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Apple II FAQs File Utilities
The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-1999. Administrator: Steve Nelson
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2FLUTILS.txt rev017 7/27/1999
File Utilities
001- What are "binscii" files and how are they used?
002- What are .SHK files and how do I use them?
003- How do I get ShrinkIt or GS-ShrinkIt going on my Apple II?
004- How do I deal with the $00 type Apple II files I get on my Mac?
005- Can I create .ZIP files on my Apple II?
006- What are DSK, 2MG, ... disk image files and how do I use them?
007- Where can I get ShrinkIt, binscii, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV, etc.?
008- I have downloaded files in "gz" format? How do I use them?
009- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?
010- What is Copy II Plus and where can I get it?
011- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?
From: Rubywand
001- What are "binscii" files and how are they used?
The term "binscii" comes from combining "binary" with "ASCII". A file
in binscii form has been changed so that it can be transmitted as text
to/from net servers and services which do not handle pure binary transfers.
Today, practically all servers can handle pure binary transfers; so,
binscii is no longer in popular use. However, quite a few old A2 files are
still in binscii form and binscii is used for files uploaded to
comp.binaries.apple2.
To convert binscii'd files to their un-biniscii'd form, you can use a
program named "BINSCII" or, on a GS, the New Desk Accessory named "GScii".
These programs can, also, create binscii files.
Note: Binscii is in no way related to Binary II. Binscii changes the entire
file into Text. Binary II is just a small block of bytes tacked onto the
front of a file, mainly to identify the file's filetype.
----------------------------
002- What are ShrinkIt (.SHK) files and how do I use them?
ShrinkIt files are the Apple II world's answer to .ZIP files in PC-ville.
An .SHK file is a file which contains one or more files which are almost
always in compressed form. Usually, they are produced by GS-ShrinkIt (also
called "GSHK" or "ShrinkIt-GS") or, on 8-bit Apple II's, by ShrinkIt. Some
.SHK files are produced by Macs; these may not always be compatible with A2
ShrinkIt programs.
An .SHK file can be unpacked by ShrinkIt even if it shows up on the
Apple II with a TXT or BIN filetype. If an .SHK file has a Binary II header,
ShrinkIt will automatically remove it and assign the correct filetype. (Of
course, this will usually be SHK.)
Other kinds of ShrinkIt files include .SEA and .SDK. An Apple II .SEA
file is a IIgs executable self-extracting archive-- i.e. you can click it on
the GS Finder and it will unShrink. There are also Mac .SEA files and these
are not GS-compatible.
A ShrinkIt disk archive is usually labeled ".SDK" to show that it is a
Shrinked diskette. A disk archive retains all data bytes on a diskette,
including files, Catalog/Directory sectors, empty tracks, and DOS if present.
An .SDK file can archive a 3.5" diskette (both sides) or 5.25" diskette (one
side). Most are archives of 5.25" DOS 3.3 diskettes produced by 8-bit
ShrinkIt.
8-bit/IIe ShrinkIt can be used to fully unshrink any .SHK file _except_
.SHK files which contain files with GS/OS resource forks and .SEA files. For
this reason, 8-bit ShrinkIt should not be used to unshrink .SHK files
containing GS programs unless you know none of the contained files has a
resource fork.
GS-ShrinkIt can handle nearly all kinds of .SHK and .SDK files. It will
not handle shrinked 5.25" DOS 3.3 .SDK files created by 8-bit ShrinkIt. For
this reason most users automatically use 8-bit ShrinkIt to handle .SDK files
of old 5.25" wares.
Naturally, you can use the 8-bit and GS-ShrinkIt programs to create .SHK
files. For 64K Apple II users, the functions are separated. SHRINK creates
.SHK files and UNSHRINK unshrinks them.
The unshrinking process is very speedy and the size of a compressed
ShrinkIt file is, often, around half that of the original files it contains.
This makes .SHK files very handy for archiving your software. And, since a
ShrinkIt file also preserves filetype information of contained files,
ShrinkIt has become the preferred format for uploading and storing Apple II
files on the internet.
