~
)1\.ATARr
DOS
2.5:
XF551
"
DISK DRIVE
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
000000000000000000
YOUR ATARI XF551 DISK DRIVE AND
DOS
................
,
What
DOS
Does . . . . . . ............
...
.....
. . .
.........
v
DOS
2.5
and Your ATAAI Personal Computer System
...........
vi
How
to
Use This Manual . .
...............................
vii
SECTION
1:
YOUR ATARI XF551 DISK DRIVE
..
. .
...
. 1
Connecti
ng
Your
XF551
Disk Dri
ve
.......
. . . . . . . . . . . .
..
1
Connecting More
Than
One
Disk Dr
ive
. .
............
. .......
3
Taking Care of
Your
Diskettes
.........
. .
....
. .
............
4
SECTION
2:
GETTING STARTED WITH DOS
2.5
..........
7
Loading
DOS
. .
.........
.
..........
.
..............
7
The
DOS
Menu
...............
. . .
...........
10
looking
at a Disk
Directory.
. . .
..
. ..
.......•....•.......
13
Duplicating a Diskette
............•..
_ • . •.•• . . • • •
......
14
FormattingaDiskette
..............
.
.....••...•.
. _
.....
17
Naming and Referring 10 Files
.......
...
• • . •••...•........
19
Running a Cartridge From DOS
......
. .
.••.
•• •• . .
.•.......
22
Copying Fil
es.
. . . . . .
.............................
24
Erasing Files
........................
_
.................
27
SECTION 3: SELECTING A DOS MENU OPTION
.........
29
A. DISK DIRECTORY
.................
.
................
30
B.
RU
N CARTRIDGE
...................................
34
C.
COPY FI
LE.
. . . . .
..
. . . • . . . . • . . . .
..
. • . .
..
35
D.
DELETE FIL
E(S) ......
.
...
..
.................
.......
38
E. RENAME FI
LE.
. . . . . . . • . . . .
..
. . .
................
39
F.
LOCK FILE
.....
....
..........•.................
...
41
G. UNLOCK FI
LE ........
•
...
.•.
......•..
. . . . . .
.•.....
42
H. WRI
TE
DOS FI
LES.
. . . . • . . . . .
........
...
.... 42
I.
FORMA
T
DISK
........•....•....•..•....•
. . . .
•.....
43
J.
DU
PLICATE
DISK ..........
....
......
. ....
..........
44
K.
BINARY SAVE
..............
..
.....
. . . ..............
47
L BINARY LOAD
.........
. . .
............
....
...
..
....
53
M.
RUN
AT ADDR
ESS
..............
...
.........
..
......
54
N. CREATE MEM.SAV
........
•• ••.•• • ••••. • •• •
.•••.....
55
O.
DU
PLICA
TE
FILE
.....
....
.....
.....
....
....... 59
P. FORMATSI
NGLE.
..
.
...•....•.....
.
..............
61
iii
SECTION 4: USING BASIC
COMMANDS
WITH
DOS
2.5
.....
.
......
. .
...
63
BASIC
Commands
Used
With
DOS
. .
.........
.
..••......
63
Tokenized and Untokenized Files . . . . . ..•.
......•..
.
...
63
Input/Output Control Blocks
.............................
66
Using the OPEN/CLOSE Commands
............
.
.........
67
Using the INPUT/PAINT
Commands
................
. ......
6B
Direct
Accessing
With
the
NOTElPOINTC
ommands
....
. .
....
70
The
PUTIGET
Commands
.................
........
. .
....
74
Using the
STATUS
Command ...
..........................
76
Substituting
the XID Command
for
DOS Menu
Options
........
76
Accessing
Damaged
Files
...............................
79
The AUTORUN.SVS File .
..
....
....
80
APPENDICES
.............
. .
....
83
A:
ALPHABETICAL
DIRECTORY
OF
BASIC RESERVED WORDS
USED WITH DISK OPERATIONS
..........•..•.........
83
B: NOTATIONS AND TERMINOLOGY
USED WITH DOS
2.5
C:
ERROR MESSAGES
87
AND HOW TO RECOVER. . . . . . . . ••
..
. • • • • • • . . . . . 91
D: DOS
2.5
MEMORY
MAP
FOR 64K RAM SYSTEM
...................••........
101
E: HEXADECI
MA
L TO DECIMAL
CONVERSION TABLE
..................
.
....
.....
. 103
F: HOW TO SPEED UP
DATA
TRANSFERS
TO DISK DRIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . .
105
G:
HOW
TO TELL DOS
HOW
MAN
Y
DISK DRIVES YOU HAVE
..................
•.
........
107
H: USING DOS
2.5
WITH
AN
ATARI
810
DISK DRIVE OR WITH DOS 2.0S FILES
.................
11
1
I:
STRUCTURE
OF
A
COMPOUND BINARY FILE ... . . . .
...........•........
117
J: GLOSSARY OF TERMS
...................•......
.
..
119
K: DOS
2.5
AND THE ATARI130XE RAM DISK
....•.........
1
25
L:
THE DOS 2.5 DISK UTILITIES ...
