ESCAPE FROM DOS 3

Your files will thank you

by CHARLES JACKSON
Antic Staff Writer

Say goodbye to glitchy DOS 3 forever!  Convert your files back to good old -DOS 2.0S.  You'll need three blank disks and your DOS 3 Master Disk. You'll also need the BASIC version of Eric Verheiden's SEQDOS program from "Cassette Lookalike-Your Disk Drive" on page 81 of the July, 1984 Antic.

Many Atari programmers were bitterly disappointed when they tried Atari's newest disk operating system last year.  DOS 3 turned out to be flawed, slow and user-hostile.
   Users had to correct the original DOS 3 versions with several obscure POKE statements from BASIC.  All versions of DOS 3 store your programs in a format that is incompatible with virtually every other disk operating system.  DOS 3 keeps each utility in a separate file.  These utilities must be individually loaded or copied from the DOS 3 Master Disk before you can use them.
   The final blow is that DOS 3 does not allow you to re-convert your programs back into DOS 2.0S after you converted them to DOS 3. Your only choice was retyping the whole program listing to SAVE on a DOS 2 disk ... until today

PREPARING THE SEODOS DISKS:
1. Using the SEQDOS.BAS program, prepare one SEQDOS disk with DOS 2 files, and one SEQDOS disk without DOS 2 files. (See Verheiden's article for instructions.)

2. Boot your DOS 3 Master Disk.  Initialize the remaining disk with option "I." (Remember to type Y to write the FMS.SYS file.) You should also copy the KCPSYS, KCPOVER.SYS and CONVERT.UTL files from your Master Disk to this disk.

3. Return to the DOS 3 menu and use the "A" option to convert your SEQDOS.BAS program (the one you just typed in) to DOS 3.

4. RUN the converted SEQDOS.BAS program.  The computer will print:

'PRESS RETURN TO FORMAT?"

Then press the [BREAK] key and type DOS.

5. When the menu appears, type [S].  Then, type:

AUTORUN.SYS [RETURN]
600 [RETURN]
6FF [RETURN]
609 [RETURN]
[RETURN]

The computer will print:

AUTORUN.SYS SAVED

This is your SEQDOS + DOS 3 disk.  Remove it and put a write-protect tab on it.
   At this point, you should have three disks: A SEQDOS disk, a SEQDOS + DOS 2 disk, and a SEQDOS + DOS 3 disk.  You're now ready to convert any BASIC program from DOS 3 to DOS 2.

USING THE SEODOS DISKS:
1. Boot the SEQDOS + DOS 3 disk, then insert the disk containing the program to be converted.  LOAD (or ENTER) your program.

2. Insert your SEQDOS disk and type CSAVE [RETURN].

3. Boot your SEQDOS + DOS 2 disk then insert your SEQDOS disk.  Type CLOAD [RETURN].

4. Your converted program is now in the computer's memory.  It can be SAVED or LISTed to any DOS 2 disk.