----------------------------
003- How do I get ShrinkIt or GS-ShrinkIt going on my Apple II?
Getting GS-ShrinkIt v1.1
If you do not already have Balloon or an earlier version of GS-ShrinkIt,
there are several ways to get GS-ShrinkIt going once a file is downloaded and
transferred to your IIgs. Here are the two easiest ways:
A. The Self-Extracting (.sea) version
A IIgs .sea file is a IIgs application which self-extracts the file
contents when executed from the usual Finder desktop display. Since the file
gshk.sea will, most likely, arrive as a Text type file, you will need to
change the file's filetype to $B3 (S16) before it can be executed.
Several utilities can change ProDOS filetype. If you do not have one,
you can download tchange.bin and follow the directions* in tchange_info.txt
to get it going on your Apple II.
You can find GS-ShrinkIt in an .SEA file (e.g. gshk.sea) and tchange.bin
on several archive sites. One is Ground at
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/.
B. The Shrinked Disk (.sdk) version
GSUTILS.sdk is a shrinked whole-disk file which can be unshrinked to
800k 3.5" diskette using 8-bit ShrinkIt (or GS-ShrinkIt). If booted, this
diskette starts a bare-bones System 6.0.1 and launches GS-ShrinkIt.
Besides GS-ShrinkIt, also on the disk (in .SHK files) are the ZLINK
shareware telecom utility and ASIMOV for converting .dsk files. Coolwriter
(for reading Text) is on the disk as a non-shrinked file. All of these can be
copied to hard disk or to other diskettes.
GSUTILS.sdk is available on Ground in the useful.stuff/ folder mentioned
above. If you need 8-bit ShrinkIt, the self-extracting version can be found
on the Texas II Appleworks site (see below) or in Ground's useful.stuff/
folder.
Getting SHRINK and UNSHRINK (for 64k Apples)
SHRINK and UNSHRINK permit 64k Apple II users to work with .SHK files.
These files are usually maintained in non-shrinked form. You can find them at
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/.
To get these utilities going on your Apple II, download SHRINK,
UNSHRINK, and SHRINK2PLUS.TXT. Once the files are transferred to your Apple
II, follow the directions* in SHRINK2PLUS.TXT.
*Note: If you download an Apple II file to a PC and transfer to a Mac and get
filetype $00 ("Unknown"), the process described in the directions will not
work when the $00 file is moved to your Apple II. One solution is a Mac
utility to set filetype to $04 (TXT). See ProTYPE info in the next Q&A below.
----------------------------
Getting 8-bit ShrinkIt
From: Beverly Cadieux
The easiest way to get the current (3.4) version of 8-bit ShrinkIt going
is via the self-extracting archive, SHRINK.EXE.
o- Download the file, (transfer to your Apple II if necessary,) and get into
AppleSoft BASIC (run BASIC.SYSTEM and get to the AppleSoft "]" prompt).
o- Be sure to set the ProDOS PREFIX to the location of SHRINK.EXE on your
Apple II. For example, if it is in the main directory of volume HD1, you
would enter
PREFIX /HD1
o- Now, enter -SHRINK.EXE (that's a dash, then the file name):
-SHRINK.EXE
Shrinkit will self-extract, along with a documentation file. (ShrinkIt
v3.4 consists of two files. One is a small start file which may be named
"Shrinkit.System", "ShrinkitST.sys", or something similar. The other is the
main program file which must be named "Shrinkit".)
You can find SHRINK.EXE on the Texas II Appleworks site at
http://members.aol.com/A2MG/dl.html and in Ground's useful.stuff/ folder.
____________________________
From: Randy Shackelford
004- How do I deal with the $00 type Apple II files I get on my Mac?
Some II users like to download Apple II files to a PC and transfer them
to a Mac for eventual transfer to Apple II ProDOS diskettes. Unfortuantely,
under most circumstances, PC Exchange writes files onto ProDOS disks as
extended typeless ($00) files which are difficult to work with on the Apple
II.
What you need is to get hold of a Mac application named "ProTYPE". You
drag 'n drop the files on ProTYPE, then copy 'em to the floppy. The files
will work then.
