Using images on your Atari ST

Using images on your Atari ST thanks to Ppera.

[Imgrunner] by Ppera allows your Atari ST to open and run the contents of an .MSA or .ST disk image file directly. No need to write the images back to a floppy disk any more - so long as you can transfer the files to your ST's h/drive (or SD card for use in SatanDisk!) you can run (almost all) images directly.

The following text is from Ppera's site - all I've done is change it slightly so it reads better (MugUk)

The main use of this tool work is to copy a disk image file into high RAM and restart TOS. Then the the RAMdisk is mounted as drive A: enabling the system to execute the contents of the AUTO folder from within the disk image file. The hard disk driver is discarded, ensuring you've got free areas in low RAM as is usually required for games that were made for 'floppy only' Atari machines.

GEMDOS file access and XBIOS A: floppy read are mapped to the RAMdisk. Access to logical drive B (even if no second floppy) is mapped to physical drive A:

It works on most of the [Automation] menu disks and many others where the games have been filed and compacted. But it will not work on any games/menu disks where the programs use direct floppy controller access. Such games can not be run without writing the disk images back onto a floppy disk, hacking away at them to make some changes - which requires expertise and some time.

If you see some floppy LED activity when the game starts (and by level load) but the game freezes or stops working, it is very likely a case of direct floppy cntroller access (often called a 'DMA loader'). Maybe try other menu disks with the same game, or write the disk image to floppy. If the game still does not work it is usually an incompatibility with your TOS version, but may also be a corrupted disk image.

You need minimum of 2MB RAM for this to work. With 1MB, you can only run a single-sided floppy disk image (~400KB long ones).

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