Message-ID: <apple2/faq/part10_981033948@rtfm.mit.edu>
Supersedes: <apple2/faq/part10_978437927@rtfm.mit.edu>
Expires: 17 Mar 2001 13:25:48 GMT
References: <apple2/faq/part1_981033948@rtfm.mit.edu>
X-Last-Updated: 2001/02/01
Organization: none
From: rubywand@swbell.net
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2,comp.answers,news.answers
Subject: Apple II Csa2 FAQs: File Utilities, Part 10/23
Followup-To: poster
Summary: Comp.sys.apple2 (Csa2) is concerned with the Apple II
series of computers. It is the net's largest forum for
users to ask questions, discuss issues, and share ideas.
The complete set of Csa2 text FAQs and Resource files is
maintained on the U. Iowa Ground site and mirrors. The
Csa2 html FAQs are maintained on the II Computing site.
Date: 01 Feb 2001 13:27:02 GMT
X-Trace: 981034022 senator-bedfellow.mit.edu 17492 18.181.0.29
Archive-name: apple2/faq/part10
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2001/2/1
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html
The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2001. Administrator: Steve Nelson
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2FLUTILS.txt rev035 February 2001
File Utilities
001- What are "binscii" files and how are they used?
002- What are .SHK files and how do I use them?
003- How do I get ShrinkIt or GS-ShrinkIt going on my Apple II?
004- How do I deal with the $00 type Apple II files I get on my Mac?
005- Can I create .ZIP files on my Apple II?
006- What are DSK, 2MG, ... disk image files and how do I use them?
007- Where can I get ShrinkIt, binscii, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV, etc.?
008- I have downloaded files in "gz" format? How do I use them?
009- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?
010- What is Copy II Plus and where can I get it?
011- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?
012- How do I set write protection for an emulator disk image?
013- How can I create a disk image from a ShrinkIt .sdk file?
014- How can I convert a .po image into a .dsk image?
015- What do file name extensions mean and how do I access the files?
016- How do I tell what kind of file this is?
From: Rubywand
001- What are "binscii" files and how are they used?
The term "binscii" comes from combining "binary" with "ASCII". A file in binscii form has been changed so that it can be transmitted as text to/from net servers and services which do not handle pure binary transfers.
Today, practically all servers can handle pure binary transfers; so, binscii is no longer in popular use. However, quite a few old A2 files are still in binscii form and binscii is used for files uploaded to comp.binaries.apple2.
To convert binscii'd files to their un-biniscii'd form, you can use a program named "BINSCII" or, on a GS, the New Desk Accessory named "GScii". These programs can, also, create binscii files.
Note: Binscii is in no way related to Binary II. Binscii changes the entire file into Text. Binary II is just a small block of bytes tacked onto the front of a file, mainly to identify the file's filetype.
----------------------------
002- What are ShrinkIt (.SHK) files and how do I use them?
ShrinkIt files are the Apple II world's answer to .ZIP files in PC-ville. An .SHK file is a file which contains one or more files which are almost always in compressed form. Usually, they are produced by GS-ShrinkIt (also called "GSHK" or "ShrinkIt-GS") or the Balloon NDA, or by 8-bit ShrinkIt. Some .SHK files are produced by Macs; these may not always be compatible with A2 ShrinkIt programs.
An .SHK file can be unshrinked by ShrinkIt even if it shows up on the Apple II with a TXT or BIN filetype and even if the name does not end with ".SHK" or ".shk". If a ShrinkIt file does not show up as available for unshrinking, you can toggle an "All files" option to see the file and then select it. If an .SHK file has a Binary II header, ShrinkIt will automatically remove it and assign the correct filetype. (Of course, this will usually be SHK.)
Other kinds of ShrinkIt files include .SEA and .SDK. An Apple II .SEA file is a IIgs executable self-extracting archive-- i.e. you can click it on the GS Finder and it will unShrink. There are also Mac .SEA files and these are not GS-compatible.
A ShrinkIt whole-disk archive is an .SHK file which is usually labeled ".SDK" to show that it is a Shrinked diskette. An .SDK file can archive a 3.5" diskette (both sides) or 5.25" diskette (one side). Most are archives of 5.25" DOS 3.3 diskettes produced by 8-bit ShrinkIt.
A whole-disk ShrinkIt archive retains all data bytes on a diskette, including files, Catalog/Directory sectors, empty tracks, and DOS if present. An .sdk file of a DOS 3.3 5.25" disk created by 8-bit ShrinkIt also preserves volume number-- important for some games and utilities which depend upon volume numbers to identify disks. (5.25" whole-disk archives created by GS-ShrinkIt do not preseve volume number.)
8-bit/IIe ShrinkIt can be used to fully unshrink any Apple II .SHK file _except_ .SHK files which contain files with GS/OS resource forks and .SEA files. For this reason, 8-bit ShrinkIt should not be used to unshrink .SHK file archives containing GS programs unless you know that none of the contained files has a resource fork.
GS-ShrinkIt can handle nearly all kinds of Apple II .SHK and .SDK files. It will not handle shrinked 5.25" DOS 3.3 .SDK files created by 8-bit ShrinkIt. In fact, most users automatically use 8-bit ShrinkIt to create and unshrink .SDK files of old 5.25" wares. (Balloon does not currently support whole-disk archives.)
