atari vazno

8/13/2019 Atari Vazno

1/48

Table of Content

Introductiono About this FAQo Disclaimero Credits

General Information

o What is an Atari?o What kind of Monitor?o How do I booto Emulators

Softwareo General Informationo Star Programso Can I Upgrade my OS?o How Do I backup my Programs?

Hardwareo Memory upgradeo Hard Diskso Floppy Driveso Printerso Miceo Drop Fixo Schematics, Connectors

Communicationo File transfero Internet
http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#introductionhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#introductionhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#abouthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#abouthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#disclaimerhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#disclaimerhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#creditshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#creditshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#general_informationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#general_informationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#atarihttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#atarihttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#monitorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#monitorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#boothttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#boothttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#softwarehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#softwarehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#generalhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#generalhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#star_proghttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#star_proghttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#backuphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#backuphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hardwarehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hardwarehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#memory_upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#memory_upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hard_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hard_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#floppy_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#floppy_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#printershttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#printershttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#micehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#micehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#drophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#drophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#schematicshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#schematicshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#communicationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#communicationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#internethttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#internethttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#internethttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#communicationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#schematicshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#drophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#micehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#printershttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#floppy_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hard_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#memory_upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hardwarehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#backuphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#star_proghttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#generalhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#softwarehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#boothttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#monitorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#atarihttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#general_informationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#creditshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#disclaimerhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#abouthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#introduction


2/48

Atari ST Quick FAQ by DrCoolZic -V3.1

2012-08-05

Why did I decide to update or rewrite portion of the original Atari ST Quick FAQ?

While reading the original document I found a lot of interesting information but it also turned out tobe a rather frustrating experience! The reason is that as the original document has not been updatedsince January 1999 most of the links in the original document are broken, a lot of topics areoutdated and some more recent information/features about Atari ST computers are missing (forexample nothing about devices likePeST,UltraSatan,KryoFlux...).

I therefore decided to rewrite a large portion of this FAQ. My document is based on The Atari STQuick FAQ - Version 2.8a - 1999-01-22 (also available in anonline version - in French)that waslast updated by Nicholas Bales.

There is also atext version (V2.9a)of this FAQ as well as some older documents published in theAtari newsgroup:FAQ1,FAQ2,FAQ3

This is revision V3.1 of the ST FAQ - Last updated 2012-08-05 by DrCoolZic - Revision history

INTRODUCTION

What's this FAQ all about ?

As you probably know FAQstands for "Frequently Asked Questions". :-) (and that's a smiley! )The intent of this FAQ is to provide introductory level informationfor someone starting with anAtari. However if you are looking to morein-depth informationthis FAQ provides a lot of linksto either external references or to internal references on subjects that I have covered.

Again this FAQ is based on the originalST Quick FAQfrom Nicholas Balesand for severalsubjects for which I (DrCoolZic) do not have specific knowledge or interest the original text has

been kept unchanged.

At the time the original FAQ was written, information among "Atarians" was widely exchangethrough newsgrouprelated to the Atari. Apparently the Atari newsgroup are gone from the Usenetdistribution (at least I could not find any on my provider's news server) but it seems that somearchives are still available fromGoogle Groups.Newsgroups have been replaced by forumsandthere are plenty ofAtari Forums.Back to the top

Disclaimer just in case...

I cannot be held responsible of any data loss, hardware damage, warranty voids, or thermonuclearwarfare resulting in the application of anything described here. Nobody else can be blamed for any

misuse but yourself. Any action that is described here may only be done at your own risks andperils. Whatever happens, it's not my fault.
http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#micehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#micehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#micehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hd_replacementhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hd_replacementhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hd_replacementhttp://www.kryoflux.com/http://www.kryoflux.com/http://www.kryoflux.com/http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/quickfaq-2.8a/index.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/quickfaq-2.8a/index.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/quickfaq-2.8a/index.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/quickfaq-2.8a/index.htmhttp://membres.lycos.fr/romuald/atari/quickfaq/quickfaq_fr.htmhttp://membres.lycos.fr/romuald/atari/quickfaq/quickfaq_fr.htmhttp://membres.lycos.fr/romuald/atari/quickfaq/quickfaq_fr.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/atari-quick-faq-v2.9a.txthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/atari-quick-faq-v2.9a.txthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/atari-quick-faq-v2.9a.txthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq1.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq1.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq1.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq2.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq2.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq2.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq3.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq3.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq3.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/revision-history.txthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/revision-history.txthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/revision-history.txthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/quickfaq-2.8a/index.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/quickfaq-2.8a/index.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/quickfaq-2.8a/index.htmhttp://groups.google.com/http://groups.google.com/http://groups.google.com/http://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_forumshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_forumshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_forumshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_forumshttp://groups.google.com/http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/quickfaq-2.8a/index.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/revision-history.txthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq3.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq2.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/faq1.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/atari-quick-faq-v2.9a.txthttp://membres.lycos.fr/romuald/atari/quickfaq/quickfaq_fr.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/quickfaq-2.8a/index.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/quickfaq-2.8a/index.htmhttp://www.kryoflux.com/http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hd_replacementhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#mice


3/48

Back to the top

Credits

Helpful criticism, corrections and additions in helpingNicholas Bales to create the originaldocument came from:Richard Davey-Tom Derrick-Eric Hays-Tom Hopper-John Kormylo-

Ken Macdonald-Ashley Seabrook- Martin-Eric Racine-Peter-Rottengatter-Terry Ross-NeilRoughley-Hallvard Tangeraas-Jo Vandewegheand of courseNicholas Bales.Many thanks to all of these people.

And hopefully DrCoolZichave contributed to a better version of this document?

Back to the top

GENERAL INFORMATION

What is this an Atari ST ? What kind of monitor can I use ? How do I boot up my Atari? Atari Emulators

Back to the top

What is this Atari ST thing?

The Atari ST is a 16/32 bit Motorola 68000 based personal computer range launched in the mid 80's

which has evolved over the years from the ST (Sixteen bits data bus, Thirty two bits address bus) tothe STF, STFM, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, and into more modern computers like the TT030 orFalcon030.There are even some extremely powerful Atari-compatible clones around like the Swiss 68060

based Hadesor the German Milan, and clone projects like the French Phoenixor the AmericanWizztronicsmachine.

More recent clones includes theSuska III-Cboards from Wolfgang Frster and the AtariColdFireProject available fromMedusa Computer Systems.

All these computers run various flavors of an operating system called TOS(The Operating

System), which includes a graphical user interfacecalledGEM (Graphical Environment Manager)from Digital Research.

If you are interested in the fate of Atari, and the company's history, you should look for sites in thelink page.

Back to the top

What kind of monitor can I use with Atari systems ?

