More Sparse Files.

[johnmac@fawlty.towers.oz.au (John MacLean)]

I've received quite a few replies, none of them quite answering what I
really need to know, so I'll try and be a bit more precise this time:

1) I need an existing commonly available commercial program that runs on
a //e (such as Copy II Plus), that can create a disk image on a hard disk
(or 3.5" disk) of a 5.25" disk.
I can write this code quite easily (and in fact already have), but I
don't really want to go to the effort of writing a nice //e front end for
it, if Copy II Plus will do it (since 90% of //e users use Copy II Plus).
If I have to I will, but I need to know whether or not I have to.
I have been told that old versions of Copy II Plus will do this (and
create a file of type IMG), but will current versions?

2) If Copy II Plus can still do this, does it create sparse files or
non sparse files when there are large areas of zero bytes on the disk?
ie: Is an image of a freshly formated 5.25" disk 140K, or is it more
like 10K?

3) Is there a way, to force GS/OS with the ProDOS FST ONLY, to create
files as non-sparse, even though the file contains large areas of zero
bytes? - and if so how?
I've been told that the ProDOS FST is quite smart and always forces
sparse files.
I'm looking for a way, preferably documented, but I'll take anything
that works, to force it to create non-sparse files.

If anyone has any answers to these exact questions please mail or post.
Thanks, John MacLean.
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