Best way to preserve old floppy disks
Best way to preserve old floppy disks
Hi again.
Which would you say is the best way to copy old floppy disks to a PC to preserve them?
A simple wcopy flp1_ to flp2_ being flp2 a floppy disk image?
or is there another file transfer program that verifies bad sectors and tries to fix them?
I have read all the forum topics about this and Dwilin Jones back to ql and other useful guides.
I am using Qemulator, Windows / pc with floppy drive
Some disks cant be read but I can read Chess.
I also have West , Zkul, Graphiql and would like to preserve them as well
Regarding Chess , it only runs in 128 k memory or else it will prompt out of memory at line 120
And also it asks for the master cartridge in mdv2. How can I make it work? I do have the master cartridge but is a very old microdrive.
Which would you say is the best way to copy old floppy disks to a PC to preserve them?
A simple wcopy flp1_ to flp2_ being flp2 a floppy disk image?
or is there another file transfer program that verifies bad sectors and tries to fix them?
I have read all the forum topics about this and Dwilin Jones back to ql and other useful guides.
I am using Qemulator, Windows / pc with floppy drive
Some disks cant be read but I can read Chess.
I also have West , Zkul, Graphiql and would like to preserve them as well
Regarding Chess , it only runs in 128 k memory or else it will prompt out of memory at line 120
And also it asks for the master cartridge in mdv2. How can I make it work? I do have the master cartridge but is a very old microdrive.
Original BBQL 1985, bought my me in Spain with JM ROM
Tetroid TDI with CF card, ROM switcher, power regulator, Gold Card clone and Backplane
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- Aurora
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Re: Best way to preserve old floppy disks
If you use WCOPY flp1_ to flp2_ You will loose the file dates, and it may miss some oddly named files.
A program I have used is EMT4WIN http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=1081 It's a windows program that converts PC and QL floppies to a disk images. Just pick a standard image file format, So a 720K floppy will make a 720K image.
The only problem I had was with QL floppies that had funny formats, like 50 tracks instead of 80.
It also won't like floppies with bad sectors.
You can also make image files directly from a QL using the Direct Sector Access facilities of Trump/Gold cards.
A program I have used is EMT4WIN http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=1081 It's a windows program that converts PC and QL floppies to a disk images. Just pick a standard image file format, So a 720K floppy will make a 720K image.
The only problem I had was with QL floppies that had funny formats, like 50 tracks instead of 80.
It also won't like floppies with bad sectors.
You can also make image files directly from a QL using the Direct Sector Access facilities of Trump/Gold cards.
Re: Best way to preserve old floppy disks
Thank you very much! I 'm trying it.Martin_Head wrote:If you use WCOPY flp1_ to flp2_ You will loose the file dates, and it may miss some oddly named files.
A program I have used is EMT4WIN http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=1081 It's a windows program that converts PC and QL floppies to a disk images. Just pick a standard image file format, So a 720K floppy will make a 720K image.
The only problem I had was with QL floppies that had funny formats, like 50 tracks instead of 80.
It also won't like floppies with bad sectors.
You can also make image files directly from a QL using the Direct Sector Access facilities of Trump/Gold cards.
It creates a image for Chess, but it doesn't like floppies with bad sectors.
The resulting image img can be opened by qemulator or should I build them self restorable(ardi)?
And do you know how to bypass the master cartridge copy safeguard?
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- Aurora
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Re: Best way to preserve old floppy disks
It's quite a while since I last used EMT4WIN, and I only ever used the normal image format. So I don't know much about the other formats of image files it can produce. I expect the other image file types may not be readable by QL emulatorsjivrt wrote:The resulting image img can be opened by qemulator or should I build them self restorable(ardi)?
Not tried to do it on Psion Chess. There is a Psion Chess for Qemutator here http://terdina.net/ql/software.html I don't know if it's just a demo, or the full program.And do you know how to bypass the master cartridge copy safeguard?
Re: Best way to preserve old floppy disks
Use SAMDISK of Simon Owen: we have recently implemented the QDOS file format for dumping protected and none QL floppies.