Atari Graphic resolution mode Connecting to a TV set Atari monitors VGA/SVGA or multiscan monitors
http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#topmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#atarihttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#atarihttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#monitorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#monitorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#boothttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#boothttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://www.wizztronics.com/http://www.wizztronics.com/http://www.experiment-s.de/en/boards/suska-iii-c/http://www.experiment-s.de/en/boards/suska-iii-c/http://www.experiment-s.de/en/boards/suska-iii-c/http://acp.atari.org/http://acp.atari.org/http://acp.atari.org/http://medusacomputer.com/firebee.htmlhttp://medusacomputer.com/firebee.htmlhttp://medusacomputer.com/firebee.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Atari_Graphic_resolutionhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Atari_Graphic_resolutionhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Connecting_to_a_TV_Sethttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Atari_Monitorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Atari_Monitorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#VGA/SVGA_or_monitorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#VGA/SVGA_or_monitorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#VGA/SVGA_or_monitorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Atari_Monitorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Connecting_to_a_TV_Sethttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Atari_Graphic_resolutionhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.phphttp://medusacomputer.com/firebee.htmlhttp://acp.atari.org/http://www.experiment-s.de/en/boards/suska-iii-c/http://www.wizztronics.com/http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#boothttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#monitorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#atarihttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#topmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#top


4/48

Falcon videoPlease also refer to myVideopage for more information.

Back to the top

Atari Graphic resolutionThe Atari ST have 3 screen resolutions:

640x400 monochrome resolution referred as the Highresolution (Hi-res) mode, 640x200 4 colors resolution referred as Mediumresolutions (Med-res) mode, 320x200 16 colors resolution referred as the Lowresolution (Low-res) mode.

The original STF/STFM have of 512 color palette, but starting with the STE this palette has beenincreased to 4096. Definition/selection of the 4 or 16 colors from the 512/4096 color's palette isdone with the control panel accessory and for monochrome resolution the same panel accessory can

be set to select either black on white (the default) or white on black mode.

Switching between Mid/Low-res is done in the set preferencedialog box of the option menuandswitching to Hi-res requires either to connect a monochrome monitor's cable or to use an Atarivideo switch.In all cases switching between any of the resolution modes reset the Atari.

Back to the top

Connecting to a TV Set

STFM and some later models were equipped with an RF Modulatorallowing them to beconnectedto a TV's antenna connector. You then need to tune into the correct channel on the TV to get the ST

picture.In some countries, Atari shipped machines with a SCART/Peritel cable that plugs into the monitor

port instead of the RF Modulator. In this case you need theadequate cableand a SCART/Peritelequipped TV set. No tuning is required, and the RGB picture is better quality than with RF. Thesecables might still be available from some Atari dealers, but it is also quite easy to build one.As aTV connection act like an Atari Color Monitor it will only display low or medium resolution modes(see above) but not monochrome.

Back to the top

Atari monitors

Depending on the graphic resolution you need to connect two different types of Atari monitors:

Hi-res monochrome (640x400) requires the SM124Atari high resolution monitors. These monitorshave a very stable and good quality, although they have a small display screen.

Med-res (640x200/4 colors) and Low-res (320x200/16 colors) requires the SC1224 Atari colormonitors.

It is important to note that the SM124 monochrome monitor can only display Hi-resolution images,and that the SC1224 color monitor (or TV set for that matter) can only display Mid-resolution andLow-resolution images. As most games require Med/Low-res color and most application programsrequire Hi-res monochrome the choice of your monitor isimportantand this is also why many

people ended up having both.
http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Falcon_Videohttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Falcon_Videohttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/video.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/video.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/video.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#atari_monitor_switchhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#atari_monitor_switchhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#Atari_TV_Connectorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#Atari_TV_Connectorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#Atari_TV_Connectorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#Atari_TV_Connectorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#atari_monitor_switchhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/video.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Falcon_Video


5/48

Note that If you have both monitors you normally have to plug and unplug video cable each timeyou need to switch from one to the other unless you buy an Atari monitor switchthat allow you toswitch back and forth between the two monitors at the toggle of a switch!

It is also important to know that monitors from Atari includes an audio amplifier, with a volumecontrol knob, and a speaker for hearing Atari sound. On the STF/STFM models the only connector

to provide the sound output is the one that connect to the monitors. On the STE there are two extraRCA connectors to output stereo sound. Note that well designedSCART/Peritel cablecarry thesound to the TV set.

These two monitors cannot be connected to an Atari TT, as this machine requires a VGA

monitor.

Back to the top

VGA/SVGA or Multisync monitors

In order to connect a VGA/SVGA/Multisync monitor to an Atari it needs to supports RGB signals,and the following refresh rates for the horizontal and vertical synchronization signals (Note thesecond part of the table contains the measurements I made on an European Atari STE):

Specified Values ST High ST Low/Medium My measurements ST High ST Low/Medium

Vertical refresh rate 72 Hz 50 or 60 Hz Vertical refresh rate 71 Hz 50 Hz

Horizontal refresh

rate31.5 KHz 15.75 KHz Horizontal refresh rate 35.8 KHz 15.7 KHz

ST High-resolution: Only a "modern" VGA/SVGA or most Multisyncmonitor can handle the STmonochrome Horizontal frequencies. To use a VGA/SVGA monitor for Hi-res monochrome youneed tobuild a cablethat connect the ST mono out to the red, green, and blue inputs of the monitor,as well as the H-sync and V-sync signals. You also have to connect the mono-detect pin to theground pin.

ST Low/Medium resolution: Here on the contrary only very old CGA/Multisync monitors canhandle such a lowHorizontal frequency! A modern VGA monitor don't accept an HSync below30KHz (the lowest VGA frequency). And therefore in order to display Low/Med-res you need anold monitor (e.g. a Multisyncmonitor) that can handle the above display rates. In this case you willneed tobuild a simple cablethat connects the red, green and blue outs, as well as the H and V syncsignals from the ST monitor output to the display unit's and leave the mono-detect pin disconnected.

Follow these linksto better understand the Video standardsor to find out aboutyour monitorcapability.It is also possible toconvert CGA video to VGA with this kind of converter,and it youwant to better understand video conversion you can lookhereorhere

The nicest solution is to have an old Multisync monitors that handles perfectly the threeresolutions (for example aNEC Multisync II).In order to switch your Multisync monitor between

Hi-res and Med/low-res you need tobuild a special cable with a switch.
http://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#Atari_Monitors_Switchhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#Atari_Monitors_Switchhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#Atari_Monitors_Switchhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#vga_momo_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#vga_momo_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#vga_momo_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#vga_color_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#vga_color_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#vga_color_cablehttp://www.monitorworld.com/Cables/video_standards.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/Cables/video_standards.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/Cables/video_standards.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/monitors_home.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/monitors_home.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/monitors_home.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/monitors_home.htmlhttp://www.converters.tv/products/converters/rgb_converters/41.htmlhttp://www.converters.tv/products/converters/rgb_converters/41.htmlhttp://www.converters.tv/products/converters/rgb_converters/41.htmlhttp://www.local16.org/knowledge/Video_Conversion.htmlhttp://www.local16.org/knowledge/Video_Conversion.htmlhttp://www.local16.org/knowledge/Video_Conversion.htmlhttp://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vidconv.htmhttp://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vidconv.htmhttp://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vidconv.htmhttp://www.monitorworld.com/Monitors/nec/multisync2a.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/Monitors/nec/multisync2a.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/Monitors/nec/multisync2a.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#multisync_switchhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#multisync_switchhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#multisync_switchhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#multisync_switchhttp://www.monitorworld.com/Monitors/nec/multisync2a.htmlhttp://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vidconv.htmhttp://www.local16.org/knowledge/Video_Conversion.htmlhttp://www.converters.tv/products/converters/rgb_converters/41.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/monitors_home.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/monitors_home.htmlhttp://www.monitorworld.com/Cables/video_standards.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#vga_color_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#vga_momo_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#scart_peritel_cablehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#Atari_Monitors_Switch


6/48

Also remember that usually standard monitors do not have an audio circuit and therefore you needto connect the audio output of the Atari to an external sound system (this is covered inAtariMonitor Connector page).

