Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
What would a hard disk-enabled Color Computer 3 dream system look like in 1987? What hardware is required? How is it set up? I answer all of these questions and more with a deep dive into one of Tandy's rare peripherals for the CoCo: The Tandy Color Computer Hard Disk Controller. I'll build a high-end (and expensive) CoCo system, complete with a virtual trip to Radio Shack. Then we put it all together and configure the OS-9 operating system to use the hard disk. I demonstrate OS-9 configuration and bootfile customization and software installation. I then add a DT-100 terminal for more flexibility before we finish out by removing all of the disks and starting OS-9 from a CCR-81 cassette recorder. It's a CoCo storage extravaganza!
Links:
The CoCo Nation - thecoconation.com
CoCo Nation on YouTube - youtube.com/@The_CoCo_Nation
The Color Computer Archive - colorcomputerarchive.com
Radio Shack Catalogs - radioshackcatalogs.com
NitrOS-9 Ease-Of-Use - lcurtisboyle.com/nitros9/nitros9.html
Music/SFX (in order):
Music: Night on the Town by TrackTribe
(Taken from the YouTube Audio Library)
Scrabble Tile Drop (used repeatedly)
Kevin MacLeod - Local Elevator (multiple clips)
(Taken from the YouTube Audio Library)
Intro (0:00)
Why? Just use [MODERN_REPLACEMENTS]! (3:30)
1987 Radio Shack Shopping Spree (7:49)
Important HD Controller Info (18:24)
Putting The System Together and Cool Manuals (22:14)
Boot OS-9 / Make HD Boot Disk with CONFIG (25:29)
HD Driver Init And Format (38:27)
Long, Fun Commentary and Caveats (42:24)
Copying OS-9 Files to HD with dsave (54:16)
First Boot With HD Boot Disk / Custom startup file (59:58)
Copying The Development System to HD (1:03:39)
Multitasking With The DT-100 (1:09:04)
Reprise - Boot OS-9 From Cassette (1:13:02)
Outro / What's Next (1:19:49)
I do these videos unscripted, so I apologize if the in-the-moment descriptions of things are a bit scattered or wordy. If you have any questions/comments about this video, you can find me in any of these fine locations:
The Tandy Discord Server
The CoCo Nation Discord Server
The TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo) group on Facebook
The CoCo Crew Podcast group on Facebook
On the Vintage Computer Forums (vcfed.org)
The TRS-80 Models I-4/4P Group on Facebook
Tandy / Radio Shack Model II /12 / 16 / 16B / 6000 Owner's Group on Facebook
X (I'm TJBChris there...)
Mastadon: TJBChris@mastadon.social
The Level29 BBS (I'm TJBChris there, too.)
Particles BBS (Guess who I am here? Yeah, TJBChris.)
Thanks for watching!
What would a hard disk-enabled Color Computer 3 dream system look like in 1987? What hardware is required? How is it set up? I answer all of these questions and more with a deep dive into one of Tandy's rare peripherals for the CoCo: The Tandy Color Computer Hard Disk Controller. I'll build a high-end (and expensive) CoCo system, complete with a virtual trip to Radio Shack. Then we put it all together and configure the OS-9 operating system to use the hard disk. I demonstrate OS-9 configuration and bootfile customization and software installation. I then add a DT-100 terminal for more flexibility before we finish out by removing all of the disks and starting OS-9 from a CCR-81 cassette recorder. It's a CoCo storage extravaganza!
Links:
The CoCo Nation - thecoconation.com
CoCo Nation on YouTube - youtube.com/@The_CoCo_Nation
The Color Computer Archive - colorcomputerarchive.com
Radio Shack Catalogs - radioshackcatalogs.com
NitrOS-9 Ease-Of-Use - lcurtisboyle.com/nitros9/nitros9.html
Music/SFX (in order):
Music: Night on the Town by TrackTribe
(Taken from the YouTube Audio Library)
Scrabble Tile Drop (used repeatedly)
Kevin MacLeod - Local Elevator (multiple clips)
(Taken from the YouTube Audio Library)
Intro (0:00)
Why? Just use [MODERN_REPLACEMENTS]! (3:30)
1987 Radio Shack Shopping Spree (7:49)
Important HD Controller Info (18:24)
Putting The System Together and Cool Manuals (22:14)
Boot OS-9 / Make HD Boot Disk with CONFIG (25:29)
HD Driver Init And Format (38:27)
Long, Fun Commentary and Caveats (42:24)
Copying OS-9 Files to HD with dsave (54:16)
First Boot With HD Boot Disk / Custom startup file (59:58)
Copying The Development System to HD (1:03:39)
Multitasking With The DT-100 (1:09:04)
Reprise - Boot OS-9 From Cassette (1:13:02)
Outro / What's Next (1:19:49)
I do these videos unscripted, so I apologize if the in-the-moment descriptions of things are a bit scattered or wordy. If you have any questions/comments about this video, you can find me in any of these fine locations:
The Tandy Discord Server
The CoCo Nation Discord Server
The TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo) group on Facebook
The CoCo Crew Podcast group on Facebook
On the Vintage Computer Forums (vcfed.org)
The TRS-80 Models I-4/4P Group on Facebook
Tandy / Radio Shack Model II /12 / 16 / 16B / 6000 Owner's Group on Facebook
X (I'm TJBChris there...)
Mastadon: TJBChris@mastadon.social
The Level29 BBS (I'm TJBChris there, too.)
Particles BBS (Guess who I am here? Yeah, TJBChris.)
Thanks for watching!
