YOUR ATARI XF551 DISK DRIVE AND DOS

The ATARI XF551 Disk Drive is an extremely efficient, highspeed storage device which greatly enhances your ATARI XE or XL Computer system. Your ATARI Computer’s memory retains the intormation and instructions you enter through its keyboard. But the computer’s memory is limited in size, and without a storage device like the XF551, its contents are erased each time you turn off the computer.

Your ATARI XF551 Disk Drive enables you to store and manage large amounts of information in separate files on diskettes. With your ATARI XF551, you can call up your files by name, copy or erase them, and manage them in many other ways.

What DOS Does

To store information on diskettes you need software that allows your computer and disk drive to communicate with each other about your files. That is where the Disk Operating System — DOS for short — fits into the picture. DOS (pronounced “doss”) is a program that enables your computer and disk drive to work together in storing, retrieving, and otherwise managing your diskette files. DOS itself is organized in files contained on the Master Diskette.

You must load DOS into your computer before it can work with your disk drive. Some ready-made computer programs already contain a version of DOS, sparing you the trouble of loading it separately. But with other programs, especially those in cartridge form, you have to load DOS along with the program if you plan to use a disk drive with the program. In any case, you need DOS for many essential tasks: to prepare blank diskettes to store your files, for example, and to make backup copies of important files and diskettes.