www.hadley.tv

---

If you would like to donate something: Thank you!

---

If you don't want to do without your Atari but no longer have one, you can make do with one of the numerous ATARI emulators. One of the emulators that is still being updated is HATARI:

This emulator has amazing capabilities and really good compatibility with almost all TOS versions I have tried. Lately, however, it has been a little bitchy, because it didn't like the TOS versions for a Falcon or ATARI TT very much. But that's not really a problem in my eyes.

Configure the HATARI....

The first things first, because the emulator saves its configuration in this path...

C:\Users\YOUR-PC\AppData\Local\Hatari

...which confused me for quite a while. If you set your own path, this is simply ignored by HATARI(at least here in my case)! If you have unpacked the emulator and started it for the first time (you are curious), it starts with a supplied EmuTOS:

This TOS is really amazing, because it emulates the original operating system like a TOS 2.x. Unfortunately only in English, but at least it's completely free. The graphical structure of the windows is also very different from the original, so that even software using GEM, for example, clearly shows the differences. But since the original TOS of the ATARI is available on many websites, I just use that!

Mit EMU-TOS	Mit TOS 2.06 (STE)

Settings for a STE

This emulation really works perfectly and I have saved it as standard. To set this configuration, follow these steps. First, of course, start the HATARI and then press the F12 key:

Now carry out the following steps. First click on :

• System ==> Machine Type = STE / Blitter in STE-Mode / Back to Main Menu
• ROM ==> Tos Image / Browse ==> Das TOS 2.06 / Back to Main Menu
• Memory ==> 4 MiB / Back to Main Menu
• Atari Screen ==> Atari Monitor = Mono / Back to Main Menu
• Save config ==> OK
• () Reset Machine ==> OK

From now on, HATARI will always start in this configuration. As I have no idea what the legal status of the TOS versions is, I am unfortunately unable to provide you with a link here. But if you search for it on the Internet, you are sure to find it!

Insert and start a floppy disk

The HATARI can read emulated ATARI disks in ST / MSX and also STX format. You can either create these disks yourself (I will explain this in a separate article) or download them en masse from the Internet. You press F12 again:

• Floppy Disk ==> Browse

In this dialog, search for the directory in which you have saved the ATARI disks. When you have found the desired file, click on it once and then on OK. You do not need to restart the emulator, the diskette will be inserted immediately:

Integrate your hard disk

This is also very easy, because the HATARI allows you to access your hard disk. I have created a directory in which I have stored only software for the ATARI. Go to the menu with F12 and click on :

• Hard Disk ==> GemDos Drive ==> Browse

Link here to the directory in which you have saved your ATARI software. You can also create an AUTO folder here and install the NVDI software, for example, which works really well. But don't forget to save your configuration every time you change something!

And this is what it looks like if you have done everything correctly. My configuration with an installed NVDI and access to my hard disk:

PC Hard Drive and an Additional Image

When you mount both a GEMDOS drive and an ACSI image in Hatari, the following happens: As long as Hatari uses its internal AHDI emulator, it can simply “append” the GEMDOS folders afterwards. Hatari itself manages the entire drive list and adds the PC folder after the partitions from the image.

However, once you boot ICD Pro from your image, that driver takes over complete control of the hard drive management. ICD rewrites the drive list, just as it would on real hardware. At that point, Hatari has no way to add its own “virtual” GEMDOS drives anymore, because the Atari driver is already fully initialized and the drive letters are fixed.

In other words, Hatari behaves strictly true to hardware: On a real ST, after loading ICD, you couldn’t suddenly append an extra PC directory either. The emulator imitates this exactly. The side effect is that your GEMDOS drive no longer appears when ICD has control. That’s why “Add GEMDOS after…” only works if Hatari’s built-in driver remains active. Once ICD Pro takes over, that’s the end of it – and that’s why you lose exactly this option in the current Hatari.

A Simple, Compatible Solution

The easiest way to deal with this issue is to format your image so that the inevitable loss of the first partition is negligible. Set up the image with ICD Pro as usual, but make sure that C:, the first partition, is very small—around 5 or 10 MB. This partition will disappear in Hatari as soon as you mount GEMDOS first. The space loss will therefore be minimal, and all other partitions from D: onward will remain at full size. You then disable “Add GEMDOS after…”.

 

Attention: This website has been translated with DeepL