Re: Any other DSK converters out there?-- Download help info

[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.


     It is kind of easy to get discouraged when bunches of stuff bombs.
Since both DSK2FILE and ASIMOV are good programs for converting DSK
files to diskettes, it sounds like you are having problems with getting
good DSK files. Here are some things to check:

A. When you download a DSK, check the file size as listed by the
download site. If you are using a good FTP utility, you should be able
to get an exact number of bytes. (If you are using a browser, you will
probably just get a rounded number which is of no use and can forget
about this check.) If you can get an exact size number from the site,
then, after the download, check the file size as saved on your hard
disk-- rightClick on the file name to get a menu and Click "Properties"
to get a window showing the exact file size. If you can make an exact
check and the file lengths are the same, then you've gotten past the
first big barrier and can skip to B. If you know your downloads are
okay, you can skip to B. Otherwise ...

o When there is a problem with downloads a common result is that the
file has been downloaded in some corrupted Text form or in Binary form
corrupted by the addition of line-ender characters. DSK files are almost
always maintained in compressed form on download sites. Either
compressed or uncompressed, a DSK file is a Binary file, not Text.

If you are using a good shareware FTP utility-- WS_FTP is a very good
one-- to download files to a PC, the usual reason a DSK file might
arrive corrupted is that the FTP utility was set up to receive ASCII or
Text. The correct setting is "Binary". Another possibility is that you
have activated "Helper" applications in the FTP utility to deal with
.ZIP, .gz, etc. files. This is a bad idea. You do not want the PC to
mess with processing your downloads. Deactivate such helpers.

o Suppose you are using a browser. Some users report problems with
downloading via one of the popular browsers. First, most major Apple II
sites are mainly FTP sites. Some will connect up via an http:// ...
address and work fine for viewing Text files; but, you may experience
problems getting good downloads of Binary files. A pretty good
indication that you are dealing with such a site is the absence of
pretty graphics-- instead, you see mainly folder icons and text
descriptions. In general, downloads seem to work best when you contact
these sites via an ftp:// ... reference.

Once you are connected via, say, Netscape, you can Click on folder icons
to get a listing of what's in the folder. When dealing with simple icon
displays and text descriptions, you should _not_ just Click (leftClick)
on an item you wish to download. This will usually immediately start a
download to your display.

To download under a browser, the usual way to select an item is a
SHIFT-Click (SHIFT-leftClick)or a rightClick. SHIFT-Click usually brings
up a Save window and you can change the name, change to destination
folder, etc. before Clicking OK. RightClick gets you a menu and you can
Click "Save Link As ..." to get to the Save window. Either way works
okay on the two FTP sites tested (Ground and Asimov) on a PC running
Netscape4x when the sites are contacted via an ftp:// ... address.


B. Once you are getting good downloads to your PC (or Mac), the rest is
easy. If the downloaded file is an .SHK or .SDK file, you can NULL-modem
it to your GS. Use 8-bit ShrinkIt to handle .DSK files. Use GS-ShrinkIt
to handle other .SHK files. (If you are using a 128k Enhanced IIe or
IIc, use 8-bit ShrinkIt. There are one or two utilities which claim to
handle unShrinking on a II+ or unenhanced IIe.)  

As mentioned earlier, DSK files are almost always maintained on download
sites in compressed form. If your PC retains complete file name
information, the DSK file will actually have a name like narf.dsk.gz or
narf.dsk.zip. (If the file has a length of 143360, it is, really, a
ready-to-go 5.25" DSK disk image.)

To convert a compressed DSK file to a genuine uncompressed DSK file, use
WinZIP.

The uncompressed DSK file will usually be 143360 (or, sometimes, a
number very close). The DSK file can be NULL-modemmed to your GS and
converted there to diskette form using DSK2FILE or ASIMOV (GS only).
(Reminder: The diskette must be formatted before it is used as the
target for a DSK2FILE or ASIMOV DSK-->diskette conversion. If an
unformatted or bombed diskette is used, you are likely to get garbage.)


     It turned out to a bit more wordy than intended but, anyway, the
above may help unsnag your downloading. 


Rubywand