A-Max disks?

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

I have a utility which will perfectly emulate the floppies in RAM, so that you can boot them all from a RAM disk. It's excellent. I'll upload that for you as well tomorrow.

Is it perhaps the same one I used with QL emulation in Windows (Virtual Floppy Drive)?

Wait... are you talking about PC or Amiga now?

[Supamax]

@ prowler

I didn't try (yet) the Mac utilities you uploaded for me to run in A-Max (DiskDup etc.).
Is one of them able to compress on-the-fly while dumping? Because I can't/won't prepare an hard disk for use with A-Max... I only have floppies.
So I can only save, let's say, the image of DF0: as a file on DF1:. But it has to be compressed, or it won't obviously fit...

[cosmicfrog]

hi guys I`ve finaly made it home after all the retro goodiness of the week end

been trying to image my amax disks with ver 2 of converter from emplant but i get read errors and lots off them, if i try other versions it says i need v6 of sybil.libary which i cant seem to find

so can you up load a bootable disk that works plz then at least I can rule out a dogie config

also I`ll have that hex editor now prowler or when ever

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Is it perhaps the same one I used with QL emulation in Windows (Virtual Floppy Drive)?

Wait... are you talking about PC or Amiga now?

It is a floppy drive emulator for DOS, which is able to *exactly* emulate PC floppy drives in RAM. It's good enough to fool Disk copiers, booters, etc. I haven't found it yet, but when I do I think you'll agree it's one of the best you can get. "Virtual Floppy Drive" doesn't sound like the right one.

Originally Posted by Supamax

@ prowler

I didn't try (yet) the Mac utilities you uploaded for me to run in A-Max (DiskDup etc.).
Is one of them able to compress on-the-fly while dumping? Because I can't/won't prepare an hard disk for use with A-Max... I only have floppies.
So I can only save, let's say, the image of DF0: as a file on DF1:. But it has to be compressed, or it won't obviously fit...

DiskDup+ 2.5 is capable of dumping a disk in parts to fit in available memory. You will have to perform the dump in parts which will produce a number of partial disk images of DF0:, which you can save on DF1: and join the parts together afterwards with a binary file editor.

I've uploaded a set of DiskDup+ and Apple Disk Copy 4.2 images for you to try with Emplant. I will try to produce a set of DART images tomorrow on my Macintosh (I couldn't get DART working in the Macintosh Plus emulation).

Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

hi guys I`ve finaly made it home after all the retro goodiness of the week end

been trying to image my amax disks with ver 2 of converter from emplant but i get read errors and lots off them, if i try other versions it says i need v6 of sybil.libary which i cant seem to find

so can you up load a bootable disk that works plz then at least I can rule out a dogie config

also I`ll have that hex editor now prowler or when ever

I have uploaded Cygnus Hex Editor for Windows to the Zone for you, along with the archives I uploaded last week of Emplant Disk Converter, versions 2.0 and 6.0. Both versions contain all the files you need. Copy the LIBS files to the LIBS drawer on your hard disk and the FONTS files to the FONTS drawer on your hard disk. Version 2.0 doesn't require the FONTS files.

If you decide to update from version 2.0 to 6.0, you must reboot the Amiga for the changes to take effect. This could be why you're getting the sybil.library error message, because all required libraries are included.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

It is a floppy drive emulator for DOS, which is able to *exactly* emulate PC floppy drives in RAM. It's good enough to fool Disk copiers, booters, etc. I haven't found it yet, but when I do I think you'll agree it's one of the best you can get. "Virtual Floppy Drive" doesn't sound like the right one.

Ok, thanks . However, the one I used works in Windows XP too, and accepts even non-DOS disks (QL, DISCIPLE/SAM, etc.). It's very powerful.

DiskDup+ 2.5 is capable of dumping a disk in parts to fit in available memory. You will have to perform the dump in parts which will produce a number of partial disk images of DF0:, which you can save on DF1: and join the parts together afterwards with a binary file editor.

Good! Then DiskDup could be THE best utility we need to get exact (best compatible) images out of A-Max floppies .

