DOS and TOS compatible partition on TT

[Crash]

I have an external SCSI 640meg drive that I would like to use to move files from a windows system to a TT.

I cannot seem to determine the correct way to create a partition that can be read by both a TT and a DOS/Windows system. I have done this before on a Falcon, I believe with HDDriver and Bigdos, but can't get it working now. Each time, HDdriver reports that the partition will be only MINT or Magic compatible, and upon reboot the partition is not visible in TOS.

I would appreciate it if anyone can specify the correct procedure.

Thanks

[uweseimet]

The "Partitioning" chapter in the manual explains how to create such a partition. Note that the maximum partition size depends on your version of TOS. For partitions bigger than 512 MB TOS 4.0, MagiC or MiNT are required.

[Crash]

Yes, unfortunately my HDdriver manual is buried among 50 boxes of stuff in a storage facility and is not likely to be located any time soon. I have at least six boxes of software documentation alone, most of which is from Atari software.

It may be that I was trying to create a single partition larger than 512mb, or that I explicitly entered the partition type F32 or $0B. This time I chose 512 and just selected the tick box for TOS/DOS compatibility, so the TT can read it. We'll see if the files I am copying from the PC are readable in a few hours.

Previously I attempted to format and partition the drive from Windows as a FAT drive, and copied files to it, but when I opened on the TT with HDdriver and Bigdos, the filenames were all scrambled characters.

Thanks

[uweseimet]

The scrambled characters are most likely a Big-DOS issue. HDDRIVER (like any other hard disk driver) does not know details about file systems but only about partitions boundaries, sizes and types.
The most reliable solution to get access to DOS or Windows partitions with the Atari is either to create a TOS/Windows-compatible partition with HDDRUTIL or, when creating partitions on a PC, to use MiNT or MagiC. MiNT or Magic, in combination with drivers like HDDRIVER that recognize the DOS/WIndows partitioning scheme, can directly access DOS-compatible FAT16 and FAT32 partitions.

[Crash]

When I created a 512mb partition with the TOS and DOS combined checkbox, and did not specify the partition type (F32 for example), it worked. The snag with Mint or Magic, is that it is a challenge to get these onto the system with only an unreliable floppy drive. The goal of attaching a DOS drive, is so I could download things like these using a different system, along with network drivers and Internet software, then copy them to the TT. Thanks!

[Crash]

I am having a problem with this partition type, although I do not know if the limitation is with TOS, HDdriver, or Bigdos. The issue is that the documentation for Bigdos indicates the maximum partition size should be 2gb. I've tried creating a TOS/DOS partition of 2gb size on a TT, but it cannot be accessed after creation. The largest I have been able to use is 1gb, so I am wondering if this is as it should be or if I may be doing something wrong.

Thanks

[uweseimet]

The maximum partition size for TOS 1.6x/2.0x/3.06 is 512 MB, which also means that the maximum size for TOS/DOS compatible partitions is 512 MB for these versions of TOS because TOS can only access TOS compatible partitions.
I cannot comment on the limits imposed by Bigdos, but I would expect it to support pure DOS compatible partitions of up to 2 GB. Using MagiC or MiNT is preferable to using BIgdos and might solve some of your problems.

[Crash]

Okay,

That clarifies that my issue is with Bigdos and not related with HDdriver. I am trying to copy the contents of various Atari systems that do not have Magic or Mint installed to a Windows compatible drive, so I boot from a diskette when the drive is connected.

Thanks