Re: Dos 3.3 question

[dg04@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (DAVID GRUMBINE)]

In article <1ug8u5$jrf@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, mspaeth@magnus.acs.ohio
-state.edu (Wayne Gretzky) writes:
>I recently dug up a stack of DOS 3.3 floppies, but they aren't recognized
>by The finder (DOS 3.3 FST) or Copy II+ 8.3 or 9.0, and I've noticed that
>in the catalogs, they say things like "Super Disk 254" or "John's Disk 254"
>instead of the normal "Disk Volume 254" and that they seem to be somewhat
>virual, in that any dos 3.3 disk I put in the drive before rebooting starts
>giiving this message on the catalogs also...

Sounds like these are using a "customized" version of DOS 3.3.  I think these
were a popular way to try to copy protect things back then.  I also seem to
remember being able to do something to them to get them to work "normaly",
but I think I was able to break into the patched DOS and use it like normal,
but on the messed up disks.

>My question is:  Does anyone remember how to make these into normal Dos 3.3
>disks?  I used to be able to do so, but I no longer remeber how.  I thought
>copying DOS from a clean disk (tracks $00-$02) would do it, but it didn't...

No, I think that the tracks/sectors are probably moved around physically so
that normal DOS 3.3 (or ProDOS, etc.) won't be able to find them (except
of course track 0 sector 0).  It seems weird that the DOS on these disks
can actually read normal DOS 3.3 disks.  Hmmm.  Start at trask 0 sector 0
and disassemble it??  Yeah right.  :-)
-- 

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The oppinions expressed above may or may not be my own.  But I'm not telling.

Physics is fun! ....  Honest.
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Dave Grumbine, Jr.       dg04@Lehigh.EDU