help,
Andrew

[Geoff Barnard]

Andrew,

I'm a little bit confused now. You say the PCW you've been using is an
8256, and the one in the loft is a 9512?

This does not tie in with the img file you posted (and that I've been
looking at)? Or were you using a disk from the 9512 on the 8512?

The 8512 would normally have a SS A: and a DS B:, and would boot from the
A:, and would therefore be using a 'normal' boot sector. I understand that
you have now fitted a 3.5" A:, maybe you have been using a boot disk from
the 9512 to get that to work? I would expect that it would NOT boot using
the normal 8512 boot disk? BUT, the 9512 (still in the loft) you say has a
3" drive (which would normally be a 730k disk (does that drive still work,
has the band perished - easily replaced if it has gone). The .img file I
got (from you) does have a different boot sector (not just the looking for
an .EMT file), and the code in that may include extra bits to cope with
booting from a DS disk rather than a SS disk, also the J15CPM3.EMT file does
include the ability to handle the .FID/FIB files that can make on-the-fly
changes to the system (there are 4 such files on your disk, the A35 file
which is active and which sets A: for 3.5" disks, but also a B35 file, a
B180 and a DISABLE file, all renamed as .XXX so they're not active, which
could be used to set B: for 3.5", B: as a SSSD CF2 disk, and thirdly to
totally disable B: if fitted). None of these would normally be used on an
8512.

One extra factor which I do not understand, as I've never needed to - the
A35 setting refers to 3.5" A: (3 ms). I'm not sure what the 3ms is about,
but I think there's some sort of timing issue. It could be that this has
something to do with why you're having the trouble reading the disk/booting
the Loco file, I don't know. However, my PCW 8256 (in reality more an
8512) has a 3.5" B: fitted (along with the 5.25" A:), and I've never noted
any problem so it seems that any timing issue doesn't apply to me. Why
not?

Anyway, regarding the disk image, yes I could do one, but which? I think I
can make a .dsk file (which is a CPC format which is the default for
'Joyce'), and I have another image prog but that creates a 'compressed'
image (empty sectors and not stored in full). Maybe you've got something
that can process a .DSK (this file contains ALL the blocks of disk data, but
the blocks have 'headers' so the resultant file is bigger that the actual
disk contents). For your partic machines, I'm not sure which would be
best. My inclination would be to create a 'normal' looking boot disk for a
8512, which in your case would be a SSSD format with a normal 8512 boot
sector for a 3" A:. If I create that, I can at least check that my 3.5"
will recognise/access it normally, although I cannot test booting from it.
However, that boot sector is fairly stupid, as long as the disk matches what
the boot sector expects, then it should be OK? Unless there is a 'timing '
problem??

Else we'll need to pester John Elliott - he's the EXPERT. I keep pestering
him, a lot of what I'm writing here is the result of things I've learned
from him, in connection with my getting my 5.25 working as A:, and re my use
of his Joyce emulator system.

Geoff

[Floppy Software]

Hi,

I think we are mixing too many things here...

You are trying to boot the PCW with an EMS file (LocoLink) in a disc that probably will not support.

EMS files are for SD discs; EMT for DD discs.

When you switch on your PCW with that disc on drive A:, the boot sector is read and moved to RAM (you can see some lines), the EMS file is read and moved to RAM (you still see some lines), but when the EMS takes the control... it stops running because it don't recognizes the environment: it is for another disc drive configuration!

If you want to run LocoLink in a DD drive, you must have the appropiate LocoLink versión (one with a EMT file in it). No, just renaming the file it's not valid.

Another question is: Is the original LocoLink disc protected? Humm... I think so.

[Andrew Ferguson]

Post by Floppy Software
Hi,
I think we are mixing too many things here...
You are trying to boot the PCW with an EMS file (LocoLink) in a disc that probably will not support.
EMS files are for SD discs; EMT for DD discs.
When you switch on your PCW with that disc on drive A:, the boot sector is read and moved to RAM (you can see some lines), the EMS file is read and moved to RAM (you still see some lines), but when the EMS takes the control... it stops running because it don't recognizes the environment: it is for another disc drive configuration!
If you want to run LocoLink in a DD drive, you must have the appropiate LocoLink versión (one with a EMT file in it). No, just renaming the file it's not valid.
Another question is: Is the original LocoLink disc protected? Humm... I think so.

Hi Geoff and Floppy Software,

Thanks for the help with this. I have now tried the DSK disk file that Geoff emailed me (dd successfully wrote it to a disk), but unfortunately it does not even attempt to boot. I'll get the PCW 9512 out the loft at the weekend and try that with my 'original' (previous owner made copy) LocoLink disk, and I'll report back then.

To clarify, the IMG disk image I uploaded was for a PCW 8512 with a 3.5-inch A: drive. I do not know the history of the disk (only that it works!), it came with the PCW when I got it a few years ago.

I also have a PcW 10 and an upgraded PCW 8256 which I'll try the various disks with at the weekend (although the upgraded 8256 may be trickier - a floppy disk metal cover was jammed in the drive when it arrived (it was listed as 'non-functional') and has bent the read/write head, so it's intermittent at best...

Anyway, I'll post an update after the weekend, thanks to everyone for their help and suggestions so far.

Andrew

[Matthew Phillips]

Post by Andrew Ferguson
I have now tried the DSK disk file that Geoff emailed me (dd successfully
wrote it to a disk), but unfortunately it does not even attempt to boot.

If, by "dd", you are referring to the standard Unix tool or a clone of it for
Windows, then you won't get anywhere trying to use it to write a DSK file to
a real disc. The dd utility will write *anything* to a disc, but it only
makes sense if the file that you write is a simple copy of the sectors on the
disc and nothing else in logical order, starting at track 0 and working up to
the highest track number, with the sectors in numerical order for each track.