......................
129
M:
ATARI
XF551
DISK DRIVE SPECIFICATIONS
.............
141
N:
POWER CONNECTION IN
THE UNITED KINGDOM
....................
.
........
143
INDEX ........
.........
.....
...•..•..
..•....•..
•..
....
145
CUSTOMER SUPPOR T . . . . ...
..•....
..
...
• .........
149
Iv
YOUR
ATARI XF551 DISK
DRIVE AND DOS
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
The
AlA
Rie XF
551™
Disk Dri
ve
is
an
extremely efficient, high-
speed storage devi
ce which
greatly enhances your ATARI
XETM
or
XLTM
Computer system. Your
ATA
RI
Comp
uter's memory
re
tains the information and instructions you enter through its
keyboard. But
the
computer's memory
is
limit
ed
in size, and
wit
hout a sto
rage device like the XF
551, its
contents are erased
each time you turn off the computer.
Your ATARI
XF551
Disk Drive enables you
to
store and manage
large amounts of information in separate fi les on diskettes. With
your
ATARI XF551
, you can
ca
ll up your files by name, c
opy
or
erase them, and manage them in many
other
way
s.
What DOS Does
To store information
on
diskettes you need software that
allows your
computer
and
dis
k drive
to
communicate with
each other about your file
s.
That
is
where the Disk Operating
System - DOS for short - fit s
int
o the picture. DOS (pr
o-
nounced "
doss
") is a program that enables your
compute
r
and
disk
drive
to
work together in
stor
ing, retrieving, and
otherwise managing your diskette files. DOS itself is organ·
ized in files c
onta
ined on
the
Master Di
skette
.
You
must load
005
into yo
ur c
omputer
before it can work
with your disk drive. Some ready-made
comp
uter programs
already contain a version
of
DOS, sparing you the trouble of
loading it separately. B
ut
with
othe r programs, especiall y
those
in cartridge form, you have
to
load DOS along
with
th e
program
if
you plan to use a
disk
drive with the program. In
an
y case, you need DOS for many essential tasks:
to
prepare
blank diskettes
to
store
your
files, for
exa
mple, and
to
make
backup copies of important files and diskettes.
v
DOS
2.5
and Your ATARI Personal
Computer System
With just a few restrictions,
DOS
2.5
is compatible with the
earlier
AlAR!
DOS
2.08.
You
can also convert DOS 3 files
to
OOS
2.5
formats. This means that
you
can
use
DOS
2.5
to
manage files originally stored and managed
using
the
older
versions
of
DOS.
You
can
use
OOS
2.5
with the AlARI
XF551
and
the
ATARI810™
Disk Drives. However, your system
must
include
at least
one
XF551.
DOS 2.5 allows you
to
format diskettes and store information
in either single
or
enhanced density. With enhanced density
you can record about
50 percent more data on each diskette
than you can
with
DOS
2.05. But you can manage enhanced-
density storage only
if you have an
AlARI
XF551
Disk Drive;
the
810
Disk Drive is not capable
of
formatting
or
managing
data stored in enhanced density (including the files on your
DOS
2.5
Diskette - this is why you must have an
XF551
Disk
Drive
to
begin working
with
DOS
2.5
). If your
computer sys-
tem includes
an
810
Disk Drive that you will
often
use
to
access your files, you may want
to
format all your diskettes
in single-density.
Note: DOS
2.5
woo<s
exactly the same
with
both
the
ATARI
XF551
and
1050
Disk Drives. If you happen to
be
using this
manual
with
an
ATARI1050 Disk Drive you can substitute
"1050" for "XF551"
in
all sections discussing DOS 2.5.
If your system includes both
an
XF551
and
an
810
, and you
are using DOS 2.08 files
with
DOS
2.5
, see Appendix
H.
If you
are working
with
DOS 3 files, see Appendix L.
With either or both disk drives, use single-sided, doubledensity diskettes.
vi
DOS
2.5
works with any ready-made cartridge-based program
that runs on your
ATARI
Computer - even programs that
pre-
date
DOS
2.5, including the AtariWriter™ word processor and
ATARI
BASIC. With these and other cartridge-based programs,
you can always use
DOS
2.5
instead
of
DOS 2.0S
to prepare
data diskettes and manage files.
Many diskette-based programs designed for use with the
earlier
DOS 2.05 can
also
be
converted from
DOS 2.0S
to
DOS
2.5, although you may
have
to continue to use
DOS
2.0S
with certain protected diskette programs (see your program
user's manual if you are unsure whether a program is protected
).
How
to
Use This Manual
This manual is designed to serve everyone from the beginning
computer user to the advanced programmer. It includes two
sections that introduce the
XF551
Disk Drive and
DOS
, a
detailed guide to all the capabilities for DOS 2.5, a section
of
more technical information primarily for programmers, and
several appendices. Appendix J, a brief glossary
of
terms
used in talking about
DOS
, may be particularly helpful to the
beginner. As you work with this manual, consult the glossary
whenever you
are
unsure of a term's meaning.
