OK, I Give Up!

[zeke1312]

Where can I find Big Blue Reader?

[Golan Klinger]

Are you looking for an original or otherwise? If otherwise, check your email.

[airship]

Actually, I prefer Little Red Reader myself.

[6502Dude]

Are you looking for an original or otherwise? If otherwise, check your email.

Can I add a "me too" request?

I can't help myself, I'm a collector

[zeke1312]

Thanks gklinger!

Geez. I'm still lost, Here's what I've done. I've tried formating in XP and from a Dos prompt. Then Write a downloaded zipped file to the diskette. I cannot format in 720k fomat as my floppy drive does not support. Anyhow, I try using LRR270. LRR270 loads/runs OK. It attemps to read the directory of the mounted diskette but comes up with MS-Dos error #9, 27,read error,33,04 header crc error. Now my guess is the diskette needs to be in FAT 720k as was pointed out to me? If that's the case I'm caught in a circle again. Time to punt!

[Golan Klinger]

Actually, I prefer Little Red Reader myself.

Could you explain what the differences between the two programs (other than LRR being free). Then we'll compare Tiny Yellow Brother with 1581copy.

In case anyone is curious, you can get Little Red Reader here.

[RobertB]

Now my guess is the diskette needs to be in FAT 720k as was pointed out to me?

Correct.  The disk must be a low-density disk and not a high-density disk.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/

[hydrophilic]

@zeke1312

Maybe you can format the disk with LRR ?  Then try to copy again from XP.  The drive may refuse the format unless you cover the hole at the top left of the disk.  Good luck!

@gklinger
Tiny Yellow Brother?  I've never heard of that one.  Can you give any details?

[Golan Klinger]

Tiny Yellow Brother?  I've never heard of that one.  Can you give any details?

"Tiny Yellow Brother (TYB) is a program for the C64 to read and write MS-DOS disks on 1581/FD drives. It was derived from LRR by Doreen Horne of Australia."

You can find it at the Little Red Reader webpage that I linked to above.

[zeke1312]

Well it does look like I'm stuck at this point until/unless I acquire a floppy drive that can format 720k. Now as a "newbie" point of view, this "incompatibility" with anything but "720k" puts a real bind on me. For longterm users, it's a moot point. I'm not sure what else I'd run into even if I had a floppy drive that could format @ 720k. I'll keep looking for a solution. Part of the fun in owning a C=:)

[Blacklord]

Thanks gklinger!

Geez. I'm still lost, Here's what I've done. I've tried formating in XP and from a Dos prompt. Then Write a downloaded zipped file to the diskette. I cannot format in 720k fomat as my floppy drive does not support. Anyhow, I try using LRR270. LRR270 loads/runs OK. It attemps to read the directory of the mounted diskette but comes up with MS-Dos error #9, 27,read error,33,04 header crc error. Now my guess is the diskette needs to be in FAT 720k as was pointed out to me? If that's the case I'm caught in a circle again. Time to punt!

Win XP will format a 720k disk - what command line parameters are you using (& are you using a low density diskette ) ?

Lance

[zeke1312]

It seems my problem is with the external diskette drive. "format a: /t:80/n:9" and the msg is "parameter not supported by drive".

[Mark Smith]

It seems my problem is with the external diskette drive. "format a: /t:80/n:9" and the msg is "parameter not supported by drive".

Laptop drive ?

[zeke1312]

external via usb port. OK. I just used SD 720K capacity media and I was able to format. Now to load files

[zeke1312]

I have my 1571 as device 8, my 1581 as device 9. I'm using the 1581. Does the 1581 need to be device 8 for any reason?

[RobertB]

The disk must be a low-density disk and not a high-density disk.

My apologies, Zeke.  I was incorrect.  Little Red Reader *does* work with high-density 3 1/2" disks.  My error comes from the fact that I always used LRR with a couple of 1581 drives and never with the high-density CMD FD drives.

Sincerely,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/

[Douglas]

I have always liked Big Blue Reader myself.  I tried a copy of Little Red Reader, but for some reason just didn't like it as much.  I do feel that Big Blue Reader was a bit weird to get used to using, but after "figuring it out" it isn't too hard.

On an unrelated note, am I the only person who enjoys using older computers (i.e., the c64/128) where you actually use the keyboard to access your program options instead of a mouse (like in Big Blue Reader)?  Man, the longer that I use a mouse, the more I dislike it...give me a damn key to press versus moving a stupid mouse any day.....

Douglas

[Blacklord]

I have always liked Big Blue Reader myself.  I tried a copy of Little Red Reader, but for some reason just didn't like it as much.  I do feel that Big Blue Reader was a bit weird to get used to using, but after "figuring it out" it isn't too hard.

On an unrelated note, am I the only person who enjoys using older computers (i.e., the c64/128) where you actually use the keyboard to access your program options instead of a mouse (like in Big Blue Reader)?  Man, the longer that I use a mouse, the more I dislike it...give me a damn key to press versus moving a stupid mouse any day.....

Douglas

Me too - even on XP & Linux I still use the command line for almost everything. And always get a vicarious bit of pleasure when I fire up my DOS machine

Lance