Back to the top

Falcon video

The Falcon is equally happy with a VGA/SVGA/etc. monitor or an old ST/STE type monitor(though resolution will be limited to 640x400 interlaced on these).Whatever the display you choose, the Falcon requires an external video adapter, either for ST typemonitors or for VGA screens. There are also third party adapters that can switchbetween the twodisplays. A text file about Multisync/VGA/ST-res adaptors for Falcon ishere.

Back to the top

How do I boot up my Atari ?

Booting without a disk Getting started without a manual Atari Language disks How do I know what TOS version I have

Back to the top

Booting without a disk

First of all, most Atari computers have TOSin ROM and therefore don't need a boot disk to start

the system! If you do not have a correctly formatted double density disk to boot from, just wait afew minutes for the GEMdesktop to come up on it's own, then format a blank double density diskusing the menu option. Having a formatted disk (even an empty disk) in the drive dramaticallyshortens the boot up time. If the desktop screen doesn't come up after more than 5 minutes, eitheryour ST is broken or you have an ST without TOS in ROM.

Back to the top

Getting started without a manual

If you have never used an ST and don't have a manual on hand, there is little you need to know touse the GEMdesktop. here are the basics:

Main file types:o PRGandAPPfiles are executable programs, using the GEM graphic environment.o TOSare executable programs, that run under TOS (text mode).o GTPsand TTPsare executable programs (GEM or TOS respectively) needing parameters,

added by the user when running from a command line, or asked by the program when

running under GEM.

o ACCfiles are desk accessories. These go in the boot disk's root directory, and alwaysaccessible from the desk menu bar. There is a limit of 6 desk accessories per boot.

o CPXsare Control Panel Extension modules, special desk accessories for use withXCONTROL.ACC

o RSCsare program resource files. These contain GEM objects (icons, dialog boxes, menus,icons...) used by the program.
http://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#atari_video_connectorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#atari_video_connectorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#atari_video_connectorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#topftp://nic.funet.fi/pub/atari/falcon/doc/falcadap.zipftp://nic.funet.fi/pub/atari/falcon/doc/falcadap.zipftp://nic.funet.fi/pub/atari/falcon/doc/falcadap.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Booting_without_a_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Booting_without_a_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Getting_started_without_a_manualhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Getting_started_without_a_manualhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Atari_language_diskshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Atari_language_diskshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_do_I_know_what_TOS_version_I_havehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_do_I_know_what_TOS_version_I_havehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_do_I_know_what_TOS_version_I_havehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Atari_language_diskshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Getting_started_without_a_manualhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Booting_without_a_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#topftp://nic.funet.fi/pub/atari/falcon/doc/falcadap.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#atari_video_connectorhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#atari_video_connector


7/48

o INFand SYSare system information files or program options or preferences, or drivers.o PRGfiles that are placed in a folder namedAUTO, in the disk's root directory, will be

launched at boot up. Some will remain resident. Not all PRGs can be used this way.

o ZIP, LZH, ARC, ZOO, MSAfiles are various compressed archive formats. You need special de-archivers to use these. You can find them on mostFTP sites

File operations:o

To open a file a folder or a disk, or to launch a program, double click on the icon, or select itand go to File -> Open in the menu bar.

o To copy a file, select it, and drag it onto a disk or folder icon,o To delete a file, select it and drag it onto the trash icon (on the ST, trashed files are

permanentlydeleted, unlike on a Mac or PC)

o To rename a file or to view it's properties, select it and then go to File -> Informationo To format a blank disk, select the disk icon and go to File -> Formato To save your desktop configuration, use the save desktop option in the Options menu bar.

This will create a DESKTOP.INFor NEWDESK.INFfile, depending on your TOS version. Like

accessory programs, this file is read at boot time.

Tips:o

To make multiple selections, hold SHIFT down while selectingo To refresh the content of a disk window, press ESCo Just play around with the options to find out what they do.o Remember you cannot cause any damage to the OS as it is in ROM.o If your mouse does not work you can use the Alt+Arrow keys tricks: Alt+Shift+Arrow keys

for pixel scale movement, Alt+Clr/Home for left click, and Alt+Insert for right click

Once you have got the hang of this, the rest is pretty straight forward. This is for all TOS versions.Newer versions of TOS have additional features.

Back to the top

Atari language disks

Depending on the ST version you have, a language disk was supplied with some basic software,mainly:

CONTROL.ACC or XCONTROL.ACC: Control panel desk accessory STBASIC or STLOGO: Programming languages (very buggy and not very useful) Omikron Basic: A quite good Basic language (commercial). VT-52 terminal emulator Accessory Printer/modem configuration Accessories or CPXs

Various TOS patches

Very few of the programs supplied on these disks were of much use. If your system disks have beenlost, it is no big deal. Better public domain or shareware equivalents can be found on mostFTPservers

Software supplied with the Falcon included several commercial programs such as MultiTOS, AtariWorks or SpeedoGDOS. These are not freely available.

Back to the top
http://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archives


8/48

How do I know what TOS version I have

One way to find out which version of TOS you are running is to check out the latest copyright datein the Desk, Information box.

1985: TOS 1.00 (ST/STF) - original ROM version 1986: TOS 1.02 (Mega ST) - added blitter support 1989: TOS 1.04 (STF/Mega ST) - colored Atari logo (The rainbow TOS), better disk I/O, many bug

fixes, faster.

1990: TOS 1.06 (STE) - STE hardware support 1991: TOS 1.62 (STE) - bug fixed version of the above 1990: TOS 2.05 (Mega STE) - new desktop, customizable icons, HD disk support 1991: TOS 2.06 (Mega STE) - bug fixed version of above, support for future hardware.

In addition to these, a Falcon will be running TOS 4.02 or 4.04 and a TT030 will have TOS 3.01,3.05 or 3.06. The new Milan computer runs a licensed TOS 5.0.

To obtain a full report on your hardware (RAM, TOS, disks, etc...), you should run a program suchasSysinfo.Look a thisnice documentor aquick list of the main TOS versionsto get interesting information onTOS versions.

Back to the top

Emulators

How can I get Atari ST software to run on a PC,Mac or Unix box ? What's a ROM image and where can I get one ? What are .ST files and what can I do with them ?

The termEmulatoris overloaded especially for the Atari. Originally the term was used to indicate aprogram to emulate a terminalfor example a VT52 Emulator. But here we talk about the morerecent usage of the term emulator that designates a program to emulate an older machine(computers or game consoles) running on a recent and powerfull computer

Back to the top

How can I get Atari ST software to run on a PC, Mac, or Unix box ?

