How to read Osborne 1 Floppies?

[Tom Hunter]

Sorry - I misread the post thinking Zane wanted to get raw disk images.
For the actual CP/M contents you can use cpmtools:
http://www.moria.de/~michael/cpmtools/
Cpmtools has disk definitions for the Osborne 1 and Osborne Nuevo/Vixen/4
so it is rather painless.

Best regards
Tom Hunter

On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 12:38 AM Fred Cisin via cctalk <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:

> Imagedisk is great for making images.
>
> BUT, the original request is not for images, it is for the previous
> owned wanting access to be able to use the content of the FILES that are
> in those images.
>
>
> On Tue, 25 May 2021, Tom Hunter wrote:
>
> > Dunfield's ImageDisk reads and writes them just fine on most older PCs
> with
> > a decent floppy controller.
> > As Chuck G writes "TestFDC" will tell you if the floppy controller is
> > usable for imaging.
> >
> > Best regards
> > Tom Hunter
> >
> > On Tue, May 25, 2021 at 2:26 AM Fred Cisin via cctalk <
> cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> There were two Osborne floppy formats.  Both CP/M.
> >>
> >> IIRC, the original format was "Single Density" (FM), 10 sectors per
> track,
> >> with 256 bytes per sector (similar to the TRS80-Model-1.  That will
> >> require FM/SD capability.  Most NEC FDCs did not support that.  Dave
> >> Dunfield has a test program that will tell you whether your FDC can
> handle
> >> it.
> >>
> >> Then, they switched to "Double Density" (MFM) IIRC: 5 sectors per track,
> >> with 1024 bytes per sector.  Any PC FDC with access to INT13h and INT1Eh
> >> will work with appropriate software.  (NOT external USB drives)
> >>
> >>
> >> WITH appropriate software, a flux transition device, such as your
> >> Catweasel, could do it.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Mon, 24 May 2021, Zane Healy via cctalk wrote:
> >>
> >>> A photographer I know contacted me last night asking about reading
> >> Osborne 1 floppies.  What does it take to read these?
> >>>
> >>> The only Catweasel board I have is the old Zorro 2 board for the Amiga.
> >> I do have 5.25” floppy drives.  Neither of us have an Osborne anymore (I
> >> think mine went to Jim Willing).
> >>>
> >>> Zane
>