TITLE:              Accessing Atari floppies
DOCUMENT ID:        TID15713
DOCUMENT REVISION:  1
DATE:               14MAR95
ALERT STATUS:       Yellow
README FOR:         NA

NOVELL PRODUCT and VERSION:
Novell DOS 7

ABSTRACT:
NA

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SYMPTOM:

Cannot read/write floppies written on Atari ST.

CAUSE:

These floppies have (from PC point of view) a partially corrupted
boot sector - NWDOS (as well as MSDOS) expect certain values as the
first byte in the boot sector - if they are not found the boot sector
is considered invalid and the media type is determined based on the
meida descriptor byte in the first sector of the FAT.     
Unfortunately, type F9 is shared by 1.2Mb 5.25" and 720kb 3.5" 
floopies. Novell DOS only searches strait forward a table of BPBs for
a match for this type - and find the 1.2Mb BPB before the 720kb  one.
Thus the floppy is accessed as if it was a 1.2Mb one  resulting in
garbage. MS-DOS however check for whether this F9 was found in a 3.5"
or 5.25" drive and assigns the BPB as appropriate.

SOLUTION:

SPR 770081

No fix will be provided.  As a result of Novell's decision to focus
on network computing

technologies, the company has announced that it will no longer
enhance or modify the Novell

DOS 7 and DR DOS retail products.  Development for these products was
discontinued in July

1994.

KEYWORDS: ND7 Atari TF-DUS-NW7

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