Naturally, things are somewhat more crowded on 64K Apple II's. On these machines, the functions are separated. SHRINK creates .SHK files and UNSHRINK unshrinks them.
On a PC, the utility NuLib (v3.24) lets you view contents and unshrink most kinds of .SHK files. (There is a handy option to unshrink and convert Apple II text files to PC text format.) It will not unshrink IIgs files with resource forks.
Here is a simple one-line batch (text) file program for easily viewing the contents of .shk files you download to a PC (just double-click on the file name):
c:\nulib\nulib v %1 |more
The above is for NuLib.exe located in folder c:\nulib . Save the text as nulibv.bat in c:\nulib and tell Windows to use c:\nulib\nulibv.bat as the 'application to perform action' for doing an Open. (You do this by selecting View--Options in the My Computer window and editing the file type info for .shk files.)
NuLib can also convert 5.25" .SDK files into .PO (ProDOS order) disk images which can be used by Apple II emulators. This works for .SDK files produced by 8-bit ShrinkIt but not for those produced by GS-ShrinkIt.
The unshrinking process is very speedy and the size of a compressed ShrinkIt file is, often, around half that of the original files it contains. This makes .SHK files very handy for archiving your software. And, since a ShrinkIt file also preserves filetype information of contained files, ShrinkIt has become the preferred format for uploading and storing Apple II files on the internet.
----------------------------
003- How do I get ShrinkIt or GS-ShrinkIt going on my Apple II?
Getting GS-ShrinkIt v1.1
If you do not already have Balloon or an earlier version of GS-ShrinkIt, there are several ways to get GS-ShrinkIt going once a file is downloaded and transferred to your IIgs. Here are the two easiest ways:
A. The Self-Extracting (.sea) version
A IIgs .sea file is a IIgs application which self-extracts the file contents when executed from the usual Finder desktop display. Since the file gshk.sea will, most likely, arrive as a Text type file, you will need to change the file's filetype to $B3 (S16) before it can be executed.
Several utilities can change ProDOS filetype. If you do not have one, you can download tchange.bin and follow the directions* in tchange_info.txt to get it going on your Apple II.
You can find GS-ShrinkIt in an .SEA file (e.g. gshk.sea) and tchange.bin on several archive sites. (See Q&A 007 below.)
B. The Shrinked Disk (.sdk) version
GSUTILS.sdk is a shrinked whole-disk file which can be unshrinked to 800k 3.5" diskette using 8-bit ShrinkIt (or GS-ShrinkIt). If booted, this diskette starts a bare-bones System 6.0.1 and launches GS-ShrinkIt.
Besides GS-ShrinkIt, also on the disk (in .SHK files) are the ZLINK shareware telecom utility and ASIMOV for converting .dsk files. Coolwriter (for reading Text) is on the disk as a non-shrinked file. All of these can be copied to hard disk or to other diskettes.
GSUTILS.sdk is available on Ground in the useful.stuff/ folder mentioned above. The 8-bit ShrinkIt in a self-extracting version can be found in the same folder.
Getting SHRINK and UNSHRINK (for 64k Apples)
SHRINK and UNSHRINK permit 64k Apple II users to work with .SHK files. These files are usually maintained in non-shrinked form. You can find them on several sites. (See Q&A 007 below.)
To get these utilities going on your Apple II, download SHRINK, UNSHRINK, and SHRINK2PLUS.TXT (e.g. as separeate files or on a .dsk disk image). Once the files are transferred to your Apple II, follow the directions* in SHRINK2PLUS.TXT.
*Note: If you download an Apple II file to a PC and transfer to a Mac and get filetype $00 ("Unknown"), the process described in the directions will not work when the $00 file is moved to your Apple II. One solution is a Mac utility to set filetype to $04 (TXT). See ProTYPE info in the next Q&A below.
----------------------------
Getting 8-bit ShrinkIt
From: Beverly Cadieux
The easiest way to get the current (3.4) version of 8-bit ShrinkIt going is via the self-extracting archive, SHRINK.EXE.
o- Download the file, (transfer to your Apple II if necessary,) and get into AppleSoft BASIC (run BASIC.SYSTEM and get to the AppleSoft "]" prompt).
o- Be sure to set the ProDOS PREFIX to the location of SHRINK.EXE on your Apple II. For example, if it is in the main directory of volume HD1, you would enter
PREFIX /HD1
o- Now, enter -SHRINK.EXE (that's a dash, then the file name):
-SHRINK.EXE
Shrinkit will self-extract, along with a documentation file. (ShrinkIt v3.4 consists of two files. One is a small start file which may be named "Shrinkit.System", "ShrinkitST.sys", or something similar. The other is the main program file which must be named "Shrinkit".)
You can find SHRINK.EXE in Ground's useful.stuff/ folder (See Q&A 007 below).
____________________________
From: Randy Shackelford
004- How do I deal with the $00 type Apple II files I get on my Mac?
Some II users like to download Apple II files to a PC and transfer them to a Mac for eventual transfer to Apple II ProDOS diskettes. Unfortuantely, under most circumstances, PC Exchange writes files onto ProDOS disks as extended typeless ($00) files which are difficult to work with on the Apple II.
What you need is to get hold of a Mac application named "ProTYPE". You drag 'n drop the files on ProTYPE, then copy 'em to the floppy. The files will work then.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
005- Can I create .ZIP files on my Apple II?
