From spia.univ-tours.fr!efr.univ-tours.fr!news.univ-rennes1.fr!shom.fr!univ-lyon1.fr!swidir.switch.ch!CERN.ch!NICE Fri May 20 23:39:26 1994
Newsgroups: fr.comp.sys.atari
Path: spia.univ-tours.fr!efr.univ-tours.fr!news.univ-rennes1.fr!shom.fr!univ-lyon1.fr!swidir.switch.ch!CERN.ch!NICE
From: brarda@vxclia.cern.ch
Subject: Atari CD-ROMs FAQ (Beta version)
Message-ID: <Cq1uDG.C7H@news.cern.ch>
Sender: brarda@vxclia.cern.ch
Organization: CERN European Lab for Particle Physics
Date: Thu, 19 May 1994 12:22:28 GMT
Lines: 247


This is the first release of the Atari CD-ROM FAQ. It is like a beta
version with probably a lot of mistakes.
Feel free to mail me for all the errors you see (in the contents and also
in the form because I am French and the English language if no my first
one) or for other information that can be interesting.

	Loic
	----



                                     ATARI CD-ROM FAQ
                                     ----------------

1 - What driver should I use with my Atari system ?

There are several drivers available :

MetaDos :
	Free software from Atari Corp.
	Available from atari.archive.umich or ftp.muenster.de (metads23.zip)

	The filesystem drivers support ISO9660 and High Sierra CDs, but not
	multisession CDs.
	The device driver only works for the Atari CDAR504 connected to the
	ACSI bus or with generic SCSI CD-ROMs connected to the TT SCSI port.
	(Answer from Julian Reschke)


CDROM.XFS :
	Free software (Copyright 1992,1993,1994 Eric R. Smith, Michael Bernards
	u. Gunther Leis)
	Available from atari.archive.umich and other ftp sites.

	This driver is a Mint extended filesystem and works on TTs and Falcons.
	CDROM.XFS version <0.7 does not work with Mint/Multitos > 1.04.
	The current version (0.7) is said to work on Mint/Mltitos > 1.04.
	It seems to be true on TTs but it does not work with any Mint version
	on my Falcon.


CD-Tools :
	Commercial solution from Hard & Soft, Obere Muensterstrasse 33-35,
	D-44575 Castrop-Rauxel, Germany, Phone: ++49 2305 18014, Fax: ++49 2305
	32463

	Includes MetaDOS with GEM-based installation program, audio player with
	PCM audio data import (only some drives) and custom devices and
	filesystem drivers (support for Atari CDAR504 and generic CD-ROMs
	connected to ACSI through host adapter, TT-SCSI, Falcon-SCSI,
	multisession support (only some drives)).
	(Answer from Julian Reschke)

	With CD-Tools, you also have a GDPS module and the program Scan-It that
	can handle Photo-CD Pictures.
	CD-Tools is in German and costs 99 DM.


ExtenDOS v1.1:
	Commercial solution from Anodyne Software, 6 Cobbler Court, Ottawa,
	Ontario K1V 0B8, Canada.

	Support ST, STe, Mega, TT, and Falcon. Read ISO9660 CD-ROMs. Run under
	TOS normally and under Multitos as long as memory protection is turned
	off but it is impossible to run programs directly from a CD under
	Multitos.
	Extendos v1.1 costs $19.95.


ICD Pro :
	Old versions came with a MetaDOS driver named ICDCDROM.BOS.
	The new ones comes with a mint extended filesystem.



2 - What discs are available ?

There is three Atari specific CD-ROMs :

GEMini CD-ROM :
	From Walnut Creek CDROM, Suite 260, 1547 Palos Verdes Mall, Walnut
	Creek, CA  9496, USA, Phone: +1 510 674-0783, Fax: +1 510 674-0821,
	Email: info@cdrom.com, Ftp: ftp.cdrom.com
	Available in Germany from Ingenieurburo Praefcke, Holtzvogtkamp 55,
	24220 Flintbeck, Phone: (04347) 7531.

	You can find the index of the GEMini CD-ROM on atari.archive.umich.edu.


Bernd Lohrum CD-ROM :
	From Bernd Lohrum, Schlossbergstrasse 36, D-66440 Blieskastel, Germany,
	Phone: (0171) 4210222

	This CD-ROM costs 69 DM (59 DM for MAUS net users).


Wohlfahrtstatter CD-ROM :
	From Wohlfahrtstatter, Irenenstr. 76c, D-40468 Dusseldorf, Germany,
	Phone: (0211)429876.
	This CD-ROM costs 89 DM.


You can also use all the ISO-9660 CDs that exists for the PCs. You won't
run the PC programs but you will access all the text, pictures, and sound
files on it.
The discs already tried are :

Corel Artshow 91 :
	~ 1000 scans of paintings (like Manet, Van Gogh, ...) in 16 and 256
	colors PCX files;
	All the images from the 91 Corel draw contest in CDR and DIB format;
	some midi files.
	The PCX and DIB files can be read with Dieter Fiebelkorn's Gem-View
	3.xx .