You need a program ("an ST emulator") that will fool your computer into running Atari STprograms. There are a lot of sites dedicated to the subject of Atari emulation and I will thereforepoint you to alist of linkson the subject. For exampleEmulateurs & TOS(in French!).

The most Famous areSainT,Steem,andHatari.Please also look at my version ofSteem

Back to the top

Where can I get those TOS ROM images ?

TOS is the ST operating system. It was supplied on ROM chips with most Atari machines. Mostemulators need an image of these ROMs in order to run. However, TOS is still copyrightedsoftware and the distribution rights belong to Atari. Atari has not stated that any version of TOS can
http://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/info/SYSINFO.PRGhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/info/SYSINFO.PRGhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/info/SYSINFO.PRGhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/tos-list.txthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/tos-list.txthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/tos-list.txtftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/tosguide.lzhftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/tosguide.lzhftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/tosguide.lzhhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_can_I_get_Atari_ST_software_to_run_on_a_PChttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_can_I_get_Atari_ST_software_to_run_on_a_PChttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Where_can_I_get_those_TOS_ROM_imageshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#What_are_ST_files_and_what_can_I_do_with_themhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#What_are_ST_files_and_what_can_I_do_with_themhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_emulatorshttp://emulatari.free.fr/appz.htmlhttp://emulatari.free.fr/appz.htmlhttp://emulatari.free.fr/appz.htmlhttp://leonard.oxg.free.fr/SainT/saint.htmlhttp://leonard.oxg.free.fr/SainT/saint.htmlhttp://leonard.oxg.free.fr/SainT/saint.htmlhttp://steem.atari.st/index.htmhttp://steem.atari.st/index.htmhttp://steem.atari.st/index.htmhttp://hatari.tuxfamily.org/http://hatari.tuxfamily.org/http://hatari.tuxfamily.org/http://info-coach.fr/atari/software/projects/steem.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/software/projects/steem.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/software/projects/steem.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/software/projects/steem.phphttp://hatari.tuxfamily.org/http://steem.atari.st/index.htmhttp://leonard.oxg.free.fr/SainT/saint.htmlhttp://emulatari.free.fr/appz.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#What_are_ST_files_and_what_can_I_do_with_themhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Where_can_I_get_those_TOS_ROM_imageshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_can_I_get_Atari_ST_software_to_run_on_a_PChttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#topftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/tosguide.lzhhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myfaq/tos-list.txthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/info/SYSINFO.PRG


9/48

be freely distributed and used. Owners of a real ST can use a program calledRomimageto make aTOS image for their own use. This is considered legal as long as the image is not distributed andyou own a legal copy of the program (ie: the ROMs).However most version of the TOS in many languages can be found at the Atari ST TOS ROM.

Back to the top

What are .ST files and what can I do with them ?

Emulators often have problems reading original ST floppy disks, mainly because of hardware issueson the emulating machine. A common workaround is to convert all the data contained on a disk(including special formatting, boot sectors, hidden tracks, etc...) into a disk imagefile. The mostcommon format for this is the .ST file format from PaCifiST as well as the older.MSA format. Theemulator then mounts these files as if they were real disks. Please refer to the differentemulatorlinksfor more information on creating/finding disk images.

Back to the top

SOFTWARE

Software General Information Star programs for Atari Can I upgrade my TOS How do I backup my original program

Back to the top

Software General Information

This section of the FAQ has drastically changed from the original one because the situation of theAtari software is quite different today. Most of the Atari programs are still copyrighted andtherefore copying or distributing them is illegal. However nowadays it is becoming almostimpossible to find shops that still sell these programs which are 10 to 20 years old. Your best betnow if you want to be 100% clean is either to look forremaining shops,or to look for people sellingold stuff on places likeeBay,or to find freeware and public domain programs inFTP sitesor other

places,or specialized site likemusic site.A special thanks to authors of programs that havegenerously "donated" (removed protection and made public domain) their programs. You can

also sometimes find programs published byMagazines.Beyond that it is possible to find a lot ofdisk images of games and other programs on the Net.

Again the situation in 2010 is again quite different. Many of the Atari programs are now consideredas abandonware and therefore widely distributed. You can start with This siteAtari ST - EssentialSoftware

Back to the top

Star programs for Atari

This section list some of the most famous software available at the time for Atari. You may need tofind them in order to be able to read some specific data file (word processor, graphics, music, etc...)
http://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/imaging/romimage.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/imaging/romimage.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/imaging/romimage.ziphttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#generalhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#generalhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#star_proghttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#star_proghttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#backuphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#backuphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_shopshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_shopshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_shopshttp://www.ebay.com/http://www.ebay.com/http://www.ebay.com/http://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_softhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_softhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_musichttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_musichttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_musichttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_dochttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_dochttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_dochttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_dochttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_musichttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_softhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://www.ebay.com/http://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_shopshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#backuphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#star_proghttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#generalhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_emulatorshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/imaging/romimage.zip


10/48

A more complete list can be found in theAtari ST Essential Software

Home Productivity Software: There is no integrated "MS Office"-like package for Atari, exceptmaybe the defunct Atari Works. The latest supported office programs are:

o Word processor : Papyrus, Protext, Sting, 1ST Word, Le Redacteuro Spreadsheet : Texel, XXLo

Database : Twist

Graphics and DTP packages: Ever since Atari launched the first laser printer under US$2000, DTPand graphics have been one of the platform's major strengths. Although some of these program

will run on an 8Mhz ST, they are usually designed for more powerful machines.

o DTP : Calamus SL (Invers), ST Publishero Raytracing : Neon, POVo Graphics : Positive Image, Photoline

Sequencers and Music Software: Because the Atari has had built-inMidi portssince it's earliestdays, it has been used in studios and on stages all over the world as aprofessional system for

music.Some programs are listed below:

o Sequencing : Dr.T's, Notator (Emagic), Logic (Emagic), Cubase (Steinberg)o

Direct To Disk : Logic Audio (Emagic), Cubase Audio (Steinberg), Devil Studio (Softjee)o Sampling : Zero-X (Copson Data), Studio Son (Centek), Expand (Softjee)

Internet and Communication Software: this topic is covered later in thethe Communicationsectionof this FAQ.

Back to the top

Can I upgrade my operating system ?

The ST's operating system TOS (see thelist here), is on ROM chips on most STs. Upgrading yourTOS means replacing the old ROMs with new ROM or EPROM chips.It is extremely difficult to

find those ROMs today however from time to time you will find some offer on eBay. Anothersolution is to use theSELTOSfreeware program that allow you to load a differentTOS imagefroma floppy disk.There are also third party replacement operating systems such as MagiC and Geneva (TOS-likemultitasking systems) or MiNT and Linux-68K (UNIX-like systems). For more information onTOS follow theTOS links

Back to the top

How do I backup my original program ?