The GS can unZIP .ZIP files via PMPunZip; but, at present, there is no Apple II utility for creating modern .ZIP files.
----------------------------
From: Supertimer
Tony Marques wrote Angel, the fastest unzipping utility for the Apple II. It can create zip files, but only one file per archive.
____________________________
From: Rubywand and Orgone Accumulator
006- What are DSK, PO, DO, NIB and 2MG "disk image" files and
how do I use them?
A "disk image" is a file containing every data byte on a diskette-- i.e. Catalog tracks, files, DOS (if present) etc.. Apple II emulators running on a PC, Mac, etc. treat disk image files like diskettes. Disk image files are also a handy way to archive Apple II disks on hard disk and to maintain wares on ftp and other download sites.
DSK's (.dsk, .do, and .po files)
There are several disk image formats. DSK (usually .dsk) files are disk image files used by popular Apple II emulators like AppleWin to run A2 wares on the PC or Mac. Usually, they are images of Apple 5.25" game, utility, etc. diskettes. A standard 5.25" DSK file is 143,360 bytes in length:
1 side x 35 Tracks/side x 16 Sectors/Trk x 256 Bytes/Sec = 143,360 Bytes.
DSK files of 800k 3.5" disks are much less common.
Data in a DSK disk image file can be arranged in the sector order used by DOS 3.3 or in the sector order used by ProDOS. The filename suffixes .dsk, .do, and .po relate to how data is arranged in the file:
.dsk- technically, this may be an image which has its data in DOS 3.3 or ProDOS order. (The emulator program is supposed to check a .dsk file to determine the ordering used.) It has become standard practice to use the .dsk suffix for only DOS 3.3 order files.
.do- an image which is in DOS 3.3 order. This suffix is seldom used today. DOS 3.3 order image file names usually end with ".dsk".
.po- an image which is in ProDOS order. If an image is in ProDOS order, its name should end with ".po" (not ".dsk") to avoid confusion.
Note: data order does not relate to whether a disk image is a DOS 3.3 or ProDOS disk. In fact, nearly all 5.25" disk image files (of both DOS 3.3 and ProDOS disks) are in DOS 3.3 order; and, DOS 3.3 order is the default setting for image creation programs like DSK2FILE and ASIMOV and the transfer/creation program ADT.
About the only current source of ProDOS order images is the PC program NuLib. It can create disk images from 8-bit ShrinkIt whole-disk (.sdk) files (but not from .sdk files which were produced by GS-ShrinkIt). These images will be in ProDOS order. You can convert a .po disk image to a DOS 3.3 order .dsk by using a disk copier like Disk Muncher on an emulator to copy from the .po image to a .dsk image.
On ftp sites, DSK files are usually in a ZIPped form to conserve space. For example, on the Asimov site, narfgames.dsk.gz is a DSK file of the narfgames disk which has been g-zip compressed. On a PC, WinZIP will unZIP g-zipped DSK files into uncompressed form.
A DSK file can be converted to actual diskette form on an Apple II using DSK2FILE or (GS-only) ASIMOV. If a 5.25" .dsk disk image file is transferred to your Apple II using ADT (or ADTgs for IIgs), it is automatically converted and written to 5.25" diskette. For more about ADT and ADTgs see Telecom-1.
Most 5.25" DSK (.dsk and .do) files are of a DOS 3.3 or some related DOS disk. The target diskette should be INITed for DOS 3.3. (or, it can be formatted using Copy II Plus, etc.) and you should use the default DSK2FILE or ASIMOV "DOS 3.3 Order" setting. If a disk image file has a .po suffix, use the DSK2FILE or ASIMOV "ProDOS Order" setting.
Note: In most cases it is okay to use either a DOS 3.3 or ProDOS formatted diskette as the target (and; the target disk does not need to be empty of any files). However, ProDOS formatting uses a default Volume Number of 1, which is different from the DOS 3.3 default of 254. Since ProDOS stuff does not care about Volume numbering and DOS 3.3 stuff may, the target disk should generally be one INITed with the default Volume Number-- e.g. INIT HELLO .
Here is a quickie step-by-step guide for getting a 5.25" DSK disk image file into useable form:
1. Download the file in binary mode from an ftp archive site via ftp:// ...
2. If file length is not 143,360, use WinZIP or equivalent to unZip it.
3. Transfer the DSK file to your GS via Mac diskette or a NULL modem transfer. One way or another, the file needs to end up on a ProDOS diskette or ProDOS hard disk volume on the GS.
4. If you are using DSK2FILE, jot down the complete path name of the DSK file (e.g. /RAM5/NARFGAMES.DSK ) because DSK2FILE will ask you to type it in.
5. Insert the formatted 5.25" target diskette into Drive 1 (Slot 6). This diskette needs to be 16-sector formatted. Plain DOS 3.3 formatting with the default Volume number is, generally, best and easiest. (You can boot a DOS 3.3 or Prontodos disk and do an INIT HELLO to format a 5.25" diskette.)
6. Start DSK2FILE or ASIMOV. Normally, you will accept the defaults (5.25", DOS 3.3 order). If you know the DSK is a ProDOS image in ProDOS order-- like the file name ends with ".PO", select "ProDOS Order". (ProDOS disk images are, fairly often, in DOS order to make them more universally transferable.)
7. Select the "Image file ---> Diskette" option, follow prompts, and you should end up with a good diskette. (If everything seemed to go well but the disk does not work, try repeating the process using the other "Order" option.)
