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Conference hydra::amiga_v1

Title:AMIGA NOTES
Notice:Join us in the *NEW* conference - HYDRA::AMIGA_V2
Moderator:HYDRA::MOORE
Created:Sat Apr 26 1986
Last Modified:Wed Feb 05 1992
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5378
Total number of notes:38326

3758.0. "Help needed with MSH Please" by GVA02::SLOAN () Tue May 08 1990 07:11

    I seem to be having trouble getting the MSH handler to work on my
    AMIGA. I followed all the instructions as follows.......
                                                            
    I put the MessyFileSystem in the l: directory, the MessyDisk.device
    in the devs: directory and the Messyfmt in the c: directory.
    
    I then edited the mountlist to include MSH: and referenced the
    Filesystem = l:Messyfilesystem.
    
    So far so good!
    
    I rebooted and typed "mount MSH:"......no problem
    
    I invoked Messyfmt and even managed to format a disk in DF1:
    
    I rebooted, mounted MSH:, put in the formatted disk expecting the
    MSH handler to grab it as its own, and guess what?  DF1:BAD. There
    seems to be no way that my system wants to recognise the MSDOS disk.
    
    I'm sure that I've done something incredibly stupid, but can't figure
    out what......can someone help me please?
    
    Thanks
    
    Steven
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3758.1CLO::COBURNGrowing older, but not up...Tue May 08 1990 13:194
    Do you have any virus checkers running like VirusX or ZeroVirus? They
    would grab the disk first (before MSH) and it would show up as BAD.
    
    John
3758.2No virus checkersGVA02::SLOANTue May 08 1990 13:253
    Nope! No virus checkers. It just seems that MSH isn't even trying!
                                                     
    Steven
3758.3Try a DIR MS1:AKOV11::SMITHReality, just a visible imagination?Tue May 08 1990 13:5112
I had the same problem.  It seems that MSH doesn't automatically recognise MS1:
as suggested in the docs.  If you open a CLI window, Mount MS1: and then do a 
DIR MS1: an icon should appear for MS1:  The DF1: BAD will always be there as 
well but has no effect.

I had no success however being able to transport ZOO's from/to work with getting
CRC errors.  Perhaps a floppy incompat problem.  I'm going to try CrossDOS and
PCFormat720.

Good luck,

...Ed
3758.4It works for me.HYSTER::DEARBORNTrouvez MieuxTue May 08 1990 21:4231
I've been quite successful using this.  I create postscript files 
with PPage, outputing them on the ms-dos disk, taking it to a 
DECstation and copying them to the LNO3R connected to the 
DECstation.  It works very well.

If you access MS1: (or whatever you have called it in your 
mountlist) you will get an Icon on the workbench.  You will not 
get program icons though.  MS-DOS does not allow 4 character file 
name extensions, only three letters, so .info becomes .inf and 
won't be recognized by workbench.  So you can drag a file icon 
into the MS1: window, but the icon will dissappear when it gets 
there, as the icon filename is truncated by MS-DOS.

So far, I have only been using text files (postscript) so I can't 
comment on binary files and the problems other people have been 
having.  I formatted my disk with the public domain PcF720 that 
works with the PCFormat that comes with 1.3.   No problems yet.

This has really speeded up getting things printed from PPage.  
Before, I had to upload the files with Kermit to a VAX, then send 
them to a print queue.  Now is just "print to disk" in PPage to 
MS1: and pop the disk into the DECstation and copy the file to 
LPT1:...and I have my output.

You will continue to see the DF1: BAD as long as the MS-DOS 
formatted disk is in DF1:.  You will get an error requestor when 
you put an AmigaDos disk in DF1:.  Just click on cancel.  Other 
than that, it works great!

Randy

3758.5Fixed Length Records ?NOTIBM::MCGHIEThank Heaven for small Murphys !Tue May 08 1990 22:169
3758.6I love my new Sneakers!!!GIDDAY::MORANI'm not bad-I'm just drawn that way!Tue May 08 1990 22:3815
    I too have had no problems using MSH in fact I prefer it to Cross-Dos
    ... it's cheaper!
    
    I also have VirusX 4.00 running in the background and this gives me no
    problems with MSH - it even tries to find a virus on the bootblock of
    the messydos disk.
    
    I have successfully used this product to do all of my file transfers
    from Easynet to a Vaxmate - copy to a 5 1/4" MessyDos 720K Disk and
    then take it home to read in my Amy. Even Zoo files work no problem.
    
    Ten out of Ten for a TOP Public Domain program.
    
    Shaun.
    
3758.7WELSWS::FINNISTue May 15 1990 13:5313
    
    I get problems  ( CRC ) on zoo and arc files with MSH:.
    
    [ Not all the time though ]
    
    However it does exactly the same with CrossDos.
    
    The Disk was formatted on a Compaq as 720k.
    Files are then copied via PCSA to a Decivetti and then the Amiga
    
    I too can only assume a compatability problem.
    
    
3758.8ULTRA::KINDELBill Kindel @ BXB1Tue May 15 1990 14:148
    Re .7:
    
>   However it does exactly the same with CrossDos.
    
    You might try various filter combinations in order to assure CrossDos
    isn't trying to add/subtract 
 characters at what it thinks is the end
    of a "line".  I think the default is to convert MS-DOS text files to
    AmigaDOS text files, which implies that kind of filtering.
3758.9Bad floppies ..MEALA::COLLINSSTEVEMon Jun 11 1990 13:1918
    
    I too have seen the problem with corrupted zoo archives while
    tranfering files with MSH. But after using it every day for a
    couple of months and tagging the disks that were giving me errors
    I have found that some disks ALWAYS give me errors and others
    NEVER give errors .
    I'm not sure of the reason for this (Do amiga floppies store bad
    block info ?) but would recommend anyone who sees corrupted zoo
    archives on MSH disks to format a bunch of disks and find a couple
    that don't give errors. My guess is the problem is to do with floppies
    themselves as I have reformatted several times disks that give me
    errors but they still continue to give errors.
    I use SONY disks pretty much exclusivly so I haven't had a chance to
    see if some brands are better than others ..
    
    
    Steve.
    
3758.10No bad block support for floppiesTLE::RMEYERSRandy MeyersWed Jun 13 1990 22:1511
Re: .9

AmigaDOS does not store any bad block info on floppies, and doesn't
tolerate them too well.  If a floppy is bad, throw it away.

Reformatting a floppy will do nothing if the floppy really does have
some sort of physical defect.  The physical defect will remain, and
AmigaDOS doesn't do anything to skip over the bad blocks.

(In case anyone is worried, the Amiga does handle bad blocks on
hard disks.)