In most country it is legal to make one backup copy of your original software for safety reason.Most commercial programs on Atari are protected either by a keythat plug into the cartridge port or

by incorporating protection mechanism in the original floppy disk.

For software with a key (e.g. most Steinberg programs) you can make as many copy of the originaldisk with any standard copy program.

The second protection mechanism works by placing specific "defects" on the floppy disk (e.g. CRCerrors, weak sector, holes, ...) that prohibit a normal copy program to work. In the early days it waseasy to circumvent the protection by using specially design copy programs, but as protection

mechanisms were perfected you had to use some specially designed hardware to make copy of theoriginal disk. The most famous HW for copying protected programs are the Blitz cable(speciallydesign cable connected to the ASCI and Floppy connectors of the Atari and requires an external
http://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#if_midi_conhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#if_midi_conhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#if_midi_conhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_musichttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_musichttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_musichttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_musichttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#communicationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#communicationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#communicationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#communicationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_do_I_know_what_TOS_version_I_havehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_do_I_know_what_TOS_version_I_havehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_do_I_know_what_TOS_version_I_havehttp://members.tripod.com/~piters/atari/tosload.htmhttp://members.tripod.com/~piters/atari/tosload.htmhttp://members.tripod.com/~piters/atari/tosload.htmhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_softhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_softhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_softhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_softhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.htmlhttp://members.tripod.com/~piters/atari/tosload.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_do_I_know_what_TOS_version_I_havehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#communicationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#communicationhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_musichttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_musichttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.php#if_midi_conhttp://avtandil.narod.ru/tose.html


11/48

floppy drive) and the Discovery Cartridgefrom Happy Computers (that plug into the cartridge andfloppy disk connectors). There is also thepreservation of Atari softwareproject that allow to createdisk imageof virtually any original protected programs but it does not allow to make backup copyand thereforeonly works for emulators.

For more information please refer tobackupon my page on protection.

Back to the top

HARDWARE

How can I upgrade memory in my Atari ? How can I connect a hard disk drive to my ST ? Floppy drives What about printers ? Mice, mouse ? The Universal 4 Inch Drop Fix (tm) Schematics and Connector Pinouts

Back to the top

How can I upgrade memory on my Atari ?

How can I get Atari ST software to run on a PC,Mac or Unix box ? What's a ROM image and where can I get one ? What are .ST files and what can I do with them ?

I also provide more in depth information in a specific page aboutAtari's Memory.

Back to the top

Expanding SIMM equipped models

If yourST is equipped with SIMM memory,you can easily upgrade your memory to 1, 2 or 4Mb byjust taking out the old SIMMs and popping in the new ones. The correct memory type is 30 pinSIMMs, with or without parity, capacity being either 256Kb or 1Mb. The minimum speed of 256KbSIMMs is 150ns and 120ns for 1Mb SIMMs. It is best not to mix different SIMM types. They must

be installed by pairs in slots 1 and 3, then 2 and 4 (from back to front).Atari STEs are originally equipped with either 2 (520STE) or 4 (1040STE) 256Kb SIMMs that canbe replaced by 2 or 4 x 1Mb SIMMs.Because of a bug in TOS, STEs will not recognize a 2.5Mb configuration (2x256Kb + 2x1Mb)without a small bootup program like silkboot2eor simmfix. These can be found on mostFTP sites

but are quite unreliable.

Back to the top

Expanding DRAM equipped models

OnDRAM memory models,the memory chips are soldered directly to the computer's motherboard.This makes memory expansion a lot more tricky. A way to avoid the soldering and memory
http://pasti.fxatari.com/http://pasti.fxatari.com/http://pasti.fxatari.com/http://info-coach.fr/atari/software/preservation.php#copy_protected_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/software/preservation.php#copy_protected_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/software/preservation.php#copy_protected_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#memory_upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#memory_upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hard_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hard_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#floppy_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#floppy_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#printershttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#printershttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#micehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#micehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#drophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#drophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#schematicshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#schematicshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_can_I_get_Atari_ST_software_to_run_on_a_PChttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_can_I_get_Atari_ST_software_to_run_on_a_PChttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Where_can_I_get_those_TOS_ROM_imageshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#What_are_ST_files_and_what_can_I_do_with_themhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#What_are_ST_files_and_what_can_I_do_with_themhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Expanding_memory_for_SIMM_equipped_modelshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Expanding_memory_for_SIMM_equipped_modelshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Expanding_memory_for_SIMM_equipped_modelshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Expanding_memory_of_dram_equipped_atarihttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Expanding_memory_of_dram_equipped_atarihttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Expanding_memory_of_dram_equipped_atarihttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Expanding_memory_of_dram_equipped_atarihttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Expanding_memory_for_SIMM_equipped_modelshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#What_are_ST_files_and_what_can_I_do_with_themhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Where_can_I_get_those_TOS_ROM_imageshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#How_can_I_get_Atari_ST_software_to_run_on_a_PChttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#schematicshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#drophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#micehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#printershttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#floppy_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hard_diskhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#memory_upgradehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/software/preservation.php#copy_protected_diskhttp://pasti.fxatari.com/


12/48

limitations is to use a special memory expansion board that replaces the original memory bankswith standard SIMM sockets.

Several such solutions were available like the Marpet Xtra Ram board or the Aixit 10Mb expansionboard, or theJRI-RAM+ board.

DIY conversions require serious soldering skills, and are not for the faint hearted. Descriptions ofsuch modifications can be found below:

In German(with interesting diagrams) In English

Back to the top

4Mb, the Final Frontier

On ST, STF and STE computers, the MMU (Memory Management Unit) has a hardware limit of

4Mb.However recent developments have seen third party expansion boards that allow going beyond thislimit. The Magnum-ST board from Woller+Link in Germany allows up to 16Mb on aplain ST/STF(not STE). TOS versions below 2.06 will not deal with more than 4Mb, so either a TOS upgrade orMagiCis necessary.

Back to the top

Falcon boards

The step forward from DRAM to SIMMs on the STE series became a step back to a proprietary

memory board system on the Falcon. The falcon was pre- equipped with 3 memory board models:1, 4 or 14Mb. Upgrading a Falcon means scrapping the original memory and replacing it with eithera new proprietary memory board or a third party SIMM board. There are many of these availableand can sometimes be combined with a CPU accelerator board.

Back to the top

How can I connect a hard disk drive to my ST ?

ACSI Hard drives (Atari Megafile and SH series). SCSI hard drives IDE hard drives ZIPs, CDROMs, Syquest drives and anything else non-SCSI Hard disk driver software New Hard Disk Replacement

Back to the top

ACSI Hard drives (Atari Megafile and SH series).