DSK2FILE and ASIMOV can, also, create disk image (.dsk or .po) files. Similarly, using ADT to transfer a 5.25" disk automatically creates a .dsk disk image on the PC. The source disk can be for a game, etc. so long as the diskette is not copy protected.
Note: DOS 3.3 products which depend upon Volume numbering to identify diskettes will normally not work in disk image form on an Apple II emulator because Volume number information is embedded in non-data parts of a disk and is not included in a standard .dsk disk image file.
NIB (.nib) and 2MG (.2mg)
Some copy protected diskettes can be converted to another kind of disk image called "NIB". Saltine's Super Transcopy incorporates Copy II Plus routines to attempt to produce a nibblized disk image of a 5.25" diskette. If successful, you have a .nib file which can be used like a diskette on popular Apple II emulators. (For one or two older emulators, .nib files are the only useable images.) Since a .nib file includes embedded disk information, it preserves DOS 3.3 Volume numbering.
The standard length of a .nib file is 232,960 bytes-- much larger than a DSK and a lot more bother to create from a diskette (using SST). However, creating a .nib file from a .dsk or .po file is easy. You use Disk Muncher on an emulator to copy from the .dsk or .po image to a .nib image. (You can, also, INIT a .nib image file or format it for ProDOS and file-copy the contents of a .dsk or .po image to a .nib image. This would be one way to get the contents of a DSK onto an image having a special DOS
3.3 Volume number.)
The conversion process can also go the other way-- from .nib to .dsk. Using a whole-disk copier like Disk Muncher, you can copy a non-copy protected .nib image to a .dsk disk image. This would allow the image to be transferred to an Apple II using ADT. If volume number information for a DOS 3.3 .nib needs to be preserved, you can INIT the target disk to the correct volume number before doing the transfer. (Or, you can use Bag of Tricks to change the volume number of a DOS 3.3 disk while preserving the
data.)
Today, more and more IIgs software is being converted to 2MG disk image format used on XGS IIgs emulators. You can use ASIMOV2 or DSK2FILE v5.5 or later to convert .2MG files back to diskette form as well as for creating .2MG files from 800k diskettes.
----------------------------
From: lachlan_arnott
On a Mac, you can use MacGzip to unZIP g-zipped (.gz) DSK files into uncompressed form.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
007- Where can I get ShrinkIt, Shrink (64k), Unshrink (64k),
GS-ShrinkIt, binscii, GScii, BISCIT, TCHANGE, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV,
PMPunZip, Angel, FileManager, 2qwk!, GZPK, Copy II Plus,
NuLib, Balloon, DskIn & DskOut, Saltine's Super Transcopy (SST),
UnforkIt, XTRAX, StuffIt Expander, and ProTYPE?
You can download
ShrinkIt v3.4 or later ("8-bit ShrinkIt") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
as binscii file and self-extracting archive
See PDShrinkIts disk below
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/utility/misc/
Shrink (v2.1) for 64k Apple II's at ...
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/utility/disk_utils/
See PDShrinkIts disk below
Unshrink (v2.1) for 64k Apple II's at ...
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/utility/disk_utils/
See PDShrinkIts disk below
GS-ShrinkIt ("ShrinkIt-GS", "GSHK") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
as .sea, .sdk, and binscii
BINscii at ...
See PDShrinkIts disk below
GScii NDA at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/System/Ndas/
BISCIT ("BSC-It") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
TCHANGE at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
DSK2FILE (v4.x or later for a 128k //e or later Apple II;
version 3 or earlier for 64k Apple II's) at ...
http://www.geocities.com/oneelkruns/index.html
current version (e.g. v5.7)
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Emulators/ v5.5 and v5.6
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple8/Utils/ v2.1
ASIMOV at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/upl2000/Jun/ (v2.0)
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Emulators/ (v1.3)
http://www.ninjaforce.com/html/products.html (v2.0)
PMPunZip at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Com/Utils/
Angel at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/apple8/Pgms/ as .shk
ftp://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/apple2/archivers/ as .bsq
FileManager NDA at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/System/Ndas/
2qwk! at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple8/Com/
GZPK at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple8/Com/
Copy II Plus (DOS & ProDOS versions on disk images) at ...
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/utility/disk_utils/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/useful.stuff/Disks/
on disk images (see below)
http://abandonwarering.com/tiktok/ (click "Utilities") as .zip
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/a2zine/Utils/ as .zip
NuLib at ...
http://www.nulib.com/ newest NuLib (NuLib2)
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/utility/ v3.24
ftp://apple2.tffenterprises.com/pub/apple2/ARCHIVERS/ v3.24
as ibmnulib.zip
http://abandonwarering.com/tiktok/ (click "Utilities") v3.24 in .zip
Balloon v2.0 NDA at ...
http://abandonwarering.com/tiktok/ (click "Utilities") as .zip
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/a2zine/Utils/ as .zip
DskIn & DskOut at ...
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/utility/
http://abandonwarering.com/tiktok/ (click "Utilities") as .zip
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/a2zine/Utils/ as .zip
Saltine's Super Transcopy (SST) at ...