[cosmicfrog]

Originally Posted by prowler

If you decide to update from version 2.0 to 6.0, you must reboot the Amiga for the changes to take effect. This could be why you're getting the sybil.library error message, because all required libraries are included.

yhear i get about resetin but I was usin the version cmd lookin for the sydil.library V6

any how I`m of to the zone I`ll report back later

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Ok, thanks . However, the one I used works in Windows XP too, and accepts even non-DOS disks (QL, DISCIPLE/SAM, etc.). It's very powerful.

When I said I haven't found it yet, what I meant was I forgot to grab it from my other machine when I was using it earlier. I will upload it for you tomorrow. It's ideal for the 'Flopper' floppy disk booter if you haven't got many old 360k floppies you can use.

Your 'Virtual Floppy' emulator sounds *very* good too. Could you upload that one too, please?

Originally Posted by Supamax

Good! Then DiskDup could be THE best utility we need to get exact (best compatible) images out of A-Max floppies .

Let's hope so! Although, I'm having no problems with Emplant Disk Copiers v2.0 - 6.0 on My A1200.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

I've uploaded a set of DiskDup+ and Apple Disk Copy 4.2 images for you to try with Emplant.

Thanks, I downloaded them .
I'll report later (tomorrow).

BTW, many days ago I downloaded from the net an image of Arkanoid (819.200 bytes) and tried to write it on a real A-Max disk, but Disk Converter didn't recognize it as a supported image... Then I added to the beginning of it the 16 bytes taken from one of my dumps and... voilà, the image was accepted.
I loaded A-Max, then the emulated Mac booted (successfully) straight from the Arkanoid disk. Unfortunately, the game produced an error and exited. However, it was not a booting error. It was something related to a not found graphics resource...

So I suppose you can add the 16 bytes to any 819.200 bytes image, and Disk Converter will recognize it and copy it to a real floppy.

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Thanks, I downloaded them .
I'll report later (tomorrow).

The disk images are all 800k. They are all bootable (that should help with testing). There is one each of MacPaint 1.4, MacDraw 1.9.5, System 4.3, System 6.0, System 6.0.3 and System 6.0.5 in each set.

I will have a set of DART images to upload tomorrow as well as the floppy disk emulator driver and formatter.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

Your 'Virtual Floppy' emulator sounds *very* good too. Could you upload that one too, please?

Sure. The problem is: I have two of them in my QL directories. They have very similar names and I can't remember right now which one I successfully used with the QL emulator... I'll let you know .

Originally Posted by prowler

Let's hope so! Although, I'm having no problems with Emplant Disk Copiers v2.0 - 6.0 on My A1200.

I know . What I mean is: with DiskDup (got running under A-Max) we can get images of A-Max disks in a *true* DiskDup format, perfectly useable in other Mac emulators on PC (or on true Macs).

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

BTW, many days ago I downloaded from the net an image of Arkanoid (819.200 bytes) and tried to write it on a real A-Max disk, but Disk Converter didn't recognize it as a supported image... Then I added to the beginning of it the 16 bytes taken from one of my dumps and... voilà, the image was accepted.
I loaded A-Max, then the emulated Mac booted (successfully) straight from the Arkanoid disk. Unfortunately, the game produced an error and exited. However, it was not a booting error. It was something related to a not found graphics resource...

So I suppose you can add the 16 bytes to any 819.200 bytes image, and Disk Converter will recognize it and copy it to a real floppy.

You will see that the DispDup+ disk images are the same 819,200 bytes, and actually they are identical to the image files I had downloaded from a Macintosh archive and mounted as emulated floppy disks. Thus we know that DispDup+ images will be comptatible if we insert the A-Max 16-byte header.

However, you will see that the Disk Copy 4.2 images are somwhat larger. This type of image is also comptaible with most emulators, so it will be interesting to see if Emplant accepts it.

