Re: Any other DSK converters out there? -- more on DSK files

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Bob and Linda Barrett write ...
> 
> Are there any other .dsk image converters out there besides Asimov and
> DSK2FILE?  DSK2FILE has never worked for me, and Asimov only twice
> before it started giving me "filetype is the wrong size" error
> messages.  If no more exist out there, then maybe one of you programmers
> out there could create a newer, more complete, easy-to-use and
> understand utiltiy for such a purpose.  Thanks!
> Bob. B.


     This is a followup on the earlier stuff about downloading and using
DSK files. It may fill in a few gaps.


? After decompressing with WinZIP, the DSK file was 143360 bytes long on
my PC; but, it does not show up on my GS Finder display as 143360 bytes
long.

     This is normal. If ProDOS finds long runs of $00's in a file it may
try to save disk space by saving it in a kind of abbreviated form. Check
the file length via "Icon Info"-- Click to highlight, then press
OpenApple-I. An info box will be displayed showing the file size as
143360 and some smaller number of bytes as the "on disk" size.



? I formatted a diskette and did the DSK-to-diskette conversion using
ASIMOV but the diskette does not boot.

     This is not "normal" but it happens. The reason the diskette does
not boot is that, probably, you have a messed up DOS. The reason you
have a messed up DOS is, most likely, that the target diskette was
formatted for ProDOS.

     Most 5.25" DSK files are of a DOS 3.3 or some related DOS disk. The
target diskette should be formatted for DOS 3.3.. Copy II Plus can do
the DOS 3.3 format.

     An alternative way to do DOS 3.3 format is to boot a DOS 3.3
diskette, get to the usual BASIC prompt, swap your target diskette into
the drive, and do an INIT HELLO. (Prontodos or EsDOS-II are speeded
versions of DOS and can also be used to do the INIT.)

     If you want to also use the back of the diskette as a target, then,
it will need to be formatted, as well.

     INIT, of course, does a bit more than a Copy II Plus format; but,
the stuff added gets over-written. Both ways to do the format have been
tested and work fine for preparing a target diskette.



? How come some game DSK's seem to transfer to ProDOS-formatted
diskettes okay?

     It appears that the custom DOS's used on some diskettes are small
enough (less than eleven sectors) to not get messed around about the
time sectors start getting written in the wrong order.


? What about the "DOS 3.3 Order" and "ProDOS Order" choice in DSK2FILE
and ASIMOV?

     This has to do with the way sectors are sequenced by the particular
OS. You should almost always use "DOS 3.3 Order". (If a disk image file
has a .PO suffix, use "ProDOS Order".)



? Suppose I've got a 'bad' DOS 3.3 disk made from an image file transfer
to a ProDOS diskette. The DSK file was deleted; do I need to get it
again or is there a fix for the diskette.

     One fix that often seems to work is to INIT a new diskette ...

INIT HELLO, V1

Start Copy II Plus and COPY --DOS from the new diskette to your 'bad'
diskette.
 

      

Rubywand