If you just purchased your first disk drive, you should start with
Section 1, "
Your
ATARI
XF551
Disk Drive," which provides simple
instructions for setting up and using your drive.
Section 2, "Getting Started with
DOS
2.5,
~
introduces you to
the most frequently used functions
of
DOS. With step-by-step
instructions, it explains how to load
DOS
into your computer,
prepare diskettes to store files, duplicate diskettes, name and
refer to your files, and copy and erase files. Most importantly,
it explains how to make a System Diskette, or working copy
of
DOS.
This is a very important procedure that you should
not neglect before going on to learn more about
DOS. To
go
through the examples and exercises in this section , you will
need at least three blank diskettes, one
to
make your System
Diskette and two to use as practice data diskettes. Since some
vii
of
the exercises involve the use
of
AlAR I BASIC, you will also
need a BASIC cartridge
if
you have
an
AlAR I
4OO™,
8OO™, or
1200XLTM
Computer. If you have an
XETM
Game System ,
130XE'"",
65XETM, or
BOOXLTM
, your computer
is
equipped
with
built-in BASIC.
Section 3, "Selecting a DOS Menu Option ," covers every function on
the
DOS
2.5
Menu and provides step-by-step examples
of
how
to
use each one.
Section 4, "Using BASIC Commands
with
DOS 2.5
,"
will be
of
interest primarily
to
the advanced user or programmer.
The appendices cover a number
of
both technical and nontech-
nical topiCS.
You
may find the following especially useful:
•
See Appendix C if you run
into
any error messages
as
you
get
started
with
DOS 2.5.
•
If you have more than one
disk
drive, see Appendix
G.
•
If y
our
computer system includes
an
AlARI
810
Disk
Drive or
if
you have diskette files created and stored
using the earlier
ATARI
DOS 2.05, see Appendix H.
•
If you have
an
AlARI130XE Computer, see Appendix K.
•
If you have diskette files created and stored using AlARI
OOS
3, see Appendix L
•
If you live in the United Kingdom , see Appendix N for
additional installation information .
viii
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SECTION
1
YOUR ATARI
XF551
DISK
DRIVE
000000000000000000
When you
unpack
your
AlAR! X
F551
Disk
Drive, be sure you
have the following items:
•
ATARI
XF551
Disk Drive
• Serial 1
/0
Cable
•
AC
Power Adapter
• DOS 2.5 Master Diskette
• Warranty/Registration Card
If you are
missing
any
of
these items,
contact
your dealer.
You should save the packing materials
for
shipping
or
storing
the
disk
drive.
Connecting Your
XF551
Disk
Drive
Your
XF551
and
your entire system should
be
set
up
in
a location
with
a sturdy level surlace
close
to an electrical outlet.
Don't
set
up the system where
it will
be
exposed
to
dust
, grease,
extreme sunlight,
or
high
humidity
.
Follow these steps
to connect an
XF551
to your
ATARI
XE
or
XL
Computer:
1.
Make sure the drive, the
computer, and
all
other
peripherals
connected
to
the
computer
are
switched
off.
2.
Plug one end
of
the drive's Serial 1
/0
Cable
into
the con-
nector
marked Peripheral on the back
of
the
comp
uter
.
Plug the
other
end into one
of
the
two
connectors
marked
1
/0
Connectors
on
the back of the drive.
3.
Plug one end
of
the
AC
Power Adapter
into
the
connector
labeled Power In on the back
of
the
disk
drive. Plug the
other
end
into
an electrical outlet.
1
Back Panel of Computer
© • •
Serial 1
/0
Cable
Power Adapter
4.
Tum on th e disk drive. The BUSY
light on the front of the
drive
will
go
on briefly. When the BUSY
light goes
off
, you are
ready
to
insert a diskette.
Warning : Your
AlARI
XF5
51
Disk Drive should
be
placed
12
inches or more from your television.
Your
TV creates a strong
magnetic
field that could affect the information recorded on
d
iskettes.
You
r disk drive
is
now ready to receive the DOS 2.5 Master Disk-
ette. It is recommended that you read the next sec
ti
on of this
manual before proceeding.
2
~
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Connecting More Than One
Disk
Drive
You
can
connect
up
to four
XF551
Disk Drives to your AlARI
XE
or
XL
Computer. Multiple
disk
drives (and other components)
are
connected to
each
other in a daisy chain, using the Serial 110
Gables supplied
with
each component. Connecting additional
disk
drives makes many
disk
operations more convenient.
Note:
You
may connect a total
of
six peripherals (including
disk drives, printers,
and
modems) to your
ATARI
XE
or
XL
Computer.
To
connect two or more
XF551
Disk Drives follow these
instructions:
1. Connect a Serial
1/0 Gable between
the
connector marked
Peripheral on
the
back
of
the
computer
and one
of
the 1/0
Connectors on the back
of
the first
disk
drive. Then con·
nect another Serial 1/0
Gable
to the remaining 110 Con·
nectar on the first drive and
to
either 110 Connector on the
second drive. Connect
up
to
three more disk drives in the
same way.
2.
Plug one end
of
the AC Power Adapter into the connector
labeled Power
In
on the back
of
the
disk
drive. Plug the
other
end Into an electrical outlet. Repeat for each drive
In
your system.