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/utility/disk_utils/
http://abandonwarering.com/tiktok/ (click "Utilities") as .zip
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/a2zine/Utils/ as .zip
UnforkIt at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/upl2000/Jun/
http://abandonwarering.com/tiktok/ (click "Utilities") as .zip
ftp://apple2.tffenterprises.com/pub/apple2/utils/
XTRAX (utility for generating self-extracting archives
for 8-bit Apple IIs) at ...
http://www.manual.com/apple2/
StuffIt Expander for Macs at ...
http://www.leo.org/pub/comp/os/macintosh/leo/compressconvert/index.html
ProTYPE for Macs at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Mac/
You can also obtain several of the above in collections on a ShrinkIt .sdk whole-disk file, emulator .dsk disk image, and/or emulator .nib disk image:
TNILUTIL (.sdk, .dsk) bootable DOS 3.3
DOS 3.3 version of Copy II Plus Disk Muncher fast copier
Beagle's Program Writer Joystick checker/adjuster
Graphics viewer plus a few other programs
PDUTIL (.sdk, .dsk, .nib) bootable ProDOS v1.9
ProDOS/DOS Copy II Plus utilities Beagle's Program Writer
Block Warden block editor Graphics viewer
plus a few other programs
PDSHRINKITS (.sdk, .dsk) bootable ProDOS v1.9
8-bit ShrinkIt v3.4 (128k) 8-bit Shrink v2.1 for 64k
8-bit Unshrink v2.1 for 64k Type Changer
BINSCII w. docs plus a few other programs
PDTCOM (.sdk, .dsk) bootable ProDOS v1.9
DSK2FILE (v5.5) UU decode w. docs
Comm System 8 telecom utility plus a few other programs
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/useful.stuff/Disks/
GSUTILS (.sdk) 800k disk boots a bare-bones System 6.0.1
and starts GS-ShrinkIt.
ZLINK (.shk) telecom utility
ASIMOV (.shk) for converting .dsk files.
Coolwriter for reading/editing Text)
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/useful.stuff/
----------------------------
008- I have downloaded a bunch of files for the Apple II
lately that are in a format called GZ. I understand it
is some variation of Zip but I don't have a translator for
it on my GS. Does anyone know where I can find one?
Files downloaded from Asimov, mod files, and some others are, often, in GZ "g-zipped" format and usually have the .gz file name extension (like narfgame.dsk.gz). If you download the files to a PC, you can use the Windows version of PKZip (WinZIP) to unzip the file.
Usually, once unzipped, an Asimov GZ image file will end up as a 143,360 byte DSK file. The file may be moved to your Apple via NULL modem and converted to Apple-readable diskette form using DSK2FILE or (GS-only) ASIMOV.
If you download a GZ file directly to your Apple you can use a program named "GZPK" v2 to convert it from gzip form to a zip format which can be unzipped via PMPUnzip 2.0 or Angel. A GZ file from the Asimov site should end up as a DSK file.
----------------------------
From: Byron Desnoyers Winmill
On a Macintosh, the same job (as WinZIP on a PC) can be accomplished with the StuffIt Expander and the DropStuff Expander Pack. These can be found on most Macintosh related ftp sites, including Link Everything Online. (See Q&A 007.)
____________________________
From: Slick
009- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?
I prefer More Info or Disk Witch, myself. I'll go through a list of stuff on my hard drive to manipulate filetypes:
DAs:
Alter (NDA)
Conchshell (CDA)
Disk Witch (CDA)
File Manager (NDA)
File Info2 (NDA)
File Info Edit (NDA)
Super Info II (NDA)
Utilities CDA (CDA), not very good
Finder Extras:
More Info
GS/OS Applications
Instant Access
File Passage
ProDOS 8
FAZ II (File Attribute Zap II)
----------------------------
From: Boris Guenter
File-A-Trix by Karl Bunker should do the job. Best of all, the latest (and last) version 1.1.1 of this program is freeware.
Since I had a few troubles with the latest version, I have made both version 1.1 and 1.1.1 available in the gs/utils/files folder on ftp.uni-kl.de
Try them both and find out which version works best for you.
----------------------------
From: Tony Ward
I also prefer File-A-Trix. It performs a wide variety of functions including copy, move, delete, rename, catalog, make new folder, set file attributes (lock, unlock, filetype, auxtype), find file, format (floppy only), view text, Teach and AWP files. Best of all, it's a CDA that works from GS/OS and ProDOS 8, although there are some restrictions under P8 (ie. no HFS disk access, no viewing forked Teach files, etc.)
----------------------------
From: Gareth Jones
I use either File-A-Trix, Change-A-File 4.20, or Deliverance (part of the Salvation Utilities).
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
Some programs which can be used to change filetype are ...
Jeff Hartkoph's File Manager- a GS NDA which lets you change Type, Auxtype, Date, and Access attributes. It is handy for modifying several files in quick succession.
Paul Parkhurst's PMPunZip- a GS application which includes an option for changing Type, Auxtype, and Access attributes. (In the File menu click on Modify File Attributes.)
Glen Bredon's ProSel (ProDOS 8 utilities)
Roger Wagner's Filetype Changer- a vintage BASIC utility which lets you change just the Type. A BRUN-able .BIN version is on Ground. (This is good enough for getting the GS-ShrinkIt .SEA file's filetype set correctly so that it can self-extract.)
----------------------------
From: Beverly Cadieux
And a biggie - AppleWorks v5.1-> File Activities, Change File Type.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
010- What is Copy II Plus and where can I get it?
