Last Updated or created 2022-12-12

I bought a XT Laser/3 a while ago.
And i wanted to get my old programs running on it again.

One of the disk i found was a 5.25 inch boot disk which should contain a boot demo i’ve made in the past with Edk.
But it is the secondary drive in this system. Those old machines lack a bios you can change.
And change A: for B: for example.
Some machines had a program which could alter boot settings. (not this one)
So i was playing with jumpers and dipswitches on the motherboard.
( Drive select / Termination / drive before or after the twist in the flatcable. )

Wellll leave the boot order for now, i needed to get software on the machine using floppy’s.
I could not find empty HD disks (1.44MB which i wanted to use)
So i took a DD disk and a drill ..

I bought an external usb floppy drive.

Now i have everything to get my programs on the msdos machine.

EXCEPT ….

Diskette didn’t work in the drives.
So i bought new old stock diskettes online.

Now i have everything

WRONG again

Formatted 1.44 disk in USBfloppy drive .. OK
Read in 3.5 drive on the MSDOS machine .. NOT OK
Check drive in MSDOS machine .. is 1.44MB .. OK
… check floppy controller in MSDOS machine .. NOT OKAY
(720kb is 300kbits per second and 1.44 HD 500kbits per second)
So i’m limited to 720kb due to the controller ..

Can the USB Floppy drive read/write 720kb disks .. NO!
( A cheap series made with drives only supporting HD disks )

Alternatives? .. Serial maybe, there is Norton Commander on the MSDOS machine so i could use “link”

Do i still have a USB-RS232 sub-d cable ? YES!
Nullmodem cable? NO
Make a null modem cable .. i’ve made those before .. BUT no sub-d connectors.

I’ve been throwing away too much in the past.

Now i have to buy those things again:

VGA – 8bit ISA – have 2 now
Floppy drive – have one for 1.44
8bit soundblaster compatible – TODO
Nullmodem – well i’ve bought connectors for those