You can find ProTYPE on Ground at ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Mac/
.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
005- Can I create .ZIP files on my Apple II?
The GS can unZIP .ZIP files via PMPunZip; but, at present, there is no
Apple II utility for creating modern .ZIP files.
----------------------------
From: Supertimer
Tony Marques wrote Angel, the fastest unzipping utility for the Apple
II. It can create zip files, but only one file per archive.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
006- What are DSK, PO, DO, NIB and 2MG "disk image" files and
how do I use them?
A "disk image" is a file containing every data byte on a diskette-- i.e.
Catalog tracks, files, DOS (if present) etc.. Apple II emulators running on a
PC, Mac, etc. treat disk image files like diskettes. Disk image files are
also a handy way to archive Apple II disks on hard disk and to maintain wares
on ftp and other download sites.
There are several disk image formats. DSK (.dsk) files are disk image
files used by popular Apple II emulators like AppleWin to run A2 wares on the
PC or Mac. Usually, they are images of Apple 5.25" game, utility, etc.
diskettes. A standard 5.25" DSK file is 143,360 bytes in length:
1 side x 35 Tracks/side x 16 Sectors/Trk x 256 Bytes/Sec = 143,360 Bytes.
DSK files of 800k 3.5" disks are much less common.
On Ftp sites, DSK files are usually in a ZIPped form to conserve space.
For example, on the Asimov site, narfgames.dsk.gz is a DSK file of the
narfgames disk which has been g-zip compressed. On a PC, WinZIP will unZIP
g-zipped DSK files into uncompressed form.
On an Apple II, a DSK file can be converted to actual diskette form
using DSK2FILE or (GS-only) ASIMOV. Most 5.25" DSK (.DSK and .DO) files are
of a DOS 3.3 or some related DOS disk. The target diskette should be
formatted for DOS 3.3. (or, it can be INITed) and you should use the default
DSK2FILE or ASIMOV "DOS 3.3 Order" setting. If a disk image file has a .PO
suffix, use a diskette formatted for ProDOS and the DSK2FILE or ASIMOV
"ProDOS Order" setting.
Here is a quickie step-by-step guide for getting a 5.25" DSK disk image
file into useable form:
1. Download the file in binary mode from an ftp archive site via ftp:// ...
2. If file length is not 143,360, use WinZIP or equivalent to unZip it.
3. Transfer the DSK file to your GS via Mac diskette or a NULL modem
transfer. One way or another, the file needs to end up on a ProDOS diskette
or ProDOS hard disk volume on the GS.
4. If you are using DSK2FILE, jot down the complete path name of the DSK file
(e.g. /RAM5/NARFGAMES.DSK ) because DSK2FILE will ask you to type it in.
5. Insert the formatted 5.25" target diskette into Drive 1 (Slot 6). This
diskette needs to be 16-sector formatted. Plain DOS 3.3 formatting with the
default Volume number is, generally, best and easiest. (You can boot a DOS
3.3 or Prontodos disk and do an INIT HELLO to format a 5.25" diskette.)
6. Start DSK2FILE or ASIMOV. Normally, you will accept the defaults (5.25",
DOS 3.3 order). If you know the DSK is a ProDOS image in ProDOS order-- like
the file name ends with ".PO", select "ProDOS Order". (ProDOS disk images
are, fairly often, in DOS order to make them more universally transferable.)
7. Select the "Image file ---> Diskette" option, follow prompts, and you
should end up with a good diskette. (If everything seemed to go well but the
disk does not work, try repeating the process using the other "Order"
option.)
DSK2FILE and ASIMOV can, also, create DSK files from game, etc.
diskettes so long as the diskette is not copy protected.
Note: DOS 3.3 products which depend upon Volume numbering to identify
diskettes will normally not work in disk image form on an Apple II emulator
because Volume number information is embedded in non-data parts of a disk and
is not included in a standard .dsk disk image file.