ACSI is Atari's proprietary hard drive connector. It is similar to SCSI which was standardized later,

but not directly compatible. ACSI drives were the Atari Megafile and SH series that ranged from 20to 60Mb capacities. Supra, and maybe some other manufacturers also made some ACSI drives atone point, but these are quite rare. These are the only hard drives that are directly "plug'n'play"
http://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Example_of_the_JRI-RAM+_upgrade_boardhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Example_of_the_JRI-RAM+_upgrade_boardhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Example_of_the_JRI-RAM+_upgrade_boardftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/simm.lzhftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/simm.lzhftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/ramupgra.lzhftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/ramupgra.lzhhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#ACSI_Hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#ACSI_Hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#SCSI_hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#SCSI_hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#IDE_hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#IDE_hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#ZIPs_CDROMs_Syquest_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#ZIPs_CDROMs_Syquest_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Hard_disk_driver_softwarehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Hard_disk_driver_softwarehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hd_replacementhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hd_replacementhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hd_replacementhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Hard_disk_driver_softwarehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#ZIPs_CDROMs_Syquest_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#IDE_hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#SCSI_hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#ACSI_Hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#topftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/ramupgra.lzhftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/ramupgra.lzhftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/atari/Doc/simm.lzhhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/memory.php#Example_of_the_JRI-RAM+_upgrade_board


13/48

compatible with the Atari ACSI/DMA port on stock STs. Atari SH drives have the advantage ofbeing made up of an ACSI to SCSI host adapter connected to an Adaptec 4000 SCSI to MFMadapter that is attached to the drive. It is thereforesometimes possible to adapt these drive to useSCSI drive mechanisms. This is not the case for Megafile drives.

Back to the top

SCSI hard drives

In order to use SCSI peripherals, and unless you have an internal Atari interface (Mega ST, MegaSTe) you need a SCSI host adapter that connects the SCSI drive to the ACSI hard drive port on theAtari. There are several models available depending on whether or not you need parity, whether ornot they are for external or internal drives. The 2 most common SCSI host adapters are the Link IIfrom ICDandLink'97fromWB Systemtechnik.Don't forget also that there is not much room for a3.5" hard drive inside an original ST case. You will need either to put the whole system into a PCtype tower case, or to find an external housing and power supply for your hard drive. The MegaSTE internal SCSI interface does not support parity.

Back to the top

IDE hard drives

The Upgrade Shop, a UK based company sells an internal IDE host adapter for STE only, It plugsinto the processor socket and requires 4 wires to be soldered to the board. It is mainly aimed atconnecting 2.5" IDE drives internally, but 3.5" drives can be attached to it if the computer is tower-mounted. Instructions to build your ownDIY interfacealso exist, but should only be performed by

people with a solid knowledge in electronics, soldering and programming GAL chips. See also theAtari IDE disk Interfacefrom Pera Putnik

The Falcon has an internal IDE slot for internal 2.5" IDE drives. Some Falcon users have managedto fit a replacement 3.5" drive after cutting parts of the metallic shielding.Just a general note: You can partition IDE drives as much as you like, but do not format them.Some of them will not recover from a "low level" format.

Back to the top

ZIPs, CDROMs, Syquest drives, anything else non-SCSI

Using a parallel ZIP drive on any Atari computer's parallel port is impossible because of the lack ofseveral signals in Atari's implementation of the parallel port. You should use a SCSI ZIP drive.There is however a parallel port interface that plugs into the cartridge port of Atari computers,available from Woller+Link (Germany). See theZip Drive FAQSCSI versions of ZIPs and CD-ROMS are recommended, so that you can use aSCSI host adapter.Be aware also that CD ROMS and ZIP drives use parity, so you must have a parityenabled SCSIadapter.

Back to the top

Hard disk driver software

In order to get TOS to recognize the drive, a HD driver package will be needed. Here are some ofthe more popular packages:
http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://www.icd.com/atari/index.html#link2http://www.icd.com/atari/index.html#link2http://www.icd.com/atari/index.html#link2http://www.icd.com/atari/index.html#link2http://www.wbsystemtechnik.de/atari/at_zube.htmhttp://www.wbsystemtechnik.de/atari/at_zube.htmhttp://www.wbsystemtechnik.de/atari/at_zube.htmhttp://www.wbsystemtechnik.de/atari/http://www.wbsystemtechnik.de/atari/http://www.wbsystemtechnik.de/atari/http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://members.tripod.com/~piters/atari/astide.htmhttp://members.tripod.com/~piters/atari/astide.htmhttp://members.tripod.com/~piters/atari/astide.htmhttp://atari.8bitchip.info/astide.phphttp://atari.8bitchip.info/astide.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#topftp://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/atari/infos/zipdrive.faqftp://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/atari/infos/zipdrive.faqftp://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/atari/infos/zipdrive.faqhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#SCSI_hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#SCSI_hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#SCSI_hard_driveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#SCSI_hard_drivesftp://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/atari/infos/zipdrive.faqhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://atari.8bitchip.info/astide.phphttp://members.tripod.com/~piters/atari/astide.htmhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://www.wbsystemtechnik.de/atari/http://www.wbsystemtechnik.de/atari/at_zube.htmhttp://www.icd.com/atari/index.html#link2http://www.icd.com/atari/index.html#link2http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#top


14/48

AHDI (V3,V4,V5,V6)is Atari's Hard Disk Driver. However, it appears that it is not as capable andefficient as some 3rd party driver software.

ICD Tools:adSCSCI V6.5.5SW provided withICD host adapters.Quite efficient and easy to installbut has a few compatibility problems with advanced setups (alternative operating systems etc).

HDDriver:Probably the best commercial driver available. It can be bundled with some hostadapters, and it also includes support for removable media, such as ZIP or JAZ drives.

CBHD:another freeware driver, probably not as good as the two commercial ones, but certainlybetter than AHDI. Only german docs are provided, so setup might be a bit tricky.

It also seems that some drivers are more suited to one type of drive whereas they can have problemswith other drives. A good idea might be to ask inforumsor the software vendor foranycompatibility issues before buying.

Back to the top

New Hard Disk Replacement

By far the best solution to replace ASCI/SCSI/IDE hard disks on an Atari system is to buy the HWdeveloped fromJookie'stwo projects. The first project is calledSatanDisk. It has now beenreplaced by a more powerfull solution called theUltraSatanproject. Basically these boards allow touse MMC or SD cards as a Hard Disk replacement for the Atari.

Back to the top

Floppy Drives ?

Replacing a floppy drive Upgrading to a HD drive

Back to the top

Replacing a floppy drive

The disk drives used by Atari ST computers are industry standard 360K (single sided) or 720K(double sided) double-density DDfloppy drives.PC drives can be used as replacement drives, only nowadays it is difficult to find 720K drives. Youcan however use just about any 1.44Mb HDdrive as these will perform perfectly well in DD 720Kmode. Nevertheless, you have to be aware of the following:

You need to be able to change the ID number of the drive to 0 instead of the default 1 for PCs.Usually there is a jumper to do this, but it tends to disappear on modern drives, making this rather

tricky. It now often involves connecting a solder pad on the drive's PCB.

You need to connect the cable upside down on the drive. This can mean cutting a little plastic partthat is designed to make this impossible.

You need to set the Media Change Detect jumper, or else, under certain circumstances, your disksmight end up scrambled. This jumper no longer exists on most modern drives, but you can work

around the problem by using the Force Media Change program.

