How do I use my PC to create adf's?

[burns flipper]

I have boxes and boxes of PD in the loft, and I've decided to start converting to adf so they can go somewhere - the Software Directory maybe? I've got games, utils, disk mags, loads of stuff.

As my Amiga's are boxed and in the loft, and I think I fried my Catweasel last time I booted up my A1200T, what are my options? I have at my disposal: a PC with 2 floppy drives. I will consider buying extra hardware depending on price.

[AlexJ]

Regular PC drives can't read Amiga disks on their own. The Catweasel would be your only option (I think) to use your PC, else you're gonna need an Amiga, and someway to get files between the Amiga and PC.

[Buleste]

I personally would use my 1200 to create adf's with Transadf and transadfgui and transfer them to my PC via ZIP drive.

[Harrison]

I either use ADFBlitzer on the A1200, and then transfer the files, or Amiga Explorer (part of the Amiga Forever package) to link the Amiga to the PC via null modem cable and do direct disk to ADF conversions. Take a look in the private Downloads forum for some useful files. ;)

[burns flipper]

I'm not getting an Amiga out just to rip disks. Did the Catweasel mk4 ever get made? Where on earth do I get one?

[Teho]

It got made, vesalia.de push them (http://www.vesalia.de/e_catweaselmk4.htm). Says they're out of stock however, and estimate more will be available sometime in april.

[Buleste]

You could try getting in touch with either Amigakit or Individual Computers. To see if there is any in stock or if they can get hold of any. but i don't hold up much hope i'm afraid.

[Harrison]

They are also quite expensive at over £60. Much cheaper and easier to just get an Amiga out of the loft and connect it up.

[Buleste]

You have to bring common sense into this didn't you.

[Stephen Coates]

I have used ADFBlitzer and Amiga Explorer to make disks out of ADFs and found it quite easy, so I guess it would be for making ADFs out of disks.

[Demon Cleaner]

Catweasel mkIII and mkIV here, a bit expensive, but great to use.

[burns flipper]

Right, so, definitive answer time:

Why in the name of all that is sacred can't I read an Amiga floppy disk in a drive that is connected to my PC motherboard?? I can create a PC-readable floppy in my Amiga using the exact same drive - it just makes no sense is all.

[Harrison]

Because the Amiga uses a customer disk drive controller that changes how the drive is used to read and write the tracks and sectors onto the disk. A PC floppy drive controller is not capable of reading or writing how Amiga disks are formatted.

[burns flipper]

So where is the controller? I bought a generic PC floppy drive years ago and used it okay with the Amiga, so I'm guessing it must be on the computer's motherboard and not on the board inside the floppy drive. Does this mean that, theoretically, I would be able to reprogram the controller chip on the PC mobo to be able to read/write to Amiga disks? Is it possible to override the controller through software?

[Buleste]

The controller is on the Mobo of the Amiga the controller on the PC cannot be reprogrammed to accept Amiga disks in the same way as putting a PC High Density floppy into a Amiga doesn't mean that you can use HD Floppies. It's far easier to use transADF and transADFGUI on the Amiga to create ADF's and then transfer onto Floppy. Either that or get hold of a Catweasel III.

[Harrison]

And to explain the Catweasel controller. It is in effect an Amiga floppy drive controller on a PCI card, therefore giving a PC the ability to read and write Amiga disks using a standard PC floppy drive.

However the Catweasel controller does go much further than this because it also has the ability to read and write any other formats such as C64 5.25" disks, Atari ST and many more. Plus later versions also allowed the addition of a C64 SID chip so you could listen to SID tunes exactly as they were meant to sound, instead of through PC emulation.