"dual format" ST AMIGA cover disks

[NfernalNfluence]

i have one of these and after loading workbench 1.3 & inserting it into a real AMIGA, i get DF0:BAD


what exactly does BAD mean? can it be reformatted?

[NfernalNfluence]

how would you normally access the amiga prtion of this disk?

[Codetapper]

You just boot from the disk like any other.

Your disk is most likely knackered. The AMR team would like to get all coverdisks dumped with the CAPS dumping tools before they are dead!

[alexh]

Shame that even after being dumped with the SPS (CAPS) software they are not really preserved due to the closed source approach of SPS

[NfernalNfluence]

is it possible the "BAD" may represent a disk being harmful to a floppy drive?

or that it is just no longer readable?

[alexh]

It means that it is not a DOS formatted disk... The structures such as the File names, DIR's etc. is missing.

Not all disks are formatted, some are RAW data with a special boot loader. It may still work (if booted from).

You could format over it (although I dunno why you'd want to unless it really is gone).

BAD disks are not harmful to the floppy drive (unless they are physically broken).

[NfernalNfluence]

i tried the disk with an ST and it wasn't even acknowledged lol

[killergorilla]

Originally Posted by alexh

Shame that even after being dumped with the SPS (CAPS) software they are not really preserved due to the closed source approach of SPS

Well surely if you make it open source we'll end up with loads of unverified ipf files across the internet?

[alexh]

I totally see where you are coming from, however they dont need to open source the dumper, or the tool that converts to IPF just the plugin routine that allows IPF usage in emulators.

Without that information the data is not preserved. It is just going from one obsolete unreadable format to another

[Methanoid]

Originally Posted by alexh

Without that information the data is not preserved. It is just going from one obsolete unreadable format to another

Ah but this unreadable format doesn't degrade... even it still unreadable!

[mr_0rga5m]

Originally Posted by Methanoid

Ah but this unreadable format doesn't degrade... even it still unreadable!

I dont think degrading is what alexh is on about, The problem is we (worldwide not just Amiga users) already have shitloads of data stored on formats that have since became obsolete. And sourcing programs to 'read' these into something more usefull is hard to find. If something happened to those couple of people that know the ipf format then it becomes another of those obsolete formats until we reverse engineer it.

(sorry we have deviated from the threads initial content.)

[mai]

Old Thread, but i want to know how to recognize a dual format disk.
If i can read in bootblock "ST-Amiga Dual format disk", then it is a dual format disk?

[Retro1234]

Have you got a disk image you can upload?

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by mai

Old Thread, but i want to know how to recognize a dual format disk.
If i can read in bootblock "ST-Amiga Dual format disk", then it is a dual format disk?

It is just a text string, it does not guarantee anything.

[dlfrsilver]

Originally Posted by mai

Old Thread, but i want to know how to recognize a dual format disk.
If i can read in bootblock "ST-Amiga Dual format disk", then it is a dual format disk?

Mai, the dual format is still only effective on the real machines.
For instance if i run Lethal Xcess, Monster business or Ninja Remix on my amiga, it runs, and if i insert the disks in my 1040 STE it runs too.

That's how you recognize it. However, If a RNC disk states ST-amiga dual format, it means that both ST and amiga format are present on disk.

It's the first time i see this on a disk to be honest however.

[mai]

I dont know, if i understand right.
The dual format disks, which comes with "Zero" magazine for example:
AMR provides downloads of this disks (880 kb).
Is on this disks only the amiga part present.
If both parts are present, is it possible to write back this disks to Atari ST floppys and then it works?

[dlfrsilver]

well the fact is that those special disk would require a disk format able to cope with Both formats. Only extended ADF would do. Problem : i'm not sure about the write back result.

[Don_Adan]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

Mai, the dual format is still only effective on the real machines.
For instance if i run Lethal Xcess, Monster business or Ninja Remix on my amiga, it runs, and if i insert the disks in my 1040 STE it runs too.

You can try also "Thalion Sound Demo", but this is rare disk. Perhaps only AlexH still has original version.

[alexh]

I do still have that disk in a safe place. It was a gift from Richard Karsmakers personal collection in the late 90's after I started the ThalionWebshrine.

If there was a way of dumping both the Amiga and ST portions of the disk to a format which could be used to re-create a fully working floppy disk then I would get it out and fire up my Amiga.

[Don_Adan]

Originally Posted by alexh

I do still have that disk in a safe place. It was a gift from Richard Karsmakers personal collection in the late 90's after I started the ThalionWebshrine.

If there was a way of dumping both the Amiga and ST portions of the disk to a format which could be used to re-create a fully working floppy disk then I would get it out and fire up my Amiga.

Maybe IPF format can handle both (Amiga and Atari ST) versions correctly? But I'm not expert. If I remember right a few tracks from Atari ST part of this demo was damaged, when Mr.Larmer created WHDload install for this demo, hopefully this is not important for Amiga part of this demo. Perhaps corrupted Atari ST data can be replaces with data from cracked version. ST version has extra protection, Amiga version don't have (except MFM (ST) format).