Most modern HD drives can no longer read single sided 360K disks. Force Media Change

Back to the top
http://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi3_01.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi3_01.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi3_01.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi4_00.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi4_00.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi4_00.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi_5.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi_5.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi_5.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi6061.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi6061.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi6061.ziphttp://www.icd.com/atari/adscsi.ziphttp://www.icd.com/atari/adscsi.ziphttp://www.icd.com/atari/adscsi.ziphttp://www.icd.com/atari/http://www.icd.com/atari/http://www.icd.com/atari/http://www.seimet.de/atari/en/hddriver.htmlhttp://www.seimet.de/atari/en/hddriver.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/cbhd502.toshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/cbhd502.toshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_forumshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_forumshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_forumshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://joo.kie.sk/http://joo.kie.sk/http://joo.kie.sk/http://joo.kie.sk/satandiskhttp://joo.kie.sk/satandiskhttp://joo.kie.sk/satandiskhttp://joo.kie.sk/ultrasatanhttp://joo.kie.sk/ultrasatanhttp://joo.kie.sk/ultrasatanhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Replacing_a_floppy_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Replacing_a_floppy_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Upgrading_to_a_HD_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Upgrading_to_a_HD_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/Diskutils/fmc.archttp://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/Diskutils/fmc.archttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/Diskutils/fmc.archttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Upgrading_to_a_HD_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Replacing_a_floppy_drivehttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://joo.kie.sk/ultrasatanhttp://joo.kie.sk/satandiskhttp://joo.kie.sk/http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_forumshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/cbhd502.toshttp://www.seimet.de/atari/en/hddriver.htmlhttp://www.icd.com/atari/http://www.icd.com/atari/adscsi.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi6061.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi_5.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi4_00.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/programs/disk/hard-disk/ahdi3_01.zip


15/48

Upgrading to a HD drive

Using a high density drive in High Density mode on an ST, is feasible, but requires a few hardwarehacks, both on the ST and on the drive. Ready made HD kits are available at several places, and afew DIY text files describe (sometimes contradictory) modifications too on several FTP servers.Then there is the issue of the controller chip. The WD-1772 is not designed for handling the faster

frequency needed to use HD mode, although some people have had one running for years with noproblem so an 'Ajax' chip is highly recommended. Most STEs seem to have an Ajax chip fitted asstandard.Lots of information on the subject can be found at theAtari Hardware Hack Page

Back to the top

What about printers ?

What kind of printers can I connect ? Where do I get a driver for my printer ?

Back to the top

What kinds of printers can I connect ?

All Atari computers have a standard bidirectional printer port, which means that basically anyprinter that connects to a PC parallel port should work with an ST, with the same cable.A problem lies, however, with the recent appearance of cheap printers "Optimized for Windows95". These units actually lack hardware, making them rely on require Windows 95 to run. They willalso not work with a Mac or Unix box, so be careful when you buy.Atari became famous in the DTP for offering the first cheap laser printers. This was done by usingthe computer's RAM instead of having built-in memory. The SLM laser printers therefore require atleast 2Mb of RAM to run. They also attach to the ACSI/DMA port, which means that they cannot

be connected to a Falcon. A Falcon/SLM adapter, called the Heatseaker, didexist but never got tothe market.

Back to the top

Where do I get a driver for my printer ?

The issue of printer drivers is mainly an application problem. The part of TOS originally devoted to

printing and graphic output, called GDOS, was not included in ROM, therefore some applicationsbypassed it and developed their own printing routines. This sort of application will require it's ownproper drivers to be written.Properly written programs will use the GDOS standard, allowing use of proportional fonts andstandard drivers.To run GDOS on your computer, there are several solutions. FontGDOSis the latest freewareGDOS implementation from Atari, but is slow and handles only bitmap fonts. SpeedoGDOSandNVDIare both commercially available and fully maintained, and handle both bitmap and

proportional fonts. NVDI is also a very efficient screen accelerator. Basically, if you plan on using aprinter, you should consider obtaining NVDI.

Back to the top
http://atari4ever.free.fr/hardware/http://atari4ever.free.fr/hardware/http://atari4ever.free.fr/hardware/http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#What_kinds_of_printers_can_I_connecthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#What_kinds_of_printers_can_I_connecthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Where_do_I_get_a_driver_for_my_printerhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Where_do_I_get_a_driver_for_my_printerhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Where_do_I_get_a_driver_for_my_printerhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#What_kinds_of_printers_can_I_connecthttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://atari4ever.free.fr/hardware/


16/48

Mice, mouse

The Atari mouse was quite poor, and very few remain in good working condition after the years.When it finally needs replacing, these mice are very hard to find. Try contacting an Atari dealer inyour area, as most of them carry some sort of Atari compatible mouse.

A PC serial mouse can be connected directly to the serial (modem) port. There are two drawbacksto this. Firstly, on a machine with only one serial port it prevents from connecting anything else(modem, extra midi ports...). Secondly, you will need to load a serial mouse driver at each boot.Genmouseor Mouse25 are such drivers and can be found on your favoriteFTP sites.The problemis that, being auto folder programs, they will obviously not run with auto booting programs such asgames.Some Amiga mice have a little Amiga/ST switch allowing them to be used on an Atari. There isreportedly a means of converting an amiga mouse to an ST mouse by inverting two wires, but Icould not not find the instructions.Erratic mouse behavior is sometimes caused by a faulty connector. The mouse port connectionsunder the keyboard, are subject to stress when there is continuous plugging and unplugging of themouse (to connect a joystick for example). A remedy for this is to take apart the ST and touch thesolder joints that connect the mouse connector to the keyboard PCB with a soldering iron, just toreestablish a good contact by slightly melting the solder.

If all else fails, you can always use the Alt + Arrow keys trick (Alt + Shift + Arrow keys for pixelscale movement, Alt+Clr/Home for left click, and Alt+Insert for right click) as a lifesaver, but that'shardly a practical solution in the long run.

The best replacement for Atari mouse is to use thePeST(PS2 Mouse Interface for the Atari ST)adapter. See alsohere

Back to the top

The Universal 4 Inch Drop Fix (tm)

A common problem on Atari ST computers is socketed chip connections coming loose. Thesymptoms are erratic behavior, sudden resets, unexpected bombs, blank screen (white), disk errors,etc... This is the result of the PCB aging, heating, dilating, warping, slowly easing the chips out ofthere sockets.A common, and quick fix to this is the famous 4 inch drop, and it goes like this:

Switch off the machine, Lift it horizontally about 4 inches (10 cm) above the desktop, Drop it.

As silly as it may sound, this sometimes works, reseating the chips and solving the problem. Theresult is not 100% guaranteed however. If the problem still occurs you probably have a moreserious problem.Of course, another (more professional) option is to take apart the machine and reseat all the chips byhand.

Back to the top
http://ftp.lip6.fr/pub/atari/Utilities/gmouse25.ziphttp://ftp.lip6.fr/pub/atari/Utilities/gmouse25.ziphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://pest.atari.org/http://pest.atari.org/http://pest.atari.org/http://www.logicsays.com/atari/http://www.logicsays.com/atari/http://www.logicsays.com/atari/http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://www.logicsays.com/atari/http://pest.atari.org/http://info-coach.fr/atari/links.php#links_archiveshttp://ftp.lip6.fr/pub/atari/Utilities/gmouse25.zip


17/48

Schematics and Connector Pinouts.