3
Setting Drive Select Switches
You
must set
the
drive select switches
so
you and your
com
·
puter can correctly Identify each drive by a number. The drive
select switches are on the back panel
of
the
disk
drive.
Each combination
of
switch
positions corresponds
to
drive
numbers
1, 2, 3,
or
4.
You
can assign drive numbers in any
order
you
like
but
one
drive
must
be
set
as
Drive 1 and
drives
may not have the same number.
The following table shows the switch settings for each drive
number.
In
this table ~
is
the up position and iii is the down
position. Use a pen
or
small screwdriver
to
move the switches.
Drive
Switch Setting
1
2
3
4
Taking Care
of
Your Diskettes
Diskettes are coated
with
a sensitive magnetic material that
holds your data and Is read by the disk drive. To ensure long
life and reliability, you must hand le your diskettes properly.
Each diskette
is
pennanently enclosed in a protective enve-
lope and stored
In
a paper sleeve.
Most
diskettes have a
small write-protect notch on one edge
of
the protective enve-
lope. By covering this notch with one
of
the small adhesive
tabs provided by the diskette manufacturer, you can
aVOid
accidentally erasing
or
writing over any data on a diskette.
See Section 2
for
more infonnation on write-protecting your
diskettes.
4
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Remember these rules for proper care
and
handling of
diskettes:
•
Do
not insert or remove diskettes when the
drive's BUSY
light is
on.
•
Never tum your disk drive
on
or off with a diskette in the
drive,
and
never leave diskettes in the drive when the
system is off.
•
Keep diskettes away from sources
of
magnetism (such as
monitors, televisions , electric motors ,
and
telephones).
•
Keep diskettes away from extreme heat and moisture,
and
out of direct sunlight.
•
Never touch a diskette's magnetic media inside its pr!>
tective casing.
•
Do
not use a pencil or ball·point pen to write
on
a label.
Use felt-tipped pens or write on the label before attach·
ing
it to the diskette.
•
Do
not bend your diskettes. Handle them with care when
inserting or removing them from the drive.
•
Store diskettes in their paper sleeves in a covered disk·
ette box.
labeling
Your
Diskettes
Most diskettes come with a set of labels you
can
attach to
each diskette.
Be sure to label every diskette on which you
copy or store programs or files.
5
SECTION 2
GETTING STARTED
WITH
OOS2.5
LJDDOOOOLJOtJOOIJ
Lo
ading
DOS
Follow Ihese steps to load DOS 2.5 with
ATARI
BASIC (il you do
not want to load BASIC, see
"DOS
With and Without BASIC,"on
the following page):
1.
Make sure that your computer and
disk
drive are turned off. If
you
have
an
ATARI
400,
BOO,
or 1
2QOXL
Computer, insert
an
ATAR
I BASIC cartridge into your computer
's
cartridge slo
t.
Make sure that there is no diskette in your disk drive. If you
have
an
ATARI
XE
Game
System,
130X
E,
65XE
, or
BOOXL
with
built-in BASIC,
be
sure there is
no
cartridge
in
your
comp
uter,
and no diskette in your disk drive.
2.
Turn on your disk
drive-
if
you have more than one disk
drive in your syst
em
you
must
always use Drive 1 to toad
DOS
. The drive makes a whirring sou
nd
when turned on,
and the
BUSY
light goes on.
Caution:
Never insert or remove a diskette
in
your drive while
the BUSY light
is
on.
3.
When the
BUSY
light goes off, turn the latch on the front
of
your
ATARI XF551 Disk Drive to the open (horizontal)
position. Remove your
DOS
2.5
Master Diskette from its
protective paper sleeve and insert
it in your drive, with the
label facing up and toward yo u, until
it clicks into place.
Then tu
rn
the latch
to
the closed (vertical) pOSition.
7
4.
Tum on your computer. The
disk
drive's BUSY light goes
on again as
OOS
loads
into
your computer. If you
tum
up
the volume on your TV, you can hear it
beep as DOS loads.
5. When the READY prompt (from
ATARI
BASIC) appears on
your screen, type DOS and press
1 Reti.m I.
DOS Wi
th
and Withou t BASIC
Naturally, you won't always
be
using DOS 2.5 with
ATARI
BASIC.
To
load DOS without BASIC if you have
an
ATARI
400, 800, or
1200XL Computer, simply follow the steps explained above
with-
out inserting your BASIC cartridge and omit step 5.
1f
you have
an
ATARI
XE
Game System,
130XE
, 65XE,
or
8OOXL,
your
computer
is
equipped
with
built·in BASIC. BASIC
is
loaded
into
you r
computer
whenever you turn it on, including when you
load DOS - unless you first insert a prog ram cartridge in the
computer's cartridge slot
or
you hold
down
the
~
key on
your
computer
console as you turn
it
on.
As you've seen, going from BASIC to DOS is easy -
justlype
DOS and press 1
Retl.rn
J.
Going from DOS back to BASIC
is
just as
easy; see "Running a Cartridge From DOS.