Clipart Warehouse


3 - Can I use Photo-CD on my Atari ?

Of course You can !
To have full use of the photo-cds, you'll need a multi-sessions drive and
driver and also a program that can handle PCD files.

CD-TOOLS :
	The driver from Hard & Soft can read multi-sessions discs and have all
	the needed stuff to handle the Photo-CDs.

ColorDisc PCD 
	Commercial software from Color Concept, Im Alten Breidt 4, D-53797
	Lohmar Breidt, Germany, Phone: (02246) 7132

	This program allows you to manipulate the photos on your Photo-CDs, and
	save them on hard-disc. It handles Portfolio CDs.
	If my understanding is good, it works with metados and a special BOS
	file (both included).
	It also includes a CD-Audio player.

	ColorDisc PCD works on TTs and Falcons and costs 99 DM.

Studio Photo :
	Commercial software from Eurosoft.
	This french program can manipulate Photo-CDs.


4 - Can I play Audio-CDs on my Atari ?

Of course You can !

The following programs are available :

CD-TOOLS :
	The driver from Hard & Soft includes a player for CD-Audio discs. The
	drive must understand SCSI2 instructions.

ColorDisc PCD :
	It also includes an audio Player.

Audio CD Master 3.0 :
	Commercial software from It's All Relative Software, 2233 Keeven Lane,
	Florissant, MO 63031, USA.

	This program can play CD-Audio discs on SCSI2 and Nec drives. On
	falcon and with some drives, it allows you to control and pipe your CD
	audio sound into the Falcon for DSP effects using software like the
	Audio Fun Machine that comes with your Falcon 030.

	Audio CD Master 3.0 costs $29.99 US, postpaid, worldwide.

Audio CD player 2.0 :
	Older shareware version of Audio CD Master 3.0 from Nina Montaser, P.O.
	Box 52127, Ottawa, Ont. K1N 5S0, Canada

	Does not work on my falcon


5 - Appendix A

These are some users configurations :

TT, MultiTOS 1.04, CDROM.XFS
TT, MultiTOS 1.08/9, CDROM.XFS v.0.7
TT, MetaDOS

These do not work:

TT, MultiTOS 1.08/9, CDROM.XFS < 0.7
TT, MultiTOS, MetaDOS

Drive : NEC Multispin, external (84-1).

Discs :	GEMini Atari CD ROM from Walnut Creek
			Clipart Warehouse

------------------------------------------------------------------
MSTE -> ICD MicroSCSI -> ICD AdSCSI+ -> NEC CDR-37
but the first host adapter in the chain has nothing to do with driving the
CD-ROM, its for a hard disk. The AdSCSI+ also has a hard disk running from
it as well as the CD-ROM

Drive : NEC CDR-37

Software :

ICDCDZ2.XFS as supplied on the ICD Pro utilities disk. This only seems to
work under MiNT <= 1.04. None of the other freely available CD-ROM drivers
(MetaDOS etc.) seem to work. I haven't tried Extendos or CD-Tools.

For audio playing, I'm using Nima Montasser's 'Audio CD Master 3v0'. This
is the commercial release of the AUD_CD20.ACC audio CD player. Both work
fairly well for me, but I haven't got all the features to work yet.

In order to CD Player configuration to work (the default NEC CDR-37 one
didn't work! with AUD_CD20.ACC ) I contacted NEC(UK). They very kindly
sent me a copy of their 'SCSI 1 Spec' free of charge. This is a 90 page
photocopied document which lists all the SCSI 1 commands for a CD-ROM and
what they do. I'm sure its pretty out of dte now, especially as NEC must
be onto SCSI 2 by now.
I used the SCSI.PRG from the ICD Pro disk to send SCSI commands to the
CD-ROM to get the combination right.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Atari Falcon030, 4MB RAM, 127MB Internal IDE drive, 270MB external
SCSI drive, Viper 105S Tape Streamer.

Drive : NEC 2xi

Non-working drivers: MetaDOS 2.3 (no BOS drivers for Falcon).
               ICD Pro Utilities (didn't see the drive at all).
               Atari CDROM driver, v0.6 (gave read errors).

Working drivers :  ExtenDOS v1.11  (commercial, available in the UK from
          		Systems Solutions, price about 30 pounds).

Discs : Gemini Atari CD-ROM.
Cover disk from a PC CD-ROM magazine.  The files read OK, but obviously
the PC-specific executables do not run.  I got loads of TIF pictures etc
off of this disk.
The NEC 2xi is about the same price as an Apple CD300 (160 pounds + VAT).
But people seem to have had less hassle getting the Apple drive running.
I chose the NEC because is an internal drive, so slotted into my
mini-tower comfortably.


Thanks to all the users that mailed me their experience.


