Looking for Compute Games

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Ze Emulatron

I think I got another 2 games to work properly Canfield and Euchre.

I used some version of DiskSalv on the 'original' adf in WinUAE and then copied those files off to another disk.

I'll check it again and if they work I'll put up some pictures tomorrow and update the Zip file.

Good work, thanks! I look forward to your update.

I'll try to recover the original disk structure as far as possible, but only so much can be achieved by working with an image. However, what you've managed to recover with DiskSalv will certainly help. Please include all files salvaged (whether they appear to be complete or not), including any orphaned files (those without headers) plus the Boot sector and Volume Information files as well.

[Ze Emulatron]

Revived 2 more games using DiskSalv 1.4.2.

Canfield



Euchre



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Reuploaded the Zip with the new files.

[prowler]

Thanks for the new files. I'll have a look at them tomorrow.

[lifeschool]

Thanks for the Disksav4 zip Prowler. I know Ze used Disksav v1 - which is still better than DiskDoctor but no way as good as V4. V4 seems to rescue just about everything. Anyway, with a bit of luck we'll have all those games online soon

EDIT: I just uploaded 5 disk repair tool packages to the Zone. There should be something of use in there...

[prowler]

Thanks for the Disk Tools, lifeschool! You can never have enough of those.

Edit: @Ze Emulatron: Please could you confirm that the 'Compute Original.adf' file is a TransADF'd image of the nibble-copy you made of your 'original' damaged disk? It looks too complete to be a TransADF'd image of the 'original' disk.

If you can confirm that for me, then I shall be using that image as a basis for reconstructing the disk. Thanks.

[Ze Emulatron]

Originally Posted by prowler

Please could you confirm that the 'Compute Original.adf' file is a TransADF'd image of the nibble-copy you made of your 'original' damaged disk? It looks too complete to be a TransADF'd image of the 'original' disk.

The Compute Original.adf is a TransADF'd version of the 'original' damaged disk, it took like 14 min to transfer from my Amiga to PC.

Compute Games DiskDoctored.adf was the Nibble Copied version, but I had run DiskDoctor on it before I transfered it from my Amiga to PC.

If you want me to do a Nibble copy of the 'original' on my Amiga and then transfer it with TransADF I can do that.


EDIT:The file that contains the DiskSalv I used is in The Zone.

It also has other tools, I don't know how good they are, what they do and I can't find where I found them, Even though it was just the other day.

Tools
Disk Salv 1.42
Disk Speed
Fix Disk
HD Tool
New ZAP
ReOrg

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Ze Emulatron

The Compute Original.adf is a TransADF'd version of the 'original' damaged disk, it took like 14 min to transfer from my Amiga to PC.

I'm impressed. If you'd attempted the same thing with Amiga Explorer, it would have quit at the first read error and your file would have been truncated at that point.

Originally Posted by Ze Emulatron

Compute Games DiskDoctored.adf was the Nibble Copied version, but I had run DiskDoctor on it before I transfered it from my Amiga to PC.

Yes, that's what I had assumed. However, DiskDoctor has relocated many of the disk blocks in fixing the disk, so this image appears vastly different from the original when you compare them, but it's still useful to see what changes have been made.

Originally Posted by Ze Emulatron

If you want me to do a Nibble copy of the 'original' on my Amiga and then transfer it with TransADF I can do that.

Yes please. That would be the ideal starting point. I will map out all the blocks and find out which belong to which file and then I can paste the data from the fixed files which appear in your later images back into the original blocks and recalculate the checksums.

In this way, it should be possible to gradually reconstruct the original disk before it was damaged.

Originally Posted by Ze Emulatron

EDIT:The file that contains the DiskSalv I used is in The Zone.

It also has other tools, I don't know how good they are, what they do and I can't find where I found them, Even though it was just the other day.

Tools

Disk Salv 1.42

Disk Speed

Fix Disk

HD Tool

New ZAP

ReOrg

Thanks for uploading those.

I tend to use DiskmonTools on the Amiga for mapping out the disk structure and TrackEd for recalculating checksums. They're both available on Aminet. However, I prefer using a binary file editor in Windows to reconstruct disk images, because disk tools have a habit of making unwelcome changes.

[Ze Emulatron]

I'll do a nibble copy of the 'original' when I get home and send it to my PC. I should be able to upload it tomorrow.

[prowler]

Thanks for that. It will be most appreciated.

I am expecting the nibble-copied version to be a better starting point than the TransADF'd original, but that will be good enough if the nibble copy is not much better.

My Action Replay MkIII cartridges have a nibble copy function, but it's never occurred to me to use them for imaging standard formatted disks, so I don't have much experience with them (yet! ).

Edit: Once I get the blocks mapped out on the initial disk image (it usually takes a couple of days), I should be able to make some quick progress on this.