II
Boo
t Errors
Loading a program into a computer when you first turn it on is
call
ed
booting up. If a problem occurs when booting up your sys-
tem, the following appears on your screen:
8
When you start your system, a boot error can occur for the following reasons;
• The inserted diskette does not have DOS
on
it.
• The diskette was inserted incorrectly.
• The diskette has been scratched, warped, or marred .
In
this
case, use another diskette.
• The diskette
is
an
enhanced-density diskette
in
an
ATA
RI
810 Disk
Drive.
The following conditions will also cause a boot error, but no indication of it will appear
on
the screen.
• The disk drive was turned on afterthe computer was turned
on.
• The disk drive is not properly connected to the computer
console.
• The Power Adapter plug has loosened from its wall socket.
• The Power Adapter plug has loosened from the disk drive
POWER IN socket.
• The drive swi
tc
h setting is not correct.
If you have checked and found none of these problems, take the
following steps;
1. Insert the DOS 2.5 Master Diskette or System Diskette (working copy of DOS 2.5)
in
Drive 1 and reboot the system.
2. Remove the DOS diskette.
3.
Reinsert the problem diskette and save any accessible 'iles
on another diskette using the process for copying files (see
C., COPY
FI
LE,
in
Section 3).
4. With the problem diskette
in
Drive 1, use the DELETE FILE(S)
function to erase all the files.
5. Try using the diskette again. If this fails, the diskette will have
to
be
reformatted (see
I.
. FO
RM
AT
DISK, in Secti
on
3).
9
The DOS Menu
Once you've loaded DOS into your computer and ,
if
necessary,
typed DOS and pressed (
AetuTl
I. the DOS Menu appears on your
TV
or
monilor
screen .
The
menu
presents a list
of
DOS func-
tions. The prompt below the menu invites you to make a selec-
tion.
You
choose the function you
want
to
use
by
pressing
the
letter corresponding to your selection and pressing I
FIeWTl
J.
DOS
then asks you for the information
it
needs to proceed (see
" Prompts and Responses
,"
later in this section
).
DI
SK
OPERATING SYSTEM II
VERSION
2.5
COPYRIGHT
1984 ATARI
CORP
.
A. DISK DIRECTORY
B. RUN CAFITRIDGE
C.
COPY
FILE
D.
DELETE
fllE{S)
E.
RENAME
FILE
F.
LOCK
FilE
G. UNlOCK FILE
H. WRITE DOS FILES
I. FORMAT DISK
J DUPLICATE
DISK
K. BINARY
SAYE
l.
BINARY
LOAD
M. RUN
AT
ADDRESS
N. CREATE
MEM. SAY
O. OUPLICATE FILE
P. FORMAT SINGLE
SELECT ITEM
OR
(
Aeb.rn
) FOR MENU
•
Here is a
summary
of
the
DOS 2.5
Menu
options .
Those
marked
with an • are introduced later in this section; all are explained in
detail in Section 3 .
•
A.
DISK DIRECTORY
This option allows you
to
call
up
a complete
or
selective list
of
the files on a diskette, showing the filenames , extenders
(if any), the
number
of
sectors all ocated to
each
file , and the
number
of
free sectors stilt available on the diskette.
·8
. RUN CARTRIDGE
10
(Can ONLY be used with built-in BASIC
or
with a cartridge
installed in the
computer
console.) This option allows you
to
return control
of
your
system
to
buill-in BASIC
or
to
the
car-
tridge inserted in the cartridge sl
ot
(the left
cartr
idge slot in
the ATARI800
Compu
ter).
·C. CO
PY FILE
Use this option when you have two
or
more disk drives and
you
want
to
copy
files
from
one
diskette
to ano th
er.
Also use
this option to copy a file on the same diskette, assigning a
second
name
to the
copy
.
• D. DELETE FILE(S)
Th is option leIs you erase a file
fr
om
a diskette, increasing
the
available
space
on the diskette.
E.
RENAME FILE
Use this option
when
you wan t to
change
the name
of
a file.
F.
LOCK FI
LE
Th
is
optio n can
be
used
to
prevent you - or anyone else -
from
changing.
renaming,
or
accide
ntally er
asing
a file.
You
will still be able to read the file, but w
ill
not be able to write to
il. When the directory is displayed, an asterisk is placed in
front
of
the filename to indicate that the file is locked .
G. UNL
OCK FILE
Thi s removes the aster isk from in front
of
the filename and
allows you to make changes to the liIe , rename it, or delete
i
t.
H. WRITE DOS FILE S
Use this option to add the DOS files (DOS. SYS and
OUP.SYS) on your Master Diskette or System Diskette to a
diskette in any disk drive .
"I
. FORMAT DISK
This o
ption
is used
to
format a blank
diskette, wh
ich is nec-
essary
before
you can record any
information on it.
Be sure
y
ou
do
not have any files y
ou
want
to
keep on a
diskette
before
formatting
it.
This
option
w
ill
format
a di
skette
in
enhanced
density pro
vided you are us
ing
an X
F551
or 1050
D
is
k Drive;
otherwi
se, it will format in single-density .