A DSK file contains in addition various extra things to describe the
structure of the actual disc, so that an emulator can properly emulate the
operating system reading from a real disc. This includes being able to
emulate non-standard sector numbering which can be found in copy-protected
discs.

If you study the DSK format it would be possible to write a script to pull
out of the DSK file the sectors in the right order and dump them to a file
which could then be written successfully with dd. I don't know whether such
a utility has been written by any one. I think a piece of software I wrote a
long time ago will do it, but unfortunately that only runs on RISC OS.

[s***@gmail.com]

Post by Geoff Barnard
Else we'll need to pester John Elliott - he's the EXPERT. I keep pestering
him, a lot of what I'm writing here is the result of things I've learned
from him, in connection with my getting my 5.25 working as A:, and re my use
of his Joyce emulator system.

Somebody called?

Glancing over this thread I can see a certain amount of confusion, so here's the state of play as I understand it.

* First-generation PCWs (8256,8512,9512) have 3" drives and use .EMS files.
* Second-generation PCWs (9256,9512+,10) have 3.5" drives and use .EMT files.

Aftermarket 3.5" drives for first-generation PCWs were supplied with updated versions of CP/M and LocoScript. These would include .FIB files to inform the operating system about the nonstandard drive configurations on these computers. CP/M usually boots without them, but LocoScript doesn't -- it displays an 'Incompatible version' error at boot.

On a PCW 8256/8512 with a 3.5" floppy drive, it's possible to run the original versions of CP/M / LocoScript (intended for a 3" drive), as long as you don't break its illusion that drive A: is 3" 180k. That means formatting 3.5" discs as 180k and wasting 75% of the space on them. The easiest way to do this with a UNIX box is to use dsktrans to write a 180k disc image onto the disc. (Using dd is more complicated because of the order in which it accesses tracks; dsktrans avoids the problem by using physical cylinder/head/sector addresses).

dsktrans is part of libdsk <http://www.seasip.info/Unix/LibDsk/>. It's what I'd recommend to write a disc image to floppy (dsktrans -otype floppy file.dsk /dev/fd0) or convert a .dsk to a raw 'dd'-style disc image (dsktrans -otype raw file.dsk file.ufi) or vice versa (dsktrans -otype dsk file.ufi file.dsk)

To get files in and out of PCW-format disc images, I also recommend cpmtools <http://www.moria.de/~michael/cpmtools/>. If built against libdsk, it can access files in DSK-format disc images; if not, only 'dd'-style.

Given that the OP has LLINK202 as an EMS file, my inclination would be to start with a disc image of the original 180k PCW8256 boot floppy, use cpmtools to erase its EMS file and inject LLINK202.EMS, and then write the result to a 3.5" floppy and see if it boots.

One other annoying thing: once PCW CP/M has accessed a 720k 3.5" disc, it won't recognise 180k 3.5" discs in that drive. This is because it thinks 180k discs need to be double-stepped in a 720k drive; this is true for 3" discs but not 3.5". It's possible to get round this by setting the 'double track' bit and the freeze flag in the XDPB for that drive, but this post is long enough as it is.

[Geoff Barnard]

Post by s***@gmail.com
On a PCW 8256/8512 with a 3.5" floppy drive, it's possible to run the
original >versions of CP/M / LocoScript (intended for a 3" drive), as long
as you don't >break its illusion that drive A: is 3" 180k. That means
formatting 3.5" discs as >180k and wasting 75% of the space on them. The
easiest way to do this with a >UNIX box is to use dsktrans to write a 180k
disc image onto the disc. (Using >dd is more complicated because of the
order in which it accesses tracks; >dsktrans avoids the problem by using
physical cylinder/head/sector addresses).

I created a disk using 22Disk as per the above, i.e. a 40T SS format on a
3.5" disk, with the original PCW boot sector and the LLINK202.EMS file. So
it would appear as a 180k disk (as John had recommended to me when I was
getting my 360K 5.25 drive to work as A: and allow booting). Maybe the
problem was that I supplied this disk as a .DSK image, which as the immed
prev poster comments, has all the extra data in the file. Could soon write
a prog to convert this into a bare image, mind you?

Post by s***@gmail.com
One other annoying thing: once PCW CP/M has accessed a 720k 3.5" disc, it

Post by s***@gmail.com
won't recognise 180k 3.5" discs in that drive. This is because it thinks

180k >discs need to be double-stepped in a 720k drive; this is true for 3"
discs but >not 3.5". It's possible to get round this by setting the 'double
track' bit and the >freeze flag in the XDPB for that drive, but this post
is long enough as it is.

John - are you sure about this? I created the disk with 22Disk, and when I
put this disk into my 3.5" drive, which had prev been accessed as DSDD, the
disk was accessed happily enough, and my PCW saw it as a 180k disk. Maybe,
22Disk created the disk using double-step without my knowing? It's possible
it did that by default creating a 40T format using an 80T drive. I assume
it did the same thing when I created my original 5.25 SS boot disk, that too
must have double stepped. If it did NOT double step, then there would be a
major risk that a 40T drive would be reading two adjacent tracks at once? I
seem to have no trouble swapping between different formats of 3,5" - but,
that is for B:, maybe it's a different story for A:?? Also, I'm using a
'tweaked' version of J11CPM3.EMS (tweaked using info supplied by John again)
which allows me to use both 180k and 360k 5.25" disks in A:

Geoff

[s***@gmail.com]

Post by Geoff Barnard
Also, I'm using a
'tweaked' version of J11CPM3.EMS (tweaked using info supplied by John again)

That's probably it, then -- my experience was with 1.15 and A35.FIB.