<!DOCTYPE html>
<html class="client-nojs vector-feature-night-mode-disabled vector-feature-language-in-header-enabled vector-feature-language-in-main-page-header-disabled vector-feature-page-tools-pinned-disabled vector-feature-toc-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-main-menu-pinned-disabled vector-feature-limited-width-clientpref-1 vector-feature-limited-width-content-enabled vector-feature-custom-font-size-clientpref-1 vector-feature-appearance-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-sticky-header-enabled" lang="en" dir="ltr"><head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Dual format</title>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<link rel="canonical" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_format"> <link href="./mw/ext.cite.styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="./mw/skins.vector.icons.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="./mw/skins.vector.search.codex.styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="./mw/skins.vector.styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="./mw/user.styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<meta name="ResourceLoaderDynamicStyles" content="">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./mw/site.styles.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./mw/noscript.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./footer.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./vector-2022.css">
</head>
<body class="skin--responsive skin-vector skin-vector-search-vue mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Dual_format rootpage-Dual_format skin-vector-2022 action-view">
<div class="mw-page-container">
<div class="mw-page-container-inner">
<div class="mw-content-container">
<main id="content" class="mw-body">
<header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar">
<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading">
<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Dual format</span></span>
</h1>
</header>
<a id="top"></a>
<div id="bodyContent" class="vector-body ve-init-mw-desktopArticleTarget-targetContainer" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container="">
<div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content mw-content-ltr" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr">
<p><b>Dual format</b> is a technique used to allow <a href="Software" title="Software">software</a> for two systems which would normally require different <a href="Disk_format" class="mw-redirect" title="Disk format">disk formats</a> to be recorded on the same <a href="Floppy_disk" title="Floppy disk">floppy disk</a>.
</p><p>In the late 1980s, the term was used to refer to disks that could be used to boot either an <a href="Amiga" title="Amiga">Amiga</a> or <a href="Atari_ST" title="Atari ST">Atari ST</a> computer. The layout of the first track of the disk was specially laid out to contain an Amiga and an Atari ST <a href="Boot_sector" title="Boot sector">boot sector</a> at the same time by fooling the operating system to think that the track resolved into the format it expected. The technique was used for some commercially available games, and also for the disks covermounted on <a href="ST/Amiga_Format" title="ST/Amiga Format">ST/Amiga Format</a> magazine. Other games came on Amiga and <a href="IBM_PC_compatible" title="IBM PC compatible">PC</a> dual-format disks, or even "tri-format" disks, which contained the Amiga, Atari ST and PC versions of the game.
</p><p>Most dual and tri-format disks were implemented using technology developed by Rob Northen Computing.
</p><p>Later, the term was used for disks containing both <a href="Microsoft_Windows" title="Microsoft Windows">Windows</a> and <a href="Apple_Macintosh" class="mw-redirect" title="Apple Macintosh">Macintosh</a> versions.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Examples">Examples</h2></div>
<p><sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<dl><dd><ol><li><a href="Action_Fighter" title="Action Fighter">Action Fighter</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="Lethal_Xcess" title="Lethal Xcess">Lethal Xcess</a> - Wings of Death II (Amiga/Atari ST dual-format disks)</li>
<li><a href="Monster_Business" title="Monster Business">Monster Business</a> (Amiga/Atari ST dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="Populous%3A_The_Promised_Lands" class="mw-redirect" title="Populous: The Promised Lands">Populous: The Promised Lands</a> (Amiga/Atari ST dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="Rick_Dangerous" title="Rick Dangerous">Rick Dangerous</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="Rick_Dangerous_2" title="Rick Dangerous 2">Rick Dangerous 2</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li>Stone Age (Amiga/Atari ST dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="Street_Fighter" title="Street Fighter">Street Fighter</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li>StarGlider 2 (Amiga/Atari ST dual-format disk)</li>
<li>3D Pool (Amiga/Atari ST/PC tri-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="Stunt_Car_Racer" title="Stunt Car Racer">Stunt Car Racer</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="Bionic_Commando" title="Bionic Commando">Bionic Commando</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="Carrier_Command" title="Carrier Command">Carrier Command</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="Blasteroids" title="Blasteroids">Blasteroids</a> (Amiga//PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="E-Motion" title="E-Motion">E-Motion</a> (Amiga//PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li>Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Action (Amiga//PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="Out_Run" title="Out Run">Out Run</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="World_Class_Leader_Board" title="World Class Leader Board">World Class Leader Board</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="International_Soccer_Challenge" title="International Soccer Challenge">International Soccer Challenge</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li>
<li><a href="MicroProse_Soccer" title="MicroProse Soccer">MicroProse Soccer</a> (Amiga/PC dual-format disk)</li></ol></dd></dl>
<p><br>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2></div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1266661725">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
.mw-parser-output .portalbox{padding:0;margin:0.5em 0;display:table;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:175px;list-style:none}.mw-parser-output .portalborder{border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);padding:0.1em;background:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa)}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-entry{display:table-row;font-size:85%;line-height:110%;height:1.9em;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-image{display:table-cell;padding:0.2em;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-link{display:table-cell;padding:0.2em 0.2em 0.2em 0.3em;vertical-align:middle}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .portalleft{margin:0.5em 1em 0.5em 0}.mw-parser-output .portalright{clear:right;float:right;margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1em}}
/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}
/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">SoftPres News Story <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.softpres.org/news:2010-06-08">[1]</a>, <i>Software Preservation Society</i>, June 8, 2010, accessed July 26, 2011.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">HOL <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://hol.abime.net">[2]</a>, <i>Amiga Hall of Light</i>, accessed July 26, 2011.</span>
</li>
</ol></div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1271159938">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
.mw-parser-output .asbox{position:relative;overflow:hidden}.mw-parser-output .asbox table{background:transparent}.mw-parser-output .asbox p{margin:0}.mw-parser-output .asbox p+p{margin-top:0.25em}.mw-parser-output .asbox-body{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output .asbox-note{font-size:smaller}.mw-parser-output .asbox .navbar{position:absolute;top:-0.75em;right:1em;display:none}.mw-parser-output :not(p):not(.asbox)+style+.asbox,.mw-parser-output :not(p):not(.asbox)+link+.asbox{margin-top:3em}
/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style></div><!--htdig_noindex--><div><div class="zim-footer">
This article is issued from <a class="external text" title="Last edited on 2022-12-12" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?title=Dual_format&oldid=1127107554">Wikipedia</a>. The text is available under <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0</a> unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.
</div>
</div><!--/htdig_noindex--></div>
</div>
</main>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>