The QDOS is a DSK standard format compatible with Q-emuLator.
http://simonowen.com/samdisk/
The QDOS is a DSK standard format compatible with Q-emuLator.
http://simonowen.com/samdisk/
Re: Best way to preserve old floppy disks
Thank you! And do you know how to bypass the protection tonplay chess. I have the original master microdrive. The same with West, Zkul and Graphiql
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Uses: teaching my children to program
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- NormanDunbar
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Re: Best way to preserve old floppy disks
Many years ago, Digital Precision sent me a pile of microdrives to see if I could break the protection on them. Chess was not one of them.
Most were pretty simple though, you had to disassemble the code, find where it accessed mdv2, then NOP out whatever checks it did to prove the master was in mdv2. Some did the checks in many places. Some had deliberately bad sectors. Some had the worst spaghetti code imaginable. Some, like The Farmer, I never broke. (But that one came from Rich, if I remember correctly.)
So, if you need to break it, there's a lot of hard work required, I'm afraid.
Good luck.
Cheers,
Norm.
Most were pretty simple though, you had to disassemble the code, find where it accessed mdv2, then NOP out whatever checks it did to prove the master was in mdv2. Some did the checks in many places. Some had deliberately bad sectors. Some had the worst spaghetti code imaginable. Some, like The Farmer, I never broke. (But that one came from Rich, if I remember correctly.)
So, if you need to break it, there's a lot of hard work required, I'm afraid.
Good luck.
Cheers,
Norm.
Why do they put lightning conductors on churches?
Author of Arduino Software Internals
Author of Arduino Interrupts
No longer on Twitter, find me on https://mastodon.scot/@NormanDunbar.
Author of Arduino Software Internals
Author of Arduino Interrupts
No longer on Twitter, find me on https://mastodon.scot/@NormanDunbar.
Re: Best way to preserve old floppy disks
Thanks again!NormanDunbar wrote:Many years ago, Digital Precision sent me a pile of microdrives to see if I could break the protection on them. Chess was not one of them.
Most were pretty simple though, you had to disassemble the code, find where it accessed mdv2, then NOP out whatever checks it did to prove the master was in mdv2. Some did the checks in many places. Some had deliberately bad sectors. Some had the worst spaghetti code imaginable. Some, like The Farmer, I never broke. (But that one came from Rich, if I remember correctly.)
So, if you need to break it, there's a lot of hard work required, I'm afraid.
Good luck.
Cheers,
Norm.
Well it isn’t that important. Just trying to bring back memories. I could just buy them again from RWAP, Rich
By the way, what a clever protection they had , better than the crackable games of today.
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Tetroid TDI with CF card, ROM switcher, power regulator, Gold Card clone and Backplane
Uses: teaching my children to program
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- RWAP Master
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Re: Best way to preserve old floppy disks
For the Talent titles (and any other titles I sell) - if you email me proof that you own the originals, I am happy to send you copies suitable for use with q-emulator (or to copy to disk)
There is no need to buy them again !
There is no need to buy them again !
Rich Mellor
RWAP Software
RWAP Adventures
SellMyRetro
Retro-Printer Module - add a USB printer to your QL
Also Involved in:
Icephorm
RWAP Software
RWAP Adventures
SellMyRetro
Retro-Printer Module - add a USB printer to your QL
Also Involved in:
Icephorm
Re: Best way to preserve old floppy disks
Ok! Thats great! I have the original mdvs and the sleeves. Also the manual for graphiql.RWAP wrote:For the Talent titles (and any other titles I sell) - if you email me proof that you own the originals, I am happy to send you copies suitable for use with q-emulator (or to copy to disk)
There is no need to buy them again !
Would that be enough?
I also plan to buy old software, from you when my tetroid clone arrives!
Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk
Original BBQL 1985, bought my me in Spain with JM ROM
Tetroid TDI with CF card, ROM switcher, power regulator, Gold Card clone and Backplane
Uses: teaching my children to program
Tetroid TDI with CF card, ROM switcher, power regulator, Gold Card clone and Backplane
Uses: teaching my children to program