Magic Shadow Archiver Atari disk image
File type: Archive and compressed file
An msa file is a disk image created by Magic Shadow Archiver for Atari ST family computers.
It contains an archived copy of an Atari floppy disk and belongs to the archive and compressed file category.
Found 2 different file type records with the same msa filename suffix.
File type category:
Archive and compressed file
Date updated: October 7, 2026
Record marked as obsolete and not updated for a long time.
Magic Shadow Archiver is a disk-archiving utility for Atari ST family computers running the Atari TOS operating system. It stores a complete disk as an msa file, allowing the disk contents to be preserved or restored.
The image is a compressed representation of the archived Atari disk rather than a collection of unrelated files. It is therefore used with Atari software, disk-image tools, or an Atari emulator that supports the MSA format.
Magic Shadow Archiver and the MSA format are obsolete, although MSA images may still be encountered in Atari software and game archives.
On an Atari ST or compatible computer, open the msa file with Magic Shadow Archiver. The program can read the archived disk image and restore it to an Atari disk.
On a modern computer, use an Atari emulator with MSA support, such as Hatari, and select the file as a disk image. Compatibility with other emulators and disk-image utilities varies.
An MSA file is already a complete Atari disk image, so it usually does not need conversion. To access its contents, mount it in a compatible Atari emulator or restore it to an Atari disk with Magic Shadow Archiver.
If another disk-image format is required, use a disk-image utility that explicitly supports importing MSA images and exporting the required Atari format. The available conversion options depend on the target format and the hardware or emulator being used.
Software applications that can open msa files:
Other operating systems or devices
Software apps that create msa files:
Other operating systems or devices
Software apps that extract msa files:
Other operating systems or devices
File type category:
Audio and sound file
Date updated: June 9, 2017
The MSA file extension is associated with memory stick audio file format.
Memory Stick Audio File Format is a format for recording or playing back copyrighted music content on Memory Stick.
By combining Memory Stick Audio File Format compliant product with compliant software such as SonicStage and Netjuke you can transfer the content you purchased from a music content distributor or the content you ripped from music CD onto Memory Stick and play it back on a compliant product.
Software apps that import msa files:
Microsoft Windows
SonicStage
Software applications that handle other tasks involving msa files:
Microsoft Windows
SonicStage
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