• J. DUPLI
CATE DI
SK
Thi s is the option you choose when you want to create an
exact duplicate of a diskette. This o
pt
ion wilt automatically
format the destination disk.
11
K.
BINARY SAVE
With this option you can save
the
contents of specified
memory locations
on
a diskette. (Manipulates assembly
language programs.)
L. BINARY LOAD
This option lets you retrieve an object file
from
a diskette. It
is the reverse function
of
BINARY SAVE. (Manipulates as-
semb
ly l
anguage
programs.)
M. RUN
AT
ADDRESS
With this option you can enter the hexadecimal starting
address
of
an object program after it
has
been loaded into
RAM with a BINARY LOAD. (Executes assembly lan
guage
programs.)
N. CRE
ATE
MEM .SAV
This option allows you to reserve space on a diskette for the
program in RAM
to
be
stored while the
DUP.SVS
file is being
used. For
some
applicati
ons
like programming, it is a good
idea to create a MEM.SAV file on each new
diskette
you
intend
to
use
as
a System Diskette. As you
become
more
familiar with DOS, you may find there are
cases
where a
MEM.SAV file serves no useful function. So
the
inconven-
ience of waiting for MEM.SAV to load into
memory
may
wa r-
rant deleting it from
th
e diskette.
'0.
DUPLICATE FILE
This option enabl
es
you to
copy a fi
le from
one
diskette to
another, even
if
you have only a single disk drive.
·P
. FORMAT S
INGLE
Use
this option
when you
want
to
format a diskette
in
single-de
nsity using
an X
F551 Disk
Drive.
Prompts and Responses
T
he
questions and requests that DOS displays on
your
screen
are
ca
lled prompts. The answers you type into your
computer
are
responses. DOS always prompts you for
the
inf
ormatio
n it needs
to
carry
out
you r wishes.
You
will soon become
familiar
with the
most
common
DOS prompts; since DOS requires
the
same kind
of
information for many
of
its functions,
it
won't
be long before
12
many of your responses become almost automatic .
As
you use
each function of DOS, the program lists its successive prompts
and your responses on your screen as you proceed.
After typing a response into your com puter, you must press
(
FletuTl
i to confirm your response . (Pressing (
FletuTl
i only in re-
sponse to certain prompts tells DOS to
supply
a preselected, or
default, response - see " Defaults
,"
later
in
this section). Many
prompts require a simple yes or no answer.
To
answer yes, type Y
and press I
FIetuTI
I.
To
answer no, type N
and
press I
FIetuTI
I.
If
you make a mistake while typing in a response, press
[
Delete
BkSp
i to erase the error, then type in the correct information.
To
delete an entire response before you confirm it, press (
StvtL
i
and [ Delete
BkSp
) simultaneously.
Lo
oking
at
a Disk Di
recto
ry
Each diskette you use to store information has a disk directory
that keeps track of the files stored on the diskette , how much
room they take up. and how much free space is left on the diskeUe
for storing more information. The DISK DIRECTORY selection on the DOS Menu allows you to check what files you have on
your diskettes.
Since your DOS Master Diskette itself contains files, you ca n try
out the function by looking at the directory of those files. With the
DOS Menu on your screen, type A, then press (
Retlnl
l twice.
O'SK OPERATING SYSTEM II VERSION 2.5
COPYRIGHT
19U
ATARI
CORP.
A. OISK DIRECTORY
I. FORMAT DISK
B. RUN CARTRIDGE J DUPLICATE DISK
C.
COPY FILE K. BINARY SAVE
D. DELETE FILE(S)
L BINARY LOAD
E. RENAME FILE M.
RUN
AT
ADDRESS
f. LOCK
fiLE
N. CREATE NEM.
SAY
G.
UNlOCK
fiLE
O. DUPLICATE FILE
H. WRITE
OOS F!Lfi.-.
P. FORMAT SINGLE
SELECT ITEM OR
~
fOR
MENU
•
DIRECTORY_
SURCH
SPEC. LIST FILE?
DOS
SYS
037
DUP
SYS
0<12
RAM DISK COM 009
SETUP COM 010
COPY32
COM
0541
DISK FiX COM 057
739 FREE
SECTO
~
SELECT ITEM OR
~
FOR MENU
•
13
These are the files that make up the DOS 2.5 program. The
three·d igit numbers
in
the right·hand column indicate how many
sectors each file occupies
on
the Master Diskette . (See " Format-
ting a Diskette" for
an
explanation of sectors
.)
The line below the
index tells you how many sectors remain for storing additional
information on the diskette .
DOS.
SYS
and DUPSYS are the tiles that execute
the
standard
DOS functions. For
an
explanation of RAM DISK. COM, see Ap-
pendix K. Explanations of SETUPCOM,
cOPY32
.COM , and
DISKFIX.COM appear
in
Appendix L.
Duplicating a Diskette
With the DUPLICATE DISK option
on
the DOS 2.5 Menu, you c
an
create
an
exact replica at a diskette . This function copies every-
thing from your original,
or
source, diskette onto another, or desti-
nation,
diskette. It also formats your destination diskette.