Copy II Plus is the best general purpose utility for copying disks and managing files on DOS 3.3 and ProDOS diskettes. Good versions which handle both DOS 3.3 and ProDOS files are 7.x - 8.x.
Note: Versions 9.x require at least a 128k Enhanced //e and have a few notable bugs. Version 9.0's Catalog Sort option can mess up your directory. Neither version 9.0 nor 9.1 works correctly with the /RAM5 RAM disk. The best added feature of Version 9.x is being able to compare files.
No version of Copy II Plus will copy files which include a resource part, usually called a "resource fork". In some cases the copy may seem to be successful; but, it will be a mess. Only some, relatively new, IIgs files include a resource fork. No DOS 3.3 files or files intended for access under ProDOS 8 have resource forks.
The most versatile releases of the utility are, probably, Versions 7.1 and 7.2. They include the capability for creating disk images. The images are not compatible with popular emulators; but, they are a handy way to archive DOS 3.3 disks on a hard disk.
For places to get Copy II Plus in ShrinkIt shrinked disk and emulator disk image files, refer to Q&A 007 above.
____________________________
From: tturner, Rubywand, Greg Buchner, Labelas Enoreth
011- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?
First, to the best of my knowledge, only versions 6.x and 7.x of Copy II Plus can create a disk image file (called an "IMG" file). The feature was gone by version 8, for sure.
To create an IMG file you COPY--> DISK to an over-size target volume. Versions 6 and 7 will create a type "IMG" file instead of complaining about a "size mismatch" (which is what other versions of Copy II Plus do). It is fairly common to end the name of the new IMG file with ".img".
Doing the opposite lets you convert an IMG file back to diskette. That is, you select the COPY --> DISK option and pick the large volume with the IMG file as Source and a blank unformatted 5.25" diskette in the Slot 6, Drive 1 drive as Destination. You pick an IMG file on the Source volume and it is transferred to the diskette.
Copy II Plus IMG files are not compatible with DSK2FILE or ASIMOV and will not work on emulators such as AppleWin. Also, not all files ending with ".img" are Copy II Plus disk image files. I have seen ".img" (and ".image") used for DiskCopy disk image files.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
012- I'm using an Apple II emulator to play games. The game directions
say the boot disk must have a write protect tab. How do I set
write protection for a disk image?
Under Windows on a PC, you can right-click on the file name, select Properties, and adjust the "Read-only" attribute. Checking "Read-only" turns ON write protection; unchecking it turns write protection OFF.
----------------------------
From: Jon Bettencourt
On a Mac, you select the file, go up to File --> Get Info..., and click on "Locked."
____________________________
From: Rubywand
013- How can I create a disk image from a ShrinkIt .sdk file?
NuLib v3.24 can be used to make .po disk images from ShrinkIt 5.25" whole-disk archives-- e.g. .sdk files.
Note: NuLib v3.24 can create 5.25" disk images only for .sdk files created by 8-bit ShrinkIt (not ones created by GS-ShrinkIt). Since most .sdk files were created by 8-bit ShrinkIt, there is usually no problem.
For instance, suppose you have downloaded a whole-disk archive (.sdk file) of a 5.25" disk of modem utilities named "modem1.sdk" and wish to convert it into a disk image. For this example, it is assumed that you have downloaded NuLib v3.24 and unZIPed it and, now, have all of your Nulib stuff (nulib.exe, docs, etc.) in C:\nulib on your PC:
o- After downloading to the PC, check the file name of the .sdk file you want to convert. The name should have from 1 to 8 characters followed by ".sdk". If it doesn't, rename the file so that it does. The file modem1.sdk follows the above rule; so, there is no need to rename it.
o- Move or copy modem1.sdk to the C:\nulib folder.
o- Since you are probably in Windows95 (or later) open an MS-DOS window.
o- In the DOS window, go to the nulib folder ...
C:\WINDOWS>cd\
C:\>cd nulib
o- Enter the xd command to create the disk image from modem1.sdk:
C:\nulib>nulib xd modem1.sdk
You should get a message saying the 'NEW DISK' image is being extracted ending with "...done".
o- Exit the MS-DOS window-- e.g. click on the "X" in the corner.
o- Open the C:\nulib folder. Probably, your new disk image will be named "new.dis". Rename the new file to "modem1.po". It should show up with a size of 140k in the usual Windows listing. (If it shows size 0, go to "View" for the window and click "Refresh".)
If the new modem1.po has some size other than 140k-- like size is shown as 75k, etc.-- it means that modem1.sdk was probably created by GS-ShrinkIt and can not be converted to a disk image using NuLib. (You might as scrap the bad modem1.po .)
Most likely, though, the conversion will work and modem1.po will be a good disk image.
----------------------------
014- How can I convert a .po image into a .dsk image?
Most emulator programs have no problem using .po ProDOS order images. So, the usual reason for wishing to convert .po files to .dsk DOS 3.3 images is to permit transferring the image to your Apple II via ADT.
Since a disk copy done on an emulator usually adjusts ordering to match the target, doing a disk copy from a .po image to a .dsk image is a simple way to do the conversion. A good emulator choice for Windows95 users is AppleWin. A good disk copier program is Disk Muncher. It is included on the TNILUTIL.DSK available from Ground.
