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New feature: Multiple sections on SD card. As is known TOS 1.04 and later can access max 7 GB (Max 14 max 512 MB partitions). And we have now cheap, large capacity SD cards, lowest sizes available now are 16-32 GB. So, why not using whole capacity with our old Ataris ? There is solution: dividing card into multiple sections, which act as separated card in fact. User needs just to select active section after reset (boot). So, can have for instance multiple game collection images on single SD card. And diverse sections for diverse SW. It works only with my driver, because it needs special code in driver. So, there is new driver installer, actually 2 of them - one for first section (what writes sections parameters too), other for later sections. Then little util for setting section sizes:  Adding drive icons D-P to Desktop - for TOS 1.xx - where only icon for C appears after driver install. Video showing how it works together with partitioning and autoboot driver install: It works in all 3 resolutions - low, medium, high. Special update, new feature at Nov. 2019, till March 2022: Virtual Floppy (VF in further txt) function, together with hard disk driver. This is better way than separated program for VF, because data will be accessed on hard disk (Flash card) for sure, so can cowork better. Works with ST floppy image files in regular FAT12 format. Active image can be changed easily in Dekstop - as is in video. Because some SW like it, there is option to install hard disk and VF driver, buffers in high RAM, so low RAM remains free. Layout of low RAM is then practically same as when work with floppy drive. Virtual Floppy can be for A: or for B: - 2 little different drivers will be supplied . Now VF for B available for ICD type drivers too. Because this is extra function, price for this version is 30 Euros. Sorry, no PayPal anymore, they messed up my account and unable to fix. Instead it can use much better Wise (former Transferwise), or bank transfer to my account there. Contact me: petari@8bitchip.info . Fur those who bought my hard disk driver already, update is 10 Euros. All driver versions now have VF version too, done and tested. Soon I will add page about how to use Wise and why it is worth to register there. Just to say now: much more options, ways than with PayPal, lover fees. Driver/partitioner SW is good (and tested) with following adapters: UltraSatan, Satandisk, ACSI2STM. ACSI2SD, SD4ST, CosmosEx (SD card), Gigafile, diverse IDE adapters, Falcon internal IDE, ICD adapters, Mega STE and Stacy internal ACSI-SCSI, ACSI-CF . New IDE driver package update: with support for partition sizes up to 1 GB . It works only with Falcon TOS 4.04 and higher. So, if you have TOS 4.02 don't order it (unless plan upgrade). Price is same: 23 Eu . To add that it will use more RAM than driver with max. 512 MB parts. I guess not really worth to go on so large partitions with some lower capacity disk, CF card. This hard disk drivers are intended mostly for newer storage devices and adapters - like Satandisk, UltraSatan, IDE hard disks or Compact Flash cards. May work with older hard drives too, but it is not guaranteed. Supported is SCSI via ICD or Mega STE internal adapter. Concept is: simple usage, fast work, not one universal driver for all HW, but separated driver installers for diverse adapters, storage - like ACSI, IDE ... It gives less problems by install and lower RAM usage. All SW is written in pure ASM, what means fast work too. Important part of package is partitioner SW - partitioning storage media is first step in usage. Video of partitioning and driver install on Atari without floppy drive, with help of image file with 1 short partition containing all SW, after writing it on SD card with USB card reader you do following on Atari : How to make all partitions visible on desktop in TOS 1.xx :  Select C (or A or B), then Options, type in drive letter (D-P), give name, Install. You need to repeat procedure for all partitions. Save Desktop when all done. Partitioning with 2 SD cards: SW for writing image files on Flash cards in Windows, via USB card reader: Drive Imager . Of course may do images of cards, and there is file transfer too. Added little guide for proper writing on cards under latest Windows versions. How to make all partitions accessible in Windows 10/8: New guide Oktober 2014 updates: Correct capacity displaying for very large medias - up to 9.9 TB. Support for Uwe S. Hddriver type TOS/DOS compatible partitions. Better editing of FAT32 partitions in partitioner. Windows LFN filtering - works on TOS 1.00, 1.02, 1.04, 1.06, 1.62, 2.06, 3.06 - UK,US,DE,FR . Will not see this anymore:  Incorrect used space shown without filter:  Correct used space show, for same partition:  Driver optimised for UltraSatan adapter Features:
Driver for SD card adapters like ACSI2STM(SD) Features:
Driver optimised for Satandisk adapter Features:
Driver for IDE adapters Features:
How to make all partitions accessible in Windows: Forum thread Price is 30 Euros for any version with Virtual Floppy feature. Regular version is 23 Euros. . Just describe your HW, and I will send you proper versions. All drivers have 2 execs: installable for autoboot, and direct runnable. And there is partitioner SW too, of course. Payment via Wise (former transferwise) recommended. Contact via e-mail: petari@8bitchip.info . Little technical info: There are 2 main types of partitioning by Atari ST hard disks: AHDI and DOS type partitioning. In fact, they differ very little, and no any support for AHDI type partitioning in TOS. It is all on driver SW. More relevant is FAT16 partition's type, and since it is handled via TOS, better said GEMDOS, it is only small DOS FAT16 type compatible - only for partitions smaller than 32MB. All above, called BigDOS is not compatible, because of different parameters (logical sector size, cluster sizes). Because we want our Atari medias (Flash cards in first place) to be easily accessible on some PC, MAC, TOS/DOS compatible partitioning is welcome. Partitioner creates all FAT16 partitions TOS/DOS compatible. It can create FAT32 too, but it is usable only with Mint and Magic. And of course, FAT16 has some limits here, depending of TOS version: TOS 1.00 & 1.02 : max part. suze is 256MB. . TOS1.04-4.02 : max part. size is 512MB. Falcon TOS 4.04 supports max 1GB partitions. Max total count of partitions what TOS can handle is 14 - C:-P: . And it stays for all partitions on all attached disks together. So, if your first disk has for instance 12 partitions, and second 13, you will see all from first, and only 2 first ones from second disk. Concept, background, history: I started with Atari hard disk driver SW programming somewhere around 1996. Main reason was that most of existing drivers in that time worked not well with IDE hard disks - and I had then only IDE hard disks - Conner of 80MB, IBM drives of 160MB and similar. And I went immediately on DOS compatible solution. It was not hard, because used only small FAT16 partitions, below 32MB size, which are compatible with TOS. Driver self used CHS addressing (max 512 MB accessible), and it was OK for existing drives. Unlike usual solutions for Atari, I place autoboot loader not on first partition (something like hddr.sys), but on free space after master boot record. There is normally 30KB space, enough for any driver version (what may be even packed) . Beside beeing simpler, faster, it offers selection of active C partition during autoboot - user can select which of physical partitions D-P to swap with physical C, so it will become current C (while physical C will become current D-P (what is selected) ). Since on C are placed all AUTO start programs, drivers, ACCessories, Desktop.inf etc, it results in very simple environment change, by current user needs - may have setting for some work, programming, another for music, third for gaming etc. As Atari boots very fast, you can switch in couple seconds. Driver development continued with arriving of new adapters, larger drives. Especially when Flash cards arrived on market - they are ideal for our oldtimer - low power consumption, not hunderts of GBs (useless on ST), easy attaching on PC, etc. All it needed new solutions, like TOS/DOS compatble BigDOS partitions, support for new adapters and similar. Work on TT needs special care about CPU cache and Fast RAM. Comparing with most popular Hddriver: I will not go here in which is better - it is not on me to talk about it, and it is very subjective - people have different needs, use computer differently. Hddriver gives support for everything in single driver file, which may be slightly modified during installation, setup. It supports almost everything, so CD ROMs, Milan and other Atari clones. My drivers are usually specialised - there is separated installer for different hard disk adapters. I think that it is good for users - simpler set up, and less RAM usage. I don't have lot of now obsolete settings, like cache and others - new drives are fast enough, and big cache gives not visibly faster work, but takes RAM. No plans for now for CD ROM support, TT, Falcon SCSI support - it may be in case of enough interested people. Price is much lower - I offer support for less HW, and don't want to get rich with this :-) But some money is needed in all this - you can not develop HW driver without spending some money on equipment, storage devices and similar. PP , 2013 - March 2023. Menu Properties Quick Reference |