Caution: The DUPLICATE DISK function erases or writes over
any information that may already be on a destination diskette.
Never use a destination diskette that contains valuable
files
.
To
Duplicate Your DOS Diskette
To
learn how the DUPLICATE function works, make a duplicate
of your DOS
2.5 Master Diskette. This
is
also an important safe-
guard.
You
should use your duplicate
as
your working copy of
DOS, and keep the Master Diskette itself
as
a backup copy. Then
you can use DOS without worrying about accidental damage to
your working diskette.
As your destination diskette, use a new, blank diskette.
If
You
Have One Disk Drive
1. With the DOS Menu on your screen, type
J and press I
FIetu'n
].
T
he
prompt DUP
DISK-SOURCE
, DEST DRIVES? appears.
2.
Type
1,1 and press [
Fletu'n
l. The
prompt-INSERT
SOURCE
DISK, TYPE RETURN appears.
14
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~
~
~
~
~
~
3.
4.
Place the diskette you
want
to
duplicate
in the
drive
- in th is
case, your
DOS
2.5 Master Diskette - and press I
Retl
.m ]. The
disk drive begins to " read" the information contained on your
source
diskette. Then
DOS
prompts
you
to INSERT DESTI-
NATION
DISKETTE, TYPE
RETURN .
Remove
your sour
ce
diskette from the
disk
drive
and i
nsert
a
blank diskette (formatted
or
unformatted)
, then press
I
Rew-n
). DOS writes the information
it
has read from your
source
diskette to your destination
diskette
, first for
matting
the destination diskette.
How
many
times
DOS
promp
ts you to
insert
your
source
and
destination diskettes in you r disk
drive
will depend on how
much
data is recorded on the source diskette and the amount of RAM
in your
computer
system .
When
the
prompt
SELECT
ITEM OR
(Flaum ] FOR
MENU
appears
, the
duplicatio
n process is
complete
.
Label your
new
copy
of
DOS
2.5 clearly -
something
like "
DOS
2.5 - System Disk
."
Attach a write -protect tab to it (see "
Using
Write-Protect Tabs,
"
~I
and use it as
your working
copy
of
DOS
from
now
on. Store you r original
DOS
2.5
Master
Diskette in a
safe place.
If
You
Have
Two
Disk
Dri
ves
1. With the DOS
Menu
on your screen ,
type
J and press [
ReWTl
).
The
prompt
DUP DISK -SOURCE, DEST
DRIVES?
appea
rs.
2. Type 1,2 and press [Retlnl J.
The
prompt
INSERT BOTH
DISKS , TYPE RE
TURN
appears
.
3. Place
your
source
diskette in Drive 1 - in this case, your
original
DOS
2.5 Master Diskette -
and
a blank diskette (for-
matted
or
unformatted) in Drive 2, then press [Retlnl
l.
4. DOS duplicates all the information
from
your
source
diskette
on
your destination diskette , first
forma
tti
ng
the destination
diskette.
When
the
prompt
SELECT
ITEM OR {
Return
] FOR ME
NU
ap-
pears ,
the
duplication pr
ocess
is
complete
.
15
Label your new copy of DOS 2.5 clearly - something like
"DOS
2.5 - System
Disk"
. Attach a write-protect tab to it (see
"Using
Write-Protect Tabs
,"
below) and use it as your working copy of
DOS from now on. Store your original DOS 2.5 Master Diskette
in a safe place.
(Another way to make a DOS Syslem Diskette is to use option H
.,
WRITE DOS FILES, to write DOS.SYS and DOS.
DUP
on a for-
matted diskette. With some applications , such as AtariWriter,
it
is recommended that you write DOS files on every data diskette
you plan to use to store files . This way, you can load DOS directly
from your data diskettes as you load the application program.
See your AtariWriter User's Guide and Section 3 of this manual
.)
The DUPLICATE DISK function is sometimes confused with the
COPY FILES function of DOS. The COPY FILES fu
nct
ion copies
only the files you specify from a source diskette.
The
DUPLI-
CATE DISK function is more efficient when you
want
to make
complete backup copies of data diskettes containi
ng
several
files .
Using
Write-Protect Tabs
Before duplicating a diskette or copying files from
one
diskette to
another, it is a good idea to attach a write-protect tab to your
source diskette. (Included with every package of diskettes that
you buy, these tabs are adhesi
ve
but can easily be removed.)
When folded over the notch in the edge of a diskette, a writeprotect tab prevents your disk drive from writing information over
any files that may already be there.
Particularly when you are using one disk drive to
dup
licate or
copy files, you might mistakenly insert the source diskette when
your disk drive is ready to write information onto the destination
diskette. A write-protect tab on the source diskette prevents the
drive from writing over (and destroying) your original data.
16
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~
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~
~
~
~
~
CJ
(
~
Wrote· Pro
tect Tab
0
0
I
~
W
,
i
"P
"
,
~
,
"'
"
0
Formatting a Diskette
Unless they're preformatted, the diskettes you buy to store your
files must be prepared to record information from you r computer.