____________________________
From: David Kopper, Dan DeMaggio, Boris Guenter, Nathan Mates,
Phil Abro, Rubywand, Labelas Enoreth, Tony Turner
015- What do the different popular file name extensions, like ".BSC",
mean; and, how do I access the files?
File name extensions tell you what sort of file you are dealing with so that you will know which program(s) to use to unpack, unShrink, display, etc. the file. Many programs which create such files do not automatically add an extension-- for example, most of the disk images on the Golden Orchard CD are DiskCopy files with no name extension. Many other programs which create files suggest a default extension as part of the name-- GS-ShrinkIt generally suggests ".SHK"-- but, the user can change this and
save under any legal name desired. (One popular change is using ".SDK" for ShrinkIt whole-disk archive files.)
Some extensions indicate a filetype recognized by Apple II ProDOS; but, often, the extension is just for user information or to help some utility recognize the file as one it can deal with. For such files the actual ProDOS filetype is usually TXT, BIN, or SHK.
What is it? (What program do I use?)
------------------------------------------------------------
.2MG XGS IIgs disk image file (DSK2FILE v5.5 or later, ASIMOV v2)
.AAF Apple Archive Format [TEXT] for source code (aaf.unpacker)
.ACU NuFX Applelink archive (ShrinkIt*)
.ALU usually a multi-file, non-compressed A2 archive (ALU)
.APF GS super-res "Apple Preferred" packed graphics format
(Platinum Paint, Convert 3200, etc.)
.ARC PC Archive (GS-ShrinkIt* or DeArc2E or PC Arc program)
.BMP Windows Bit-Mapped graphics format (GS Convert 3200;
many PC viewers)
.BNX NuFX with BLU header. (ShrinkIt*)
.BNY BLU archive. (ShrinkIt*)
.BQY NuFX with BLU header. (ShrinkIt*)
.BSC BinScii file. [TEXT] (BinScii or GScii)
.BSE A GSHK* .SEA file with a Binary II header (ShrinkIt*)
.BSQ BinScii'd NuFX file. [TEXT] (BinScii plus ShrinkIt* on
the result)
.BXY NuFX archive with a Binary II header. (ShrinkIt*)
.CPT Compactor Pro archive (Compactor Pro on a Mac only)
.DIMG DiskCopy disk image file usually produced by a Mac
(GS Cloneor Diskcopy)
.DO a .DSK file specified as having data in "DOS 3.3 Order"
i.e. uses DOS 3.3 sector ordering (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.DSK standard emulator disk image-- length is 143360 bytes for
5.25" disk images (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.EXE A2 Executioner file [TEXT]. (On A2; some files may EXEC
properly under only DOS 3.3.)
.GIF Graphics Interchange Format: Compressed picture (IIGIF for
//e; Super Convert, ... on GS; PC, etc.: many viewers
and editors)
.GZ GZip PC archive format often used for storing A2 emulator
disk images (GS GZPK v2 plus PMPUnZIP or Angel; PC WinZIP)
.HQX Mac BinHex file. [TEXT] (BinHex on Mac or GScii)
.HTM HTML [TEXT] with embedded Text commands (Web
browsers, web editors, etc.)
.IMAGE DiskCopy images (see .DIMG)
.IMG Type IMG or "user #7" Copy II Plus disk image file (A2
Copy II Plus v6.x or v7.x)
.IMG is sometimes used for DiskCopy images (see .DIMG)
.JPG PC JPEG hi-res, hi-color graphics format (GS JPEG.VIEWER,
etc. B/W only or PC, Unix viewers)
.LBR a multi-file, non-compressed A2 archive (Librarian)
.LHA LHA Archive (PC/Amiga LZH program)
.LZH LZH Archive (PC/Amiga LZH program)
.NIB emulator disk image (typical length: 232960) for protected
5.25" software (A2 Saltine's Super Transcopy)
.PCX PC graphics format (GS Convert 3200; PC many viewers)
.PD compressed GS multi-palette graphics file w/o
palettes (GS SuperPac)
.PNG PC PING hi-res, hi-color graphics format (PC viewer)
.PO a .DSK file specified as having data in "ProDOS Order"
i.e. uses ProDOS sector ordering (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.PS compressed GS multi-palette graphics file with
palettes (GS SuperPac)
.QQ BLU archive. (ShrinkIt*)
.SDK ShrinkIt disk image, usually NuFX-compressed (ShrinkIt*)
.SEA Self-extracting A2 ShrinkIt* or Mac ShrinkIt archive
(depending upon kind, run on Apple IIgs or Mac)
.SHK usually an A2 NuFX-compressed archive; non-A2-compatible
Mac .SHK archives also exist (GS ShrinkIt* / Mac unshrinker
utility / PC Nulib-- does not extract GS resource forks)
.SIT Mac StuffIt archive. (Stuffit on Mac or GS ShrinkIt)
GS-ShrinkIt will not decode StuffIt Deluxe files.
.TAR Unix Tape Archive (Unix tar with -xvf option, GS EXE tar)
.TGZ Gzipped .TAR file
.uu Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (//e uudecode, Unix uudecode)
.uue Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (//e uudecode, Unix uudecode)
.TIFF Graphics format (GS SHR Convert)
.TXT [TEXT] An ASCII text file (Text editors,
word processors, etc.)
