Kaypro II CP/M disk

[Yzzerdd]

I recently won a Kaypro (old) II on eBay, and I will be needing a CP/M disk for it. It comes with all sorts of disks, but the CP/M one is for sure bad, as when they tried to boot, it wouldn't from that disk. It hasn't been shipped to my knowledge, and I would like to get them at roughly the same time, so I don't have to have a Kaypro I can't use, or a disk to stare at and not have the PC in yet. The latter would be prefered of the two, though.

I included a link below for your viewing pleasure, and so whoever may have a disk can confirm it will work with it. I would REALLY prefer an original, but if I can't locate one, I suppose I could use a copy until an original is found. Or maybe the original with the computer was wiped by a magnet, and all I have to do is reformat it and copy the disks. Also, help would be appreciated about the Kaypro. I never used CP/M before. But that will be for a topic I will start when I can get a disk to boot it up with.

*fingers crossed the Kaypro is undamaged when it arrives, from PA*

--Ryan
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150213980660&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=005

[Sharkonwheels]

Y, CP/M is like DOS, or to be correct, DOS is like CP/M. Hell, SCP even copied the freaking calls!!!

Dir is there, built-in like in DOS, as is TYPE for viewing files.
In DOS, COPY is used to copy files, using:
COPY <source.typ> <destination.typ>

In CP/M, PIP.COM is used, and it's reversed:
PIP a:dest.zzz=b:source.zzz

CP/M has .COM files, like DOS, but no .EXE's .WS files will be wordstar, .DOC will be text files, but sometimes are wordstar format.

disk formatting will probably be with a utility named MFDISK.COM on the CP/M disk, but may vary depending on disk/model/ and/or CP/M version from Kaypro.

CP/M stores the system on tracks 0&1 of the disk, me thinks, and loads it from there on startup. The CP/M system is composed of the following pieces:
CCP = Console COmmand Processor
BDOS = Handles drives
BIOS = handles all I/O

CCP + BDOS are usually standard, and BIOS is modified on a per-machine basis. The BIOS is where all machine-specific settings are made, such as disk type and setup (port address, etc.) serial ports, video, keyboard, etc...

Your machine, from the pic, MIGHT come with the Kaypro CP/M USer Guide, which is a good manual - has everything fro explaining the CP/M system, to the alteration guide, for bringing up CP/M on new hardware (BIOS customizations, regen's, etc..)

Lemme know if you have more questions.


T

[Yzzerdd]

Please, If ANYONE has ANY version of CP/M that will work with the Kaypro II, I would be more than happy to pay for shipping and materials. I can even provide the disk for CP/M to be copied on, if someone would copy me a bootable disk! I would still like an original, but it makes no difference if it is a copy!

Still waiting for the Kaypro, BTW. Begining to wonder where the hell it is...

--Ryan

[Sharkonwheels]

I can probably make you up a II disk. Those are SS/DD, correct?
Or are they SS/SD? No matter - I can do both.

Just pay this shipping, and the mailer (like $5-6)

T

[Yzzerdd]

According to WikiPedia:

Kaypro's first computer, the Kaypro II (differing only in bundled software from the model 2) had a 2.5 MHz Zilog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zilog) Z80 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z80) microprocessor, 64 KiB (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibibyte) of RAM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_Access_Memory), dual, single-sided, 191 kB 5¼ inch floppy disk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk) drives, and an 80 column green (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_screen) monochrome 9" CRT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathode_ray_tube)

And to obsoletecomputermuseum.org:
The Kaypro II, a whopping 64K of memory, two Tandon SS/DD 5 1/4 Drives, and a 9" green screen that would make any Osborne (http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/kaypro/osborne.html) user think he or she had just arrived at a drive-in sized screen.

Both seem to agree, SS/DD. I'll PM you about the disk.

--Ryan

[Sharkonwheels]

Should be right - I don't think Kaypro got into the game early enough to have to deal with SS/SD like Osborne did.

I will test tonight, and let you know.


T

[Soupwizard]

Please, If ANYONE has ANY version of CP/M that will work with the Kaypro II, I would be more than happy to pay for shipping and materials. I can even provide the disk for CP/M to be copied on, if someone would copy me a bootable disk! I would still like an original, but it makes no difference if it is a copy!

I also won a Kaypro of ebay recently, a Kaypro 2 (4mhz vs 2.5mhz of the II, afaik). I have an older pc with an adaptec 1522 card (it has a nice capable floppy controller chip) that I'm going to use to write kaypro disks with Imagedisk, I just need to find a 5.25" drive that can speak SS/DD. I wonder if the standard 1.2mb half-height floppy drives can do that job?

I'll also be looking for sofware, will let you know what I find.

Jeff

[Yzzerdd]

I wouldn't trust 1.2MB drives to something like SS/DD. Buy a 360K drive for that. They are fully capable of it, without any special software. If you use DS/DD disks in it, be sure to buy a disk-notcher, so you can use both sides!

--Ryan

[Sharkonwheels]

I thought the hole-punch trick didn't work on CP/M and PC computers, and the index hole will be on the wrong side? I know Apple II's and the like will...

I use a 1.2MB to write DS/DD all the time. You just have to be sure that you use blanks, or have a bulk eraser (got one on the way!). The 1.2's write a thinner track (96tpi drives) and if they were used before on a DS/DD (48tpi drive) the thinner track will lay over the wider track, and may confuse some DS/DD 48tpi drives.

I haven't had any issues yet, but have been using NOS media.
That being said, I try to stay correct: DS/DD 48tpi drive for DS/DD, Mitsubish M4853 DS/QD 96tpi drive for DS/QD media (or a 1.2 - same width, and my TEACs can be locked to 300RPM - FD55-GFR-7193U), 1.2 for 1.2.


T

[Sharkonwheels]

Y - in all that crap ya got, you ain;t got sumfin' dat can write 5.25" floppies?
(please note: I used the word 'crap' affectionately)

;)

T