[Ze Emulatron]

Me being stupid everywhere I said TransADF I meant Transdisk.

The ADF of the nibble copy of the 'original' Compute Games disk is in the zone. It took about the same time the 'damaged original took to send back to my PC so I don't know if it is any better.

Not sure how Xcopy does it but track 00 on the upperside and track 49 on the lower side were a darker blue that the rest when it was copying, it might mark some errors.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Originally Posted by prowler

However, I prefer using a binary file editor

I like binary, we learned about it in my computer course

"There are only 10 types of people in the world, those that understand binary and those who don't."

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Ze Emulatron

Me being stupid everywhere I said TransADF I meant Transdisk.

Don't worry, I'm not overly familiar with either, but I knew the type of program you meant.

Originally Posted by Ze Emulatron

The ADF of the nibble copy of the 'original' Compute Games disk is in the zone. It took about the same time the 'damaged original took to send back to my PC so I don't know if it is any better.

Thanks for that. I can't believe it will be any worse, but the Original disk image you uploaded previously will be a good enough starting point if it isn't any better. I'm going to run HexCmp on the Original and Nibble Copied images in a moment, so I guess I'll find out shortly... [see Edit]

Originally Posted by Ze Emulatron

Not sure how Xcopy does it but track 00 on the upperside and track 49 on the lower side were a darker blue that the rest when it was copying, it might mark some errors.

Yes, I can see that - even on the thumbnail picture. I'll bear that in mind when I study the image.

Edit: The only differences between the Original and Nibble Copied disk images are in Track 0 on both sides of the disk (offset 00000-02BFF). This is really good news, as it proves that either one of these images would provide a good start for reconstructing the disk.

I will start on this with intent tomorrow.

[prowler]

I decided to use the nibble-copied Original disk image as the basis for reconstructing the disk.

WinUAE mounts it as a non-DOS disk, probably because it lacks a valid boot block, but the Root Block indicates a DOS disk structure and the volume name 'Lazarus', so I started mapping the disk blocks.

So far, I have mapped 263 disk blocks, 55 of which have errors. Many of these can definitely be repaired, but I can't say for sure about some of them until I have mapped the whole disk and know whether any data are missing.

It's slow-going because of preparations for Christmas and the relatively large number of fragments, but this process will lay down a solid foundation for fixing the disk.

In the first 263 disk blocks I have found portions of data belonging to the following files:
devs/printer.device
Strategy Games.info
devs/clipboard.device
FileReader.info
Chain Reaction.info
Euchre
devs/keymaps/usa1
devs/MountList
devs/parallel.device
devs/serial.device
Most
c/loadwb
c/SetClock
amigabasic
Rememory
Karma
LaserChess

[prowler]

I have now mapped the first 576 disk blocks and still there are only 55 with errors causing 2 broken files (with data blocks missing), though this may change.

The broken files are devs/printer.device and LaserChess.

In the 313 blocks I have mapped today, I have found portions of data belonging to the following files:
SwitchBox
FileReader
JumpBall
WordWar
Monte
IFFPuzzle
Arcade Games.info
Rememory.info
The Hermit.info
Climber 5.info
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo.info
Biker Dave.info
Euchre (a different file to the one found yesterday)
Canfield

In addition to these, I have found six orphan files (without header blocks).

[Ze Emulatron]

Originally Posted by prowler

It's slow-going because of preparations for Christmas and the relatively large number of fragments, but this process will lay down a solid foundation for fixing the disk.

Thanks for the effort.

Originally Posted by prowler

In the 313 blocks I have mapped today, I have found portions of data belonging to the following files:

FileReader
Euchre (a different file to the one found yesterday)

I am not entirely sure (The disk hasn't worked since 2003, and before that I hadn't used it since 1999(Amigas died)) but I think there were 2 files for each game, the game file that ran in AmigaBasic and the instructions that could be opened in FileReader.

Also if I recall the game BoulderBob never worked and I think another game also didn't work.

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Ze Emulatron

I am not entirely sure (The disk hasn't worked since 2003, and before that I hadn't used it since 1999(Amigas died)) but I think there were 2 files for each game, the game file that ran in AmigaBasic and the instructions that could be opened in FileReader.

Also if I recall the game BoulderBob never worked and I think another game also didn't work.

Thanks for those comments, Ze Emulatron. Any information of this kind you can remember will help to give me a better understanding of all the hidden file remnants which exist on this disk, and which the disk utilities you used may not have been able to recover, and that's the main reason I am reporting my progress as it happens.

I have now mapped the first 931 disk blocks. So far, there are 65 with errors causing at least 2 broken files and an increasing number of missing file headers. (I can't be sure of the exact numbers until I have completed this process. Only then will I know what all the bad blocks are hiding.)

