Quanta subscription

[dilwyn]

I have to first format the disk using Windows (yes, even DD disks....) and then q-emulator will Fast format it to QL format.
Dilwyn - to format a DD disk (and sometimes to get Windows 7 to read them), put in a blank disk, open a CMD window (Click Start and type in CMD), then enter the command:
FORMAT a: /t:80 /n:9
This formats a DD disk under Windows 7 (also works under XP).

Have tried this before and never got it to work. Tried 3 different disks again now, same problem. None of the emulators can format DD disks from QDOSMS with this drive though I could on the old XP PC. The message I get from the CMD box is:

C:\>format a: /t:80 /n:9
Insert new disk for drive A:
and press ENTER when ready...
The type of the file system is RAW.
The new file system is FAT.
Verifying 720K
Invalid media or Track 0 bad - disk unusable.

C:\>format a: /t:80 /n:9
Insert new disk for drive A:
and press ENTER when ready...
The type of the file system is RAW.
The new file system is FAT.
Verifying 720K
Invalid media or Track 0 bad - disk unusable.

C:\>format a: /t:80 /n:9
Insert new disk for drive A:
and press ENTER when ready...
The type of the file system is RAW.
The new file system is FAT.
Verifying 720K
Invalid media or Track 0 bad - disk unusable.

All three were previously good blank QL disks, which won't read from either QL or Windows now.

Using the command to format a HD disk to 1.44 MB works fine.

BTW, make sure the emulator has no open files to the disk before trying, QPC2 locked up after the CMD box forced an unmount of the drive.

[dilwyn]

In fact although the DOS cmd Rich gave is the standard response to the "can't format DD on Win 7" browsing the web forums it seems it rarely works, most people who try it get the error message I gave. A few like Rich seem to have succeeded but most like me can't, the error message I quoted is the standard for Win 7 with 720K DD disks.
In fact FORMAT A: /f:720 support stopped at Win XP and FORMAT A: /T:80 /N:9 has been the official method since, but officially Win 7 doesn't do 720k and it seems only a tiny minority of Win7 PCs (for whatever reason) can.
There are utilities out there (haven't tried any yet) which claim to be able to make DD disks in Win 7, the only progress reported by most has been running an old DOS or Windows in a virtual PC.
Seems like we'll have to keep a spare QL just to format these DD disks.

[nikad]

Hi All

I am the current webmaster for the QUANTA web site, I would love to improve the site and will happily take advice and suggestions from members and non-members alike. If there is something you would like to suggest or even if you want to help get the website back to a reasonable state please get in touch with me! webmaster (at) quanta (dot) org (dot) uk

The site has recently been moved from one ISP to another, and we moved from Typo3 CMS, temporarily used static pages and are now implementing the site in Wordpress, but existing content needs to be migrated/updated/removed etc.

We don't really want to have another forum as we feel the qlforum does a good enough job, but there may be scope for other things and everything is always open for discussion.

Cheers
Keith
QUANTA Webmaster

[vanpeebles]

Hello Keith!

[RWAP]

A Quanta section on the forum would be the easiest way forward - if some areas could be read only for non-Quanta members, and some areas only accessible for Quanta members, then the library disks could be uploaded to the second area, along with other things which Quanta has rights to for its members (such as the HTML QL User Guide).

The main issue is who would administer this part of the forum, to ensure that Quanta members were granted access !!

[vanpeebles]

We have had a few discussions offsite about the idea of a QUANTA section which I think would be good. The QUANTA section could have it's own moderator and it would be fairly easy to control access etc. I'd maybe have a QUANTA section with non-members area and a members area. Probably before the market place section it could say QUANTA then members and none members.

[dilwyn]

A Quanta section on the forum would be the easiest way forward - if some areas could be read only for non-Quanta members, and some areas only accessible for Quanta members, then the library disks could be uploaded to the second area, along with other things which Quanta has rights to for its members (such as the HTML QL User Guide).

The main issue is who would administer this part of the forum, to ensure that Quanta members were granted access !!

This sounds good. It might also relieve Keith of some work on the Quanta website, plus QL Forum is so widely used and manages to attract new members regularly.
To put it in political terms, "part-privatisation" of Quanta, perhaps?

I'll circulate these points raised to Quanta committee and we can discuss the best way forward, although plenty of good suggestions have already been made.

And thanks to van peebles for putting the little advert for the AGM and workshop in April up on QL Forum for us (Mr Navigator designed it ) - remember non-members are also welcome to attend the workshop. The venue is just off Junction 9 of the M60 motorway.

[RWAP]

A Quanta section on the forum would be the easiest way forward - if some areas could be read only for non-Quanta members, and some areas only accessible for Quanta members, then the library disks could be uploaded to the second area, along with other things which Quanta has rights to for its members (such as the HTML QL User Guide).

The main issue is who would administer this part of the forum, to ensure that Quanta members were granted access !!

This sounds good. It might also relieve Keith of some work on the Quanta website, plus QL Forum is so widely used and manages to attract new members regularly.
To put it in political terms, "part-privatisation" of Quanta, perhaps?

I'll circulate these points raised to Quanta committee and we can discuss the best way forward, although plenty of good suggestions have already been made.

And thanks to van peebles for putting the little advert for the AGM and workshop in April up on QL Forum for us (Mr Navigator designed it ) - remember non-members are also welcome to attend the workshop. The venue is just off Junction 9 of the M60 motorway.

With the impending workshop and AGM - any updates on this at all ?

Quanta have not asked me to send a mailing out to my QL user list about the AGM and workshop - I will do it today though.