DART images I am not sure about. I've had very little experience with it. It's quite an old program which was often used to make images of Apple Lisa OS and applications disks. I will find out all about it tomorrow.
Of course, it might produce 819,200 byte images just the same as the DiskDup+ ones.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

The disk images are all 800k. They are all bootable (that should help with testing). There is one each of MacPaint 1.4, MacDraw 1.9.5, System 4.3, System 6.0, System 6.0.3 and System 6.0.5 in each set.

I see that DiskDup+ images are 819.200 bytes, and this is fine .
But I see that DiskCopy4.2 images are 838.484 bytes. I suppose they come from DiskConverter v2.0? If so, could you (if it's not too much hassle) upload the images dumped from the same disks, but with v6.0 (819.216 bytes) ?

I think they would be easier to compare/transform.

EDIT: sorry, I wrote this post while you were writing yours!

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

However, you will see that the Disk Copy 4.2 images are somwhat larger. This type of image is also comptaible with most emulators, so it will be interesting to see if Emplant accepts it.

Ooooh, I understand now! They are not images dumped with Emplant4.2/DiskConverter! They are dumped with Apple Disk Copy v4.2 !

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

I see that DiskDup+ images are 819.200 bytes, and this is fine .
But I see that DiskCopy4.2 images are 838.484 bytes. I suppose they come from DiskConverter v2.0? If so, could you (if it's not too much hassle) upload the images dumped from the same disks, but with v6.0 (819.216 bytes) ?

No, the Disk Copy 4.2 format is not the same as that used by the Emplant Disk Converter v2.0. I think that the larger size is due to an area in the header reserved for adding a comment about the origin and content of the disk image. Disk2FDI produces a Disk Copy 4.2 compliant disk image from Macintosh disks and requests a comment which it will insert into the image.

This feature is peculiar to version 4.2 of Apple's Disk Copy program. Later versions of the utility also produce bare 819,200 byte images.

[Supamax]

Hi prowler,

did you try my images in your A-Max?
I'm pretty sure they are correct, but I don't know why they don't run on your Mac Plus emulator/real machine (after stripping them of the initial 16 bytes, of course).

If you find they work in A-Max, then we need to understand why they don't work in other environments.
I'll be checking your images (tomorrow), in the meantime .

Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

Lookin foward to imagin my 2 disks up now. Now that you`ve done all the hard work findin what to use and things.

Hi mate ,
I hoped you had more than just 2 A-Max floppies...

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Hi prowler,

did you try my images in your A-Max?
I'm pretty sure they are correct, but I don't know why they don't run on your Mac Plus emulator/real machine (after stripping them of the initial 16 bytes, of course).

If you find they work in A-Max, then we need to understand why they don't work in other environments.
I'll be checking your images (tomorrow), in the meantime .

No, I haven't tried A-Max at all (either in WinUAE or the Amiga) since we started the disk imaging discussion. What version of WinUAE and A-Max are you using for your tests?

If I am to give it a go, I think I should start by using the same versions as you.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

No, I haven't tried A-Max at all (either in WinUAE or the Amiga) since we started the disk imaging discussion.

But... but...

What version of WinUAE and A-Max are you using for your tests?

I warmly suggest you use A-Max on your real Amiga, not in WinUAE, since you successfully created real floppies from my images .

About the version, it's A-Max II/2.0. Can I upload it to the Zone, so you will be sure to use the same version as me?

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

But... but...

Don't get mad! I've been so busy with everything else, that I just didn't get around to it...

Originally Posted by Supamax

I warmly suggest you use A-Max on your real Amiga, not in WinUAE, since you successfully created real floppies from my images .

Right!

Originally Posted by Supamax

About the version, it's A-Max II/2.0. Can I upload it to the Zone, so you will be sure to use the same version as me?

I've probably got it. But, just to be sure, yes please!

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

I've probably got it. But, just to be sure, yes please!

Uploaded .

About WinUAE, I'm using the last official version (not beta etc.).

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Uploaded .

Thanks, mate!

Originally Posted by Supamax

About WinUAE, I'm using the last official version (not beta etc.).

Right. If I try it on WinUAE, I'll use that version (1.5.3) too.

I'll *try* to find time tomorrow to start using it.