Posted By
Fuzzweed
on 2025-04-04
02:23:57
|  Best way to handle disk change
This is my first attempt to do any interfacing with the disk drive with assembly, so I'm sticking with high level / kernal routines for now if possible.
Whats the best way to manage a disk change? I'm thinking:
1) Check error channel: If message = 'file not found' we have finished disk 1.
2) Print "insert disk 2"
3) Keep polling error channel: Drive not ready = disk one out.
4) Keep polling error channel: =/= Drive not ready = disk 2 in
5) Load disk 2 file by name
It will work / comments / better ways / links to answer...... |
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Posted By
siz
on 2025-04-04
02:54:07
| Re: Best way to handle disk change
You can check disk id and issue a block read command to the drive to read the directory header and check that.
Or alternatively (this is what I used to do) place a marker file on both sides of the disk (some small 1 block file in my case usually with a side identifier - just to have some content). If you can load it You have the proper side inserted. |
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Posted By
gerliczer
on 2025-04-04
02:55:40
| Re: Best way to handle disk change
Why not try and see if it works or not? Why not try to take a look at some loader system like Krill's to see what it does e.g. in KERNAL fallback mode? |
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Posted By
Fuzzweed
on 2025-04-04
03:14:03
| Re: Best way to handle disk change
A lot of/most stuff I try before I ask because that is the best way to learn. But you must remember it is a whole new subject to me and I could try a million things and get nowhere near my solution because without some help I may not even understand correctly what it is I'm trying to do.
I only suggest a broad idea and see if I'm on the right path, or to know where to look for ideas in the first place. I will now do some searching on Krill loader and see what I find, but ultimately I don't want to copy code, I want to know the concept and invent the method myself. |
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Posted By
JamesC
on 2025-04-04
12:51:50
| Re: Best way to handle disk change
It'd be so much easier to print "Insert disk 2, press Space to continue" and watch the keyboard for a Space.
This also allows a user to copy the files to a 1581 disk, and not have to worry about swapping disks. They can simply hit Space when prompted. |
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Posted By
Fuzzweed
on 2025-04-04
13:18:43
| Re: Best way to handle disk change
Thank you. Yes this probably the easiest suggestion to implement for testing purposes. But I think my goal is to have it automated so can just feed in disks. I'm looking at filling up my hannes 512 ram, and while I think think this is easy with eg sd2iec, I would like to accommodate real hardware. |
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Posted By
JamesC
on 2025-04-04
21:18:44
| Re: Best way to handle disk change
Ah. I assumed you were writing a multi-disk game or application for distribution. I didn't realize this is mainly for your own use, and I apologize for my assumption. Carry on! |
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Posted By
Fuzzweed
on 2025-04-05
03:22:59
| Re: Best way to handle disk change
No apologies needed. It's a good suggestion. |
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Posted By
SVS
on 2025-04-05
07:07:23
 | Re: Best way to handle disk change
@Fuzzweek: a good trick is using the disk "R" command with the same filename in both the parameters (a file existing in the correct disk). The results on error channel will be:
62 = File not found (wrong disk inserted)
63 = File exists (correct disk inserted)
74 = Drive not ready (drive off) 1 |
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