.UU Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (A2 uudecode or Unix uudecode)
.UUE Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (A2 uudecode or Unix uudecode)
.Z Compressed file (GS-ShrinkIt or Unix uncompress)
.ZIP PC Zip Archive (GS PMPUnZIP or UNZIP [GS Shell EXE]
or PC WinZIP, PKUNZIP, Unix unzip)
.ZOO PC Zoo Archive (GS-ShrinkIt??? or PC ZOO program)
* Note: GS-ShrinkIt (= GSHK) can handle all ShrinkIt files except
.SDK (shrunken disk) files of 5.25" DOS 3.3 disks created by
8-bit ShrinkIt. 8-bit ShrinkIt does not work for GS
files having a resource fork or GS .SEA files.
----------------------------
From: Apple's ftp site ...
Most files are in one of a few common formats, and many are a combination.
.sit StuffIt 1.5.1 archives
.hqx BinHex 4.0 file
.bin Binary file
.image DiskCopy 4.2 image file
.txt plain ASCII text file
.bsc Apple II BinSCII file
.shk Apple II ShrinkIt file
Most of the Macintosh files are BinHexed StuffIt files. This means you need to transfer the file, then read the license agreement which is prepended to it (with any text processor), use BinHex or any utility which can read BinHex 4.0 files to decode the BinHex to a StuffIt archive, then use UnStuffIt or the StuffIt Expander (or any other utility) to decompress the .sit file into the final file.
In some cases the final file is a .image file. These are exact duplicates of floppy disks (with verified checksums). Use DiskCopy to convert these files into floppy disks for installation. Some Apple System Software is in this format.
Most of the Apple II files are either straight text or BinSCII'd ShrinkIt files. This means you need to transfer the file, then use BinSCII to convert the .bsc file to a ShrinkIt file, then use ShrinkIt to create the final file or disk.
Note: Apple calls their BinSCII'd .SHK files ".bsc" instead of ".bsq". It is fairly common for uploaders and ftp sites to tag any BinSCII'd file as ".bsc". The rationale is that, once a user un-BinSCII's a file, he or she will find an .SHK, .ZIP, etc. file and know how to continue.
____________________________
From: David Kopper
016- How do I tell what kind of file this is?
Here is a simple guide to help you identify a file. You should always go by filename extension first, but not everybody uses those. In Unix, you can use the 'head' command to look at the first couple of lines of a file. If it turns out to be a binary file, you may be in for a surprise. You may want to use the Unix 'file' command to find out if it is a text file or not first. Once you have identified the file, check the earlier info on filename extensions for how to deal with it.
If there are lines in the file that look like this (there can be other text before it--search for 'FiLeStArT'):
FiLeStArTfIlEsTaRt
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789()
GBINSCII AQhmAAAAA8)4MIAI02DA9ARMQEDtAQhmAIVZ
gYITA6u7xADA0MjM3YTNBlDOENkQwYURzITM2UDN5gzNDJUQGVERyEDM1QzM4cjN
CFUOFR0QxAjR0MjM3YTNBlDOENkQwAQRzITM2UDN5gzNDJUQGVERyEDM1QzM4cjN
...
then you've got something encoded by BinSCII. You must decode _all_ the parts using BinSCII. Then, if the resulting file is in some compressed form, you would use an appropriate utility to uncompress it. (For example, you would use 8-bit ShrinkIt to uncompress a whole-disk .sdk archive file.)
On the other hand, if you have a binary file which resembles:
NuFilei][![/#NuFX_<:c[[[ H`F-fGSCII~[
cRJ0)fNN^P)3'A2p6SF6X#GPd<9#'LC^08N7n\NB7Dd!eMN&eYX0Am=fXp
dsPAsp7rh`I'NS0ALAfi2)2ysGEQ$k9CP%L9
...
then you have a NuFX file (note the key words NuFile and NuFX). You should be able to extract the files it contains using ShrinkIt.
On the third hand, if you have a text file which resembles:
begin 666 nonsense.bny
M4W5N3U,s4F5L96%S92 T+C$s\%-$4U0V,"Ds(SsZ(%1U92!/8W0s.2 Q,CHS
M...3HT.2!%1%0s,3DY, HT
then you have a uuencoded file.
On another hand, if you have a text file which begins with
(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)
:$&4)48C28N0&,P009!"6593K8dP8)3%!!!#Ls!!!!!!Qie009#%!!3!!SPKb6'&
e!3!!!!!!!!!#!!P8D'8J4QpbBf9P)IN33)(4$N#"d4K!JG%S!!!!!`!'VfJ!"VP
then you have a BinHex file. The GScii NDA by Derek Taubert decodes BinHex files on an Apple IIGS. You can also use a variety of macintosh programs to do the decoding. There is also a Unix implementation of BinHex called mcvert.
On one more hand, if you have a text file which resembles:
CALL-151
E00:38 A5 FF D0 32 D8 20 8E FD AD 30 BF 8D 6A 0E 20
E10:00 BF C7 6D 0E 0D 80 02 D0 1D 20 00 BF C5 69 0E
and more lines like that, followed by a bunch of lines that look like:
A90885A420732090242039FB2058FCA200BD9220F00620EDFDE8D0F5200CFDA9
008DF2038DF3038DF4036CFCFFE6A4A5A4C96F90CFA9008DFCBFA9018DFDBFA0
A90885A420732090242039FB2058FCA200BD9220F00620EDFDE8D0F5200CFDA9
then you have an Executioner file.
Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer:
Last Update February 27 2001 @ 00:48 AM