This process is called
formatting,
or
initializing. a diskette. For-
matting organizes the surface
of
a diskette into tracks and sec-
t
ors
so thai your computer ca n store and retrieve information on
it in an orderly way (see illustration on the next page) .
Caution:
Formatting a diskette erases any information thai may
already be recorded on it. Never format yo
ur
Master Diskette or a
data diskette that con tains valuable files.
The
DOS
2.5
Menu offers you two options for formatti
ng
disk-
ettes. When used
with
an X
F551
Disk Drive,
Option
I.
, FORMAT
DISK,
will
format the
diskette
in enhanced density.
If
you are
using an
810
Disk Drive, DOS will format the
disk
in
sing
le
dens
ity. Option P.,
FORMAT SINGLE, formats
only
in si
ngle
densit
y.
It
should be used when you
want
to
format a
diskette
in
sing
le densit y on an XF551 Disk Drive.
If
yo
ur
system
incl
udes both an
ATARI XF551 Disk Drive and
an
810
Disk Drive, or
if
you have files created and
sto
red
using the earlier
ATARI
DOS 2.0S, see Appendix
H.
If
yo
u have
files created
with
OOS
3,
see Append ix
l.
17
Track
(one revolution)
Sector
(section 01 track)
F
ormatted
Oiskette
To
Format a Diskette
W
rite-Pfotet
t Notch
Ti
ming
Hole
Read·Write Area
To get acquainted with the formatting procedure, formal two
blank diskettes to use when doing the exercises described
in
the
rest of this section. Wilh the DOS Menu
on
your screen:
1.
To
format in enhanced density on an
XF551
Disk Drive, type I
and press [
Retu'Tl
J;
or
to
format in single-density, type P and
press [
Rew-n
J. The prompt WHICH DRIVE TO FORMAT?
appears.
2.
Type
the number of the disk drive
in
your system
in
which you
wanl to format Ihe diskette . The prompt TYPE " Y"
TO
FOR·
MAT
DISK n (where n is the number of the drive you specified)
appears. This gives you a chance to make sure that the speci·
fied drive contains a diskette that you want to format -
reo
member, formatting erases any files already contained
on
a
diskette .
3. Place the diskette to be formatted in the drive you have speci·
fied.
Type
Y and press I
Rew-n
l. The BUSY light goes on as the
drive begins to format the diskette .
18
When the prompt SELECT ITEM OR !RetlnI ] FOA MENU ap-
pear
s,
formatting
is
complete.
You
can now store files or write
DOS Files
on
the formatted diskette.
Now repeat the procedure
wi
th another diskette .
Naming
and Referring
to
Files
To
manage your tiles with DOS, you have to give each tile a dis-
tinctive
filename.
You also
have to use a device code to tell your
compu ter what part at your system - for example, Disk Drive 1
- you want to handle the file at any particular time.
Taken
to-
gether, the device code and the filename tha t you specify make
up a
filespec (short for "
fi
le specification"
).
Here
is
what a typical
filespec looks like:
Dl'ATAR
I1
30
BAS
.
'"
i-"
Devic
name
e~
e
Devic
numb
(optio
or
nal)
Ired Aequ'
col
on
Filena
(up to
chara
me
a
cters)
required
arator if
Period
as
sep
exten
der is used
der
nal)
Exlen
(optio
includes
o to 3 characters
19
Device Codes
The
01 : in
the
filespec illustration is a device code;
there
,
it
rep-
resents the part of your system you want DOS to use in carrying
out a command . Th e 0 stands for disk drive, and the 1 specifies
the number of the drive in your computer system.
Th
e colon (:)
must always
be
used with a device code.
There are
also
codes f
or
other
devices that DOS
can
access
or
activate. The default display device, for example (see " De-
faults
,"
below) is E:, which stands for your TV screen or monilor;
you could also use P:, which stands for a printer. See DISK
DI
-
RECTORY
in Section 4 for some examples of using different
display devices . C:, for cassette program recorder, is another
device code that you might specify when using
DOS
, your
disk
drive, and a program recorder to manage files .
Defaults
For your convenience, default responses
to
several
of
its own
prompts are built in
to
DOS 2.5.
Since
most DOS users have only one
disk
drive,
for
example ,
one
of
the more convenient defaults in DOS is 01 : -
Disk
Drive
1
of
your
computer
system .
You
have seen how
DOS
defaults
to
this device when you press [
Retl.m
) in response
to
a DIRECTORY-
SEARCH
SPEC, LIST FILE prompt. DOS also
defaults
to 01 : as
a source
and
destination device - provided that you press
[
Retl.m
) in response to
th
e appropriate prompts - when you are
using most
other
DOS functions.
If you have only
one
disk
drive , you
do
not have to
specify
a drive
number
when entering the device
code
for it. DOS understands
D:
to
mean Drive 1.
Filenames
Each file stored on a given diskette must have a
unique
filename;
otherwise , your co
mputer
system wOUldn't know
which
file you
wanted
to
work
with.
Filenames
may
be
up
to eight characters in length, followed
if
you like
by
a period and an extender
of
up
to
three
cha
racters.
20
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