Date: 5 Nov 90 22:54:05 GMT
From: arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu!news@arizona.edu (Frank E. Seipel)
Subject: PCXFER -- an overview
To: Info-Atari8@naucse.cse.nau.edu

My description of UTIL.COM, also known as PCXfer

by Anthony Ramos

 Have you ever dialed up a bulletin board using your 8-bit, seen IBM files, and
wanted to download them to try on the PC at work?  Charles Marslett, creator of
MYDOS for the Atari 8-bit line, has come up with PCXfer, an amazing little IBM
utility that makes an IBM disk drive format, read, and write disks that are
compatible with our Atari double-density drives.  Someone running a BBS on his
IBM computer could load Atari files onto his hard drive directly from floppy
disk, rather than receiving them over the phone.  I use my 130XE to download IBM
files onto disk, then use PCXfer to load them into the PC at work.
 PCXfer does not make an IBM run Atari software, nor will it make an Atari run
PC programs.  It simply provides an easier way to swap files between PCs and
8-bits.
 Execute PCXfer from the IBM's DOS prompt using these commands:

UTIL /I d:     Atari formats the disk in drive d

UTIL /W d: [file1] [file2] etc.
Writes files to Atari disk in drive d (converts IBM carriage return/ line-feed
pairs to Atari RETURN character)

UTIL /W /B d: [file1] [file2] etc.
Writes files to Atari disk in drive d  without converting IBM
carriage-return/line-feed pairs

UTIL /R d:     Lists and optionally Reads all files on drive d (converts Atari
RETURN characters to IBM carriage-return/line-feed pairs)

UTIL /R d:     Lists and optionally Reads all files on drive d without
converting Atari RETURN characters

UTIL /L d:     Directory of files on Atari disk in drive d

Make sure the disk is in the drive before entering these commands.  Entering
UTIL with no parameters displays this list.

When PCXfer reads Atari files, it automatically replaces the Atari line-feed and
carriage-return characters with IBM line-feeds and carriage-returns.  This is
perfect for moving text files from one computer to another.  However, if you are
reading a non-text file such as an IBM program, include the parameter /B to
inhibit CR/LF translation.  The /B parameter should also be used when writing an
Atari non-text file to an Atari disk.
 One more caveat:  IBM floppy drives aren't very good at reading Atari disks.
Maybe Atari's disk format is too sophisticated for the PC (grin), but for
whatever reason, after reading a few sectors the disk drive will grind and the
message "5 Errors Reading Sector On Atari Disk" cascades down the screen.  What
to do?
 After you've put the files you want to transfer on your Atari disk, make an
identical copy of it using a sector copier such as CopyMate or MyCopyr (Don't
use DOS).  When PCXfer says it can't read your first disk, pop it out and put
the copy in; PCXfer will continue happily, thinking the same disk is in the
drive!  If the copy gives you trouble, just replace it with the original.
Continue this way each time PCXfer displays an error, and eventually your files
will be transferred.
 I have used PCXfer to transfer GIF picture files to PCs with no problem.  But
because an Atari 8-bit disk can only hold 180K on its front side, (the only side
PCXfer can read), this is the largest file you can transfer.  Sounds like a lot
to an 8-bit, but many IBM files are larger than 180K.  Sometimes you can get
around this limitation by ARCing the file and storing the ARC on an Atari disk,
then reading the file and unARCing it on the IBM.  This will not work on GIFs
since they don't shrink very much when ARCed.
 Files whose names end with .ZIP or .LZH are especially valuable for
transferring.  These files are compressed, same as our .ARC files.  Even though
your 8-bit can't decipher them, they will become much larger when uncompressed
on a PC using UnZIP or UnLZH.
 Good luck using PCXfer, and I hope this program comes in handy for you.