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DSK2FILE, version 5.0f Ronald T. Kneusel, October 1997. FREEWARE (rkneusel@post.its.mcw.edu) What's New? (5.0f) ----------- Added ability to handle 800k disk images. What is it? ----------- DSK2FILE creates disk images of 5.25" disks (DOS 3.3 or ProDOS) or 800k disks (ProDOS order only) for use with Apple ][ emulator programs. DSK2FILE will create images in DOS 3.3 order (.DSK) or in ProDOS order (.PO) It does not matter what format the disk really is, you can use either order. Most emulators will handle DOS 3.3 order, some will also handle ProDOS order. What do I need to run it? ------------------------- For this version you need an enhanced IIe or better. You then need a 5.25" drive and one of the following: (0) another 5.25" drive (and the associated "chop" programs) (1) a 3.5" drive (2) a hard drive (3) a RAM card with 150K or more If you want to make 800k images you will need (besides the 3.5" drive, obviously) some place to put the resulting 1608 block file. A hard drive works nicely but a large RAM card would do as well. DSK2FILE will create the file, it is up to you to get the file to the PC or Mac. See below for suggestions on how to do this. Running DSK2FILE ---------------- DSK2FILE's menu has two choices: <1> DISK -> IMAGE FILE <2> IMAGE FILE -> DISK and some options, <3> Toggle image order <4> Toggle disk size <5> Toggle split image <6> Toggle stop on bad block read <7> Toggle drive number <8> Select slot number You will likely use <1> the most often. The second option is for those who might come across an image file and want to put that file back onto a disk and run it on a real Apple ][. The image order <3> is either DOS3.3 or ProDOS. It determines the way in which the information on the disk is written to the file. Virtually all Apple II emulators handle DOS3.3 order which usually has a .DSK or .DO file extension. ProDOS order is slightly faster because there is no swapping of data in memory before writing to the file. Most newer emulators support ProDOS order (.PO extension, usually) If you select an 800k image (option <4>) the order will be set to ProDOS for you. Be sure to name the output file with a .PO extension. Use a split image file <5> when you have only two 5.25" drives. This will output the image into two ~70k files which will fit on two 5.25" floppies. Use the proper split/merge program for the computer on which you will use the image to piece it together again. The program should be available from the same place you got this program. 800k images cannot be split. Many of my old disks have bad sectors or blocks but are still usable. Normally, DSK2FILE will ignore read errors and create a disk image anyway. This is usually a good thing as you can preserve a slightly damaged disk, but there might be times when you want to stop on an error, if so, toggle this option. (<6>) <1> DISK -> IMAGE FILE DSK2FILE reads disks from the slot selected with <8>, drive 1 or 2 (option <7>) Enter the complete pathname for the output file. The image order and optional splitting of the image file were set in the main menu. If you are splitting the output file you will be prompted for the pathname of the second file. Insert the disks when asked and press return. The image file will be created. Note the bit copy program-ish status indicator. As each track is read it is processed in memory (if DOS3.3 order) and written to the output file. If a read error happened but was ignored an "E" is left for that track. No error is indicated by a "." If the file is to be split the program will pause about halfway through the disk and display an "S" while it waits for you to swap output disks and press a key. 800k images use a slightly modified display which shows the percent completed. An error will produce an inverse "E" while no error displays an inverse space. <2> IMAGE FILE -> DISK Insert a *formatted* 5.25" or 3.5" disk in the selected slot and drive then specify the *complete* pathname of the image file as above. Use the options to select the right image order. Use ProDOS order for .PO images and use DOS order for .DSK and .DO image files. Again, if writing a split file you will be prompted for the pathname of the second part. Status indicators are as above. What's with the DOS and ProDOS orders? -------------------------------------- The Apple ][ has two different disk operating systems: DOS 3.3 and ProDOS. (Yes, there are several others, I'm simplifying a bit, I know :) DOS 3.3 is the older and slower of the two and deals in 256 byte sectors with 16 sectors per track and 35 tracks per 5.25" disk. ProDOS is faster and deals with 512 byte blocks, 280 per 5.25" disk. Therefore, each ProDOS block corresponds to two sectors. However, these are not necessarily contiguous sectors. ProDOS uses a different physical spacing of what DOS 3.3 would call sectors so that reading all the blocks from 0 to 279 in order writes the data on the disk to the file in one order while using track 0 to 34 and sector 0 to 15 for each track will write the data in a different order. Either way, all the data will be written, 143360 bytes total. An 800k image contains 1600 ProDOS blocks or 200 tracks-worth (using 8 blocks per track) How does it work? ----------------- Glad you asked! :) This version uses the ProDOS MLI command built into QForth to read a single track of the disk. If the order specified is DOS then the sectors (which are read as blocks in ProDOS order) are quickly re-arranged in memory. The track is then written to disk. Writing an image works the same way, read a track from the image file, swap sectors to get the order right, and write it to disk. What do I do with the image file? --------------------------------- The end goal, of course, is to get the file to a PC or Macintosh (or Unix box) I use a terminal program to upload the image file (written to my RAM card) to a Unix box and then download it to the Mac or PC. (Really, I FTP it since I have Internet access) Another option is to use a null modem cable and go directly to a PC or Mac with the image file. Lastly, you could write the file to a 3.5" ProDOS disk and use a Mac to read the file with Apple File Exchange. Then you could write the file to a PC disk if need be. If the image file is in two pieces use the Split/Merge program for your computer (PC, Mac, or Unix). This will merge a split image file or create a split image for use with an Apple that has only 5.25" drives. It doesn't work, now what? -------------------------- Contact me at the email address above. If you start seeing two digit hex numbers please write them down to help me in the debugging. These are ProDOS MLI error codes. DSK2FILE will not read copy protected disks. Disks with bad blocks or sectors will still be written to an image file with nonsense in the bad block or sector. I'm in the dark ages and don't have email, how to I contact you? ---------------------------------------------------------------- If you feel a compelling need you can try snail mail: Ron Kneusel 8725 W Burdick Ave Milwaukee, WI 53227 USA AMDG Updated: 15-Oct-97