In the 355 blocks I have mapped today, I have found portions of data belonging to the following files:
Hermit.Main
Chain Reaction
troybw
Climber 5
ReadMe
Biker Dave
Jump Ball (a different file to 'JumpBall' found yesterday)
Disk.info
Word War.info
Marbles
Marbles (a different file to the one above)
Euchre.info
Canfield.info
Rememory (a different file to the one found two days ago)
Marbles.info
__.info (the underscores denote two spaces in the filename)
Jump Ball.info

In addition, I have found a further five orphan files.

[prowler]

I have now mapped the first 1044 disk blocks. So far, there are 85 with errors, causing at least 6 broken files (though 4 of these are orphan files) and 12 missing file headers.

In the 113 blocks I have mapped today, I have found portions of the following files:
graphics.bmap
Laser Chess.info
exec.bmap
Switchbox.info
Laser Chess (a different file to 'LaserChess' found three days ago)
dos.bmap
.info
BikerDave (a different file to 'Biker Dave' found yesterday)

In addition, I have found another orphan file.

[prowler]

Okay, I resumed work on this disk earlier this evening.

I have now mapped the first 1094 disk blocks. So far, there are 96 with errors, causing at least 7 broken files (though 4 of these are orphan files) and 13 missing file headers.

In the 50 blocks I have mapped today, I have found portions of the following files and some directories too:
ChainReaction (a different file to 'Chain Reaction' found earlier)
files.compute
VirusKillers.info
ty
Climber5 (a different file to 'Climber 5' found earlier)
Rememory (a different file to both those already found)
s/startup-sequence
c <Dir>
s <Dir>
l <Dir>
libs <Dir>
devs <Dir>

In addition, I have found another orphan file.

Unfortunately it's very slow going because the disk is heavily fragmented and most of the bad blocks don't just have checksum errors but are actually exact copies of valid blocks elsewhere which have overwritten the original block, so it's difficult to determine exactly which parts of the lost file chains went where originally.

This is an arduous process, but it will pay dividends when I get to the next stage.

[prowler]

I have now mapped the first 1181 disk blocks. So far, there are 96 with errors, causing at least 7 broken files (though 4 of these are orphan files) and 14 missing file headers.

All 87 blocks I have mapped today are without errors. In doing so I have found portions of the following new files and directories:
t <Dir>
c/endcli
t/ed-backup
devs/narrator.device
devs/keymaps.usa0
libs/mathtrans.library
devs/printers <Dir>
devs/printers/CBM_MPS1000
devs/printers/generic
devs/printers/Xerox_4020
devs/printers/HP_PaintJet
devs/printers/HP_LaserJet
devs/printers/EpsonX[CBM_MPS-1250]
devs/clipboards <Dir>
devs/ramdrive.device
devs/system-configuration
libs/icon.library
libs/translator.library
libs/info.library
libs/mathieeedoubbas.library
libs/version.library
libs/diskfont.library
libs/mathieeedoubtrans.library
c/Binddrivers

In addition, I have found another orphan file.

[prowler]

I have now mapped the first 1542 disk blocks. So far, there are 147 with errors, causing at least 9 broken files (though 4 of these are orphan files) and 21 missing file headers.

In the 361 blocks I have mapped today, I have found portions of the following new files and directories:
c/Echo
PD.pic
VirusKillers <Dir>
VirusKillers/How-to-use-Viruscheck.doc
VirusKillers/.info
VirusKillers/How-to-use-Viruscheck.doc.info
VirusKillers/Most
VirusKillers/Virus_Checker
VirusKillers/Virus_Checker.doc
VirusKillers/Virus_Checker.doc.info
VirusKillers/Virus_Checker.info
V.Killers.info

In addition, I have found another 7 orphan files.

I should be able to get the rest of the disk mapped quite quickly now, as I'm expecting to find mainly large blocks of data in the remaining blocks.

This disk has seen a fair amount of use, as evidenced by the four bitmaps I have found. I'm not sure which is the current one yet, because the bitmap pointer is missing from the root block.

New file headers will be needed to replace the missing ones where there are sufficient loose blocks to make this worthwhile, and a new bitmap to represent the filesystem structure which emerges. This will be pasted into the block containing the existing bitmap which most closely resembles it. Then I'll add a bitmap pointer to the root block and mark it valid. I'm hoping that WinUAE will mount it as an AmigaDOS disk after that!

Then I'll have a look at your DiskDoctored and DiskSalved disks.

[prowler]

I've now finished mapping the disk blocks. The remainder contained only data and none had errors.

There are 147 bad or unused blocks including the two boot blocks, 4 bitmap blocks, at least 10 broken files (though 4 of these are orphan files) and 21 missing file headers resulting in an equal number of orphan files.

I am presently compiling a list of all files found together with their full path, size and status.