When your computer breaks and there is no Atari Service Center in your neighborhood to repair itfor you, you'll want to see if you can do it yourself, or get someone else to fix it. Chances are thatyou will need some schematics of the machine. You can find most of these at The Atari HardwareHack Page

See also my page about theAtari connectors and cables.

Back to the top

COMMUNICATION

How can I transfer files between an ST and another computer ?o Exchanging TOS and MS-DOS diskso Exchanging TOS and Macintosh diskso Exchanging TOS and Windows SD/MMC cardso Serial/Parallel file transfero LAN Networkingo MIDI file transfero File conversion issues

How can I get on the Internet ?Back to the top

How can I transfer files between an ST and other computers ?

Exchanging TOS and MS-DOS floppy disks

Disk exchange between MS-DOS and TOS is absolutely possible, if you follow these rules:

TOS versions from 1.04 onwards are 100% compatible with MS-DOS. If using TOS 1.02 or earlier, you must either format the disk on a PC, use preformatted PC disks, or

use a DOS compatible formatter on the ST.

Choose a PC format compatible with the Atari drive, i.e.: 720K for double sided drives and 1.44Mfor HD drives.

The internal drives of some older 520STF and SF354 units were limited to single-sided 360K disksthat modern PCs can no longer read or write.

Microsoft Windows uses long filenames that can sometimes corrupt TOS disks, so be sure to usethe good old 8+3 filename format. The same goes for directories.

Do not use HD disks formatted in DD mode (i.e. with sticky tape over the HD hole). This sometimesworks momentarily, but is very unreliable, as the magnetic coating of HD disks is not the same as

with DD disks.

As a summary, it is usually best to format a DD 720K floppy on the PC before using it to transferfiles.

Back to the top
http://atari4ever.free.fr/hardware/docs.htmlhttp://atari4ever.free.fr/hardware/docs.htmlhttp://atari4ever.free.fr/hardware/docs.htmlhttp://atari4ever.free.fr/hardware/docs.htmlhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.phphttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Exchanging_TOS_and_MS-DOS_diskshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Exchanging_TOS_and_MS-DOS_diskshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Exchanging_TOS_and_Macintosh_diskshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Exchanging_TOS_and_Macintosh_diskshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#exchange_sdhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#exchange_sdhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#if_file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#if_file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#LAN_Networkinghttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#LAN_Networkinghttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#MIDI_file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#MIDI_file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#File_conversion_issueshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#File_conversion_issueshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#internethttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#internethttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#internethttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#File_conversion_issueshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#MIDI_file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#LAN_Networkinghttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#if_file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#exchange_sdhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Exchanging_TOS_and_Macintosh_diskshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#Exchanging_TOS_and_MS-DOS_diskshttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#file_transferhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/hardware/interfaces.phphttp://atari4ever.free.fr/hardware/docs.htmlhttp://atari4ever.free.fr/hardware/docs.html


18/48

Exchanging TOS and Macintosh floppy disks

TOS is not compatible with the Mac's HFS disk format, but MacOS versions from 7.5 onwards aresupplied with PC Exchange, that allows reading and writing of MS-DOS disks, which arecompatible with TOS as explained above. PC Exchange is also sold separately by Apple dealers.An old ST program calledDCFormatcan reportedly format HFS and MFS disks.

Back to the top

Exchanging TOS and Windows SD/MMC cards

By using a Satan or UltraSatan "Hard disk" (seeabove)and proper hard disk driver it is possible toexchange directly information between Atari computers and PC. More information to be provided.

Back to the top

Serial/Parallel file transfer

Another way of exchanging files between ST and PC is to connect the two computers through serialor parallel links. Here we are talking about file transfer not real network setups which are covered inthe section below

Using a serial null modem (DB25F-DB25ForDB25F-DB9F):o Ghostlink:the PC drives are mounted on the Atari desktop, just like ST drives, but it suffers

several limitations, of which speed of transfer, the need to run it under DOS (not a DOS

session under windows) on the PC, and it's inability to launch programs from the remote

drive.

In thefollowing linkthere is a solution to the problem with Windows XP and MS-DOS

applications such as ghostlink.o Zmodem is a standard for terminal and file transfer connections. Zmodem programs can be

found on practically any platform, including Atari, Mac PC, Unix, etc... but transfer are quite

slow

Using a specially made parallel cable (standard null parallel printer cable do not work)o PARCP:This is definitively my favorite program. Transfer are extremely fast and it has an

excellent interface.

o Paralink 2000 (could not find any living link to this solution)o HDD Daemon

Back to the top

LAN Networking

If you plan on integrating your Atari into a real heterogeneous network with other computers, thenyou will probably have to setup some kind of Local Area Network. Beware, as this is not for thefaint-hearted. Issues related to LAN networks and Ethernet are best dealt with on the following web

page.The best general purpose TCP/IP stack around on Atari platform is STiNG,which has drivers fornearly all the ports available on Atari machines, including the very rare Riebl Ethernet cards or theFalcon/TT030 LAN ports. There is still no NFS auto-mounting client though.The other networking solution isMiNTnet,and extension toMiNT,which offers unix-like

connectivity to the Atari platform. Here are some instructions for setting up a serial NFSconnectionwith a PC.
http://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/Dc/dcfmt30.archttp://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/Dc/dcfmt30.archttp://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/Dc/dcfmt30.archttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hd_replacementhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hd_replacementhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#hd_replacementhttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://pinouts.ru/data/Nullmodem25to25_pinout.shtmlhttp://pinouts.ru/data/Nullmodem25to25_pinout.shtmlhttp://pinouts.ru/data/Nullmodem25to25_pinout.shtmlhttp://pinouts.ru/data/Nullmodem9to25_pinout.shtmlhttp://pinouts.ru/data/Nullmodem9to25_pinout.shtmlhttp://pinouts.ru/data/Nullmodem9to25_pinout.shtmlhttp://www.chebucto.ns.ca/software/atariST/misc/ghostlnk.ziphttp://www.chebucto.ns.ca/software/atariST/misc/ghostlnk.ziphttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;324767#kb3kb3http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;324767#kb3kb3http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;324767#kb3kb3http://joy.sophics.cz/parcp/http://joy.sophics.cz/parcp/http://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://info-coach.fr/atari/documents/myFAQ.php#tophttp://www.ettnet.se/~dlanor/sting/html/index.htmhttp://www.ettnet.se/~dlanor/sting/html/index.htmhttp://www.ettnet.se/~dlanor/sting/html/index.htmhttp://www.albatos.free.fr/logiciel/index.php?Logiciel=41http://www.albatos.free.fr/logiciel/index.php?Logiciel=41http://www.albatos.free.fr/logiciel/index.php?Logiciel=41http://www.albatos.free.fr/logiciel/index.php?Logiciel=38http://www.albatos.free.fr/logiciel/index.php?Logiciel=38http://www.albatos.free.fr/logiciel/index.php?Logiciel=38http://www.alb

atari vazno

Documents