Some copy protected diskettes can be converted to another kind of disk
image called "NIB" using Saltine's Super Transcopy. SST incorporates Copy II
Plus routines to attempt to produce a nibblized disk image of a 5.25"
diskette. If successful, you have .nib file which can be used like a diskette
on some popular Apple II emulators. The standard length of a .nib file is
232,960 bytes.
Today, more and more IIgs software is being converted to 2MG disk image
format used on XGS IIgs emulators. You can use DSK2FILE v5.5 to convert .2mg
files back to diskette form as well as for creating .2mg files from 800k
diskettes.
----------------------------
007- Where can I get ShrinkIt, Shrink (64k), Unshrink (64k),
GS-ShrinkIt, binscii, GScii, BISCIT, TCHANGE, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV,
PMPunZip, Angel, FileManager, 2qwk!, GZPK, Copy II Plus,
and ProTYPE?
You can download
ShrinkIt v3.4 or later ("8-bit ShrinkIt") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/ as binscii file
and self-extracting archive
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
http://members.aol.com/A2MG/dl.html as self-extracting archive
Shrink (v2.1) for 64k Apple II's at ...
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
Unshrink (v2.1) for 64k Apple II's at ...
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
GS-ShrinkIt ("ShrinkIt-GS", "GSHK") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/ as .sea, .sdk,
and binscii
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/ as .sea
GScii NDA at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/System/Ndas/
BISCIT ("BSC-It") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/
TCHANGE at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/
DSK2FILE (for a 128k //e or later Apple II recommend version 4.3 for
5.25" .dsk files and version 5.5 for 3.5" .dsk files;
for 64k Apple II's, recommend version 3 or earlier.) at ...
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/DSK2FILE/ v3, v4.3, v5.5
http://net-24-42.dhcp.mcw.edu/dsk2file.html v5.5 and v3
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Emulators/ v5.0
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple8/Utils/ v2.1
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/utility/ early version
as EXEC-able Text file
ASIMOV at ...
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/utility/disk_utils/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Emulators/
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/
PMPunZip at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Com/Utils/
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/
Angel at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/apple8/Pgms/ as .shk
ftp://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/apple2/archivers/ as .bsq
FileManager NDA at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/System/Ndas/
2qwk! at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple8/Com/
GZPK at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple8/Com/
Copy II Plus (various versions) at ...
ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/ as ShrinkIt .sdk files
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/utility/disk_utils/
as ShrinkIt & disk images
ProTYPE for Macs at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Mac/
----------------------------
008- I have downloaded a bunch of files for the Apple II
lately that are in a format called GZ. I understand it
is some variation of Zip but I don't have a translator for
it on my GS. Does anyone know where I can find one?
Files downloaded from Asimov, mod files, and some others are, often, in
GZ "g-zipped" format and usually have the .gz file name extension (like
narfgame.dsk.gz). If you download the files to a PC, you can use the Windows
version of PKZip (WinZIP) to unzip the file.
Usually, once unzipped, an Asimov GZ image file will end up as a 143k
DSK file. The file may be moved to your Apple via NULL modem and converted to
Apple-readable diskette form using DSK2FILE or (GS-only) ASIMOV.
If you download a GZ file directly to your Apple you can use a program
named "GZPK" v2 to convert it from gzip form to a zip format which can be
unzipped via PMPUnzip 2.0 or Angel. A GZ file from the Asimov site should end
up as a DSK file.
____________________________
From: Slick
009- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?
I prefer More Info or Disk Witch, myself. I'll go through a list of
stuff on my hard drive to manipulate filetypes:
DAs:
Alter (NDA)
Conchshell (CDA)
Disk Witch (CDA)
File Manager (NDA)
File Info2 (NDA)
File Info Edit (NDA)
Super Info II (NDA)
Utilities CDA (CDA), not very good
Finder Extras:
More Info
GS/OS Applications
Instant Access
File Passage
ProDOS 8
FAZ II (File Attribute Zap II)
----------------------------
From: Boris Guenter
File-A-Trix by Karl Bunker should do the job. Best of all, the latest (and
last) version 1.1.1 of this program is freeware.
Since I had a few troubles with the latest version, I have made both version
1.1 and 1.1.1 available in the gs/utils/files folder on ftp.uni-kl.de
Try them both and find out which version works best for you.
