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CP/M 2 disk problems or something else [message #8241]

Mon, 25 January 2021 12:32

quarterturn
Messages: 86
Registered: April 2018

Member

I can't decide if I have a problem with my ROMWBW CP/M 2.2 RC2014 setup or a problem with my CF cards. Linux SD/CF testing tools say the CF cards are fine, and I can write images to them no problem.

I have no trouble reading files from CP/M 2.2. The problem starts with writing. Check this example:

B>D:
D>dir
D: DBASE2   PKG : MBASIC80 PKG : MBASIC85 PKG : INFOCOM  PKG
D: XM       COM : PLAN80   PKG : SUPCALC2 PKG : TURBOP3  PKG
D: WORDSTR4 PKG : ZORK123  PKG : ASCOM    PKG : AZTEC    PKG
D: DEPKG    COM : PLANETFA DAT
D>E:
E>dir
E: ZORK123  $$$
E>era zork123.$$$
E>D:
D>dir
D: DBASE2   PKG : MBASIC80 PKG : MBASIC85 PKG : INFOCOM  PKG
D: XM       COM : PLAN80   PKG : SUPCALC2 PKG : TURBOP3  PKG
D: WORDSTR4 PKG : ZORK123  PKG : ASCOM    PKG : AZTEC    PKG
D: DEPKG    COM : PLANETFA DAT
D>E:
E>dir
NO FILE
E>D:
D>B:pip e:=zork123.pkg

DISK WRITE ERROR: =ZORK123.PKG

D>dir
D:   :   :   :  
D:   :   :   :  
D:   :   :   :  
D:   :   :   :  
D: ZE  K  : LNTAA 
D>E:
E>dir
E: OK2 $ 
E>

The garbled DIR listings clear up if you reboot.

Everything's fine until I try to copy a file from D: to E:. Once I get a disk error, none of the CF slices work properly (the ROMWBW B: RAM drive is fine). I'm willing to believe my CF cards are going bad, and I have some more on order, but these are Cisco-brand 64MB cards which are supposed to be the best for CP/M compatibility.

FWIW I also have a couple of IBM microdrives in CF format. None of my CP/M systems like these either, which is odd because they're just tiny, slow IDE drives in a CF case and should work fine. Again, these format and test fine in Linux.

Thanks for your help!

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Re: CP/M 2 disk problems or something else [message #8244 is a reply to message #8241]

Mon, 25 January 2021 16:16

plasmo
Messages: 916
Registered: March 2017
Location: New Mexico, USA

Senior Member

I think your CF disk is not compatible with your CF board. Is it the official RC2014 CF board? If so, it is compatible only with limited types of CF disks.

Do this simple test in CP/M:

pip d:=c:*.*[v]

The verify switch [v] checks to see if the disk copy is done correctly. If error message is generated, the problem is most likely the board, not the disk.
Bill

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Re: CP/M 2 disk problems or something else [message #8245 is a reply to message #8244]

Mon, 25 January 2021 23:35

rhkoolstar
Messages: 276
Registered: October 2015

Senior Member

I found pip.com to be sometimes unreliable.
use ppip.com instead (file attached)

Rienk

Attachment: ppip.zip
(Size: 2.82KB, Downloaded 211 times)

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Re: CP/M 2 disk problems or something else [message #8246 is a reply to message #8241]

Tue, 26 January 2021 02:23

briano
Messages: 18
Registered: November 2015

Junior Member

Hi, I had a similar experience today with a ZETA board I was bringing to life. Two of the empty slices on my sdcard needed to be initiated by running the clrdir command on them from CPM. After that the copying worked fine. I am using the ROMWBW distributions and found the answer by reading the documentation that comes with the package - especially the part explaining how to create and initialise slices for CPM. Hope this helps. Brian

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Re: CP/M 2 disk problems or something else [message #8248 is a reply to message #8244]

Tue, 26 January 2021 07:44

quarterturn
Messages: 86
Registered: April 2018

Member

Here's your command output:

B>pip d:=c:*.*[v]

COPYING -
SNAKE.COM
ESCAPE.COM
VERIFY ERROR: =C:*.*[V]

I'm powering it off a switchmode wall-wart, and I've been burned by noisy power issues before, so I'll try powering it with a linear supply instead and see if that fixes it.

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Re: CP/M 2 disk problems or something else [message #8249 is a reply to message #8248]

Tue, 26 January 2021 08:00

quarterturn
Messages: 86
Registered: April 2018

Member

Running off a linear supply and attempting to copy the B: ramdisk to E:

B>pip e:=b:*.*[V]

COPYING -
ASM.COM
CLRDIR.COM
COMPARE.COM
COPY.CFG
COPY.COM
DDT.COM
DDTZ.COM
VERIFY ERROR: =B:*.*[V]

I don't think it's limited to pip since depkg goes off the rails eventually with '!!! unexpected end-of-file while reading pkg !!!' and

I/O error F0, PC=01B1
Program aborted

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Re: CP/M 2 disk problems or something else [message #8250 is a reply to message #8249]

Tue, 26 January 2021 08:29

quarterturn
Messages: 86
Registered: April 2018

Member

Problem found:

There's an undocumented JP1 jumper on my CF board which I had set open and apparently must be closed. With the jumper set, things work fine.

This isn't documented on z180.no that I could find, so I sent an email to Karl for clarification.

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