8-Bit Software

Introduction
Many people have asked me how they can transfer files between their BBC and PC.

There are a couple of reasons why people want to transfer software between a PC and BBC. One is to transfer text only from a BBC word processor into a PC word processor such as Word For Windows. Another is to read in whole BBC disc images as a backup or for use in a BBC emulator on the PC. Another is to transfer files back from the PC to the BBC, disc images for instance. There are several ways of doing these things. Here I will give an overview of what I do, how I do it and why.

I initially started transferring software to DOS discs for people before I had a PC myself. I used software called DOScopy. This software on the BBC was a bit long winded, but it did the job sufficiently well for me to be able to transfer large amounts of text from BBC to PC format discs.

Considering How to do it
A couple of years ago I acquired a PC and wanted to find a way to get the 8BS pool on to the hard disc as a backup.

The methods I considered were: Direct link using software called XFER and a cable or direct access to floppy discs (either DOS or BBC format)

Direct transfer via cable is a good method if your PC will not handle double density. I make up the cables for £15. See the 8BS advert or FILES PC<>BBC for more details.

The second method, transferring software by floppy disc I have great experience in and, at present, I prefer this method.

What you Need
To transfer files between a BBC and PC, you must have the following:

• A PC and BBC that uses the same format disc (either 3.5" Double Density or 5.25" Double Density).
• The Program FDC on the PC (available on the 8BS website).
• Optionally, you can use BBCIM and BBC Explorer to manipulate disc images
• Optionally the program DOSFS on the BBC

FDC is simple to use. Use the more recent version this way:

Put the DFS BBC 80 track double sided disc into the PC disc drive
Type:
FDC <enter>    this runs the program
Then type:
fd0 <enter>        (or fd1) this sets the floppy drive to A or B
then type:
BBC80  this sets the software up for a BBC double sided 80 track disc. (BBC 640 for ADFS)
read <filename> <enter>     this will read in both sides of the disc at once. To read just one side type read0 <filename> or read1 <filename>

The resulting file will then be usable in a BBC emulator such as PCBBC.

To write this image back to a BBC formatted disc, type the instructions above but instead of 'read' use the instruction 'write'

It really is that simple.

Splitting a Disc Image
Once you have the disc image, it is then possible to split it up into the files that are on it. Use the program BBCIM to do this. This program can produce two files for each file that was on the BBC disc. One file is a copy of the original, the second file is a .inf file. The .inf file contains information about the original file, its filename, load and save addresses and size. The .inf file will be required if you intend to put the programs back on to a BBC disc image.

So that is it in a nutshell, how I transfer disc images between my BBC and my PC.

The program BBC Explorer works in a similar way to the Windows explorer, allowing you to drag files between a disc image and Windows folder.

Another Method to Try
Another method I use, mentioned above, is to transfer files using a 720K DOS disc. This method requires that you have a PC capable of reading a 720K DOS disc and same sized drives on your BBC and PC. I use this method when I want to transfer only one file. I use DOSFS on the Master (also available for the BBC). It resides in Sideways RAM. This gives you another filing system, DOS. Use it like any other filing system, load a text file in to your word processor on the BBC. Change to DOS, save it to the DOS disc. Insert the DOS disc into the PC and read it. That simple again!

The Software Required
All of the programs mentioned here are available for download:

FDC
BBCIM
XFER v3
XFER v4
BBC Explorer
DOSFS from 8BS 51

Full instructions come with the individual programs.

I do know that, especially with newer PC's, people are having increasingly more trouble transferring using FDC. This is a problem that I am afraid I cannot help with, as far as I know it is a fault with the PC's floppy disc controller.

Finally, the Easiest Way!
Some people, without the necessary hardware and/or skill and only a few files to transfer have decided that it would be far more simple for me to do the job for them. I am quick, efficient and cheap. I can even rescue corrupted discs and files that were thought to be lost. If you want to discuss this further with me, drop me a line!