Using DOS To Create A PianoDisc Floppy

The PianoDisc control unit uses a special disk format that your computer does not understand. In order to create a PianoDisc floppy, a "translator" is required. By using a simple utility program, your computer is able to create a disk that the PianoDisc system can understand. Creating the PianoDisc floppy is a simple three-step process:

1. Download & Install The Utility
2. Download A Floppy Disk "Image" File
3. Create The PianoDisc Floppy Disk

If you have previously installed the utility on your system, you can skip ahead to the second step. If you are using Windows 3.x, please exit Windows before proceeding. You may want to use the directions below to obtain the utility and image files, then print these instructions and exit to DOS to create the disk.

Download & Install The Utility

The first step is to obtain a copy of the "rawrite" utility. Click on the button below to download the compressed utility. NOTE: PianoDisc did not write this utility. Make sure to review the accompanying documentation and abide by the terms of the license.

This may take a few minutes to download. Once the file has been downloaded, we need to copy it into a new directory. Move to the directory where rawrite is located. For example, if rawrite.exe were in c:\downloads, you would type the following command at the DOS prompt:

     cd\downloads

Now, we need to create a new directory for the rawrite utility. Then we'll move the utility into the directory and uncompress it. Type the following commands at the DOS prompt:

     md c:\pds

     copy rwarch.exe c:\pds

     cd c:\pds

     rwarch

A few files will be "extracted" from the archive. The utility is now installed!

NOTE: You can permanently install this utility so that you do not have to re-install it every time you download an update. To permanently install it, copy the RAWRITE.EXE file to a directory in your DOS "path". Usually, C:\DOS is a good location.

Download A Floppy Disk "Image" File

An image file contains an exact "image" of the data on a PianoDisc floppy. Click on the link below to download a PianoDisc floppy disk image. By downloading a floppy disk image, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions outlined in the Disclaimer Of Warranty. Once you have downloaded an image, use your browser's [BACK] button to return to this page.

Again, this may take a few minutes to download. Make sure you download the image file into the directory where the rawrite utility was installed (unless rawrite is in the path).

Create The PianoDisc Floppy Disk

We're almost done! The last step is to run the utility and create the PianoDisc floppy. You will need a formatted floppy disk for this step. It does not matter whether the floppy was formatted in your PianoDisc unit, or whether it was formatted on your computer. If the name of the image file ends with the letter 'H', you will need a high-density (DSHD) floppy disk. If the name of the image file ends with the letter 'L', you will need a low-density (DSDD) floppy disk. If you do not have a low-density floppy disk, but the image requires one, click here for information about "converting" a high-density disk to low-density.

If you "converted" a high-density disk to low-density, or if the disk you plan to use has not yet been formatted, then follow these instructions to format the disk. Otherwise, you may skip this step. WARNING: FORMATTING WILL ERASE EVERYTHING ON THE DISK. MAKE SURE THERE IS NOTHING IMPORTANT THAT IS STORED ON THE FLOPPY. If you need to format the disk, type one of the following commands from the DOS prompt.

To format a low-density disk, type:

     format a: /f:720

     To format a high-density disk, type:

     format a: /f:1440

From the directory where the image and utility are located (we use c:\pds in our examples), type the following command. Instead of typing filename in the command below, be sure to type the actual name of the image file that you downloaded.

     rawrite -f filename.img -d a:

Make sure that the disk is in the drive, and press [ENTER] to create the PianoDisc floppy. The utility will write the image to your floppy disk. This process may take a few minutes, so be patient. When the utility has finished, eject the disk. It is now ready to use in your PianoDisc system. Remember, the utility acted as a "translator" for your computer. If you try to examine the disk from your computer, your computer will report an error.

What Next?

• Updating Your PianoDisc Unit