----------------------------
From: Tony Ward
I also prefer File-A-Trix. It performs a wide variety of functions including
copy, move, delete, rename, catalog, make new folder, set file attributes
(lock, unlock, filetype, auxtype), find file, format (floppy only), view
text, Teach and AWP files. Best of all, it's a CDA that works from GS/OS and
ProDOS 8, although there are some restrictions under P8 (ie. no HFS disk
access, no viewing forked Teach files, etc.)
----------------------------
From: Gareth Jones
I use either File-A-Trix, Change-A-File 4.20, or Deliverance (part of the
Salvation Utilities).
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
Some programs which can be used to change filetype are ...
Jeff Hartkoph's File Manager- a GS NDA which lets you change Type, Auxtype,
Date, and Access attributes. It is handy for modifying several files in quick
succession.
Paul Parkhurst's PMPunZip- a GS application which includes an option for
changing Type, Auxtype, and Access attributes. (In the File menu click on
Modify File Attributes.)
Glen Bredon's ProSel (ProDOS 8 utilities)
Roger Wagner's Filetype Changer- a vintage BASIC utility which lets you
change just the Type. A BRUN-able .BIN version is on Ground. (This is good
enough for getting the GS-ShrinkIt .SEA file's filetype set correctly so that
it can self-extract.)
----------------------------
From: Beverly Cadieux
And a biggie - AppleWorks v5.1-> File Activities, Change File Type.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
010- What is Copy II Plus and where can I get it?
Copy II Plus is the best general purpose utility for copying disks and
managing files on DOS 3.3 and ProDOS diskettes. Good versions which handle
both DOS 3.3 and ProDOS files are 7.x - 8.x.
Note: Versions 9.x run only on a IIgs and have a few notable bugs. Version
9.0's Catalog Sort option can mess up your directory. Neither version 9.0 nor
9.1 works correctly with the /RAM5 RAM disk. The best added feature of
Version 9.x is being able to compare files.
No version of Copy II Plus will copy files which include a resource
part, usually called a "resource fork". In some cases the copy may seem to be
successful; but, it will be a mess. Only some, relatively new, IIgs files
include a resource fork. No DOS 3.3 files or files intended for access under
ProDOS 8 have resource forks.
The most versatile releases of the utility are, probably, Versions 7.1
and 7.2. They include the capability for creating disk images. The images are
not compatible with popular emulators; but, they are a handy way to archive
DOS 3.3 disks on a hard disk.
You can download Copy II Plus in a ShrinkIt shrinked disk (.sdk) file
from the Apple Cabi.net archive at ftp://209.180.253.179/cabi/Utilities/.
Asimov maintains more versions of Copy II Plus. Mostly, these are in
Zipped disk image (.dsk.gz) form at
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/utility/disk_utils/. On a PC,
use WinZip to get a pure .dsk file. To use the .dsk file on an Apple II,
transfer it and use DSK2FILE to convert the .dsk file to a diskette.
____________________________
From: tturner, Rubywand, Greg Buchner, Labelas Enoreth
011- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?
First, to the best of my knowledge, IMG type disk image files are
created only by Copy II Plus versions 6.x and 7.x. The feature was gone by
version 8, for sure.
To create an IMG file you COPY--> DISK to an over-size target volume.
Versions 6 and 7 will create a type "IMG" file instead of complaining about a
"size mismatch" (which is what other versions of Copy II Plus do). It is
fairly common to end the name of the new IMG file with ".img".
Doing the opposite lets you convert an IMG file back to diskette. That
is, you select the COPY --> DISK option and pick the large volume with the
IMG file as Source and a blank unformatted 5.25" diskette in the Slot 6,
Drive 1 drive as Destination. You pick an IMG file on the Source volume and
it is transferred to the diskette.
By the way, IMG files are not compatible with DSK2FILE or ASIMOV and
will not work on emulators such as AppleWin. Also, not all files ending with
".img" are Copy II Plus disk image files. I have seen ".img" (and ".image")
used for DiskCopy disk image files.