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Apple II FAQs Telecom-2 Downloading & Uploading
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: Csa2T2TCOM.txt rev015 5/29/1999
Telecom-2: Uploading & Downloading
001- What's the easiest way to download files from Apple II sites?
002- Some of my downloads are bad; what's wrong?
003- Are there download files I should process on the PC (or Mac)?
004- How do I upload files?
005- What kinds of files should I upload to which sites?
006- How can I read & send email and newsgroup msgs with my A2?
007- With a fast modem, how can the IIe connect to the internet?
008- I'm running the Lynx web browser. Where do I put the URL?
009- How do I download an .SHK file through Lynx?
010- Can I send and receive FAXes using my Apple II?
011- What is a "Binary II" header?
012- Should I add a Binary II header to files I upload?
013- What is a "binscii" file and how are they used?
014- What are .SHK files and how do I use them?
015- Can I create .ZIP files on my Apple II?
016- What are DSK "disk image" files and how do I use them?
017- Where can I get ShrinkIt, binscii, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV, etc.?
018- I have downloaded files in "gz" format? How do I use them?
019- ShrinkIt downloaded as a TXT file. How can I use it?
020- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?
021- How can I move A2 programs to Quick BASIC on my PC?
022- What do file name extensions mean; how do I access the files?
023- How do I tell what kind of file this is?
024- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?
From: Rubywand
001- What is the easiest way to download files from Apple II
sites?
Modern PC internet browsers, like Netscape 4.x, have 'spoiled' much of
the challenge of connecting to sites on the net, especially popular Apple
II ftp sites. For example, entering
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Games/
in Netscape's "Location:" (or "Netsite:", etc.) box gets you to Ground's GS
games folder ready to download with just a mouse click.
Most major Apple II sites are FTP sites; so, we'll talk about FTP
downloads first. FTP connections have a pretty raw look-- instead of
colorful backgrounds, pictures, fancy buttons, etc., what you see is mainly
text showing folder and file names. If you connect via a browser, you will
probably get folder icons and, perhaps, some simple icon next to each file
name.
Downloading via a Browser
Once you are connected to an FTP site via, say, Netscape, you can
Click (leftClick) on folder icons to get a listing of what's in the folder.
You can navigate backward, too, by clicking "Up to higher level directory"
(or whatever phrase the site uses).
Generally, you should not just Click on an item you wish to download
to disk. (This may immediately start a download to your display-- fine if
you just want to view a text file; but not much help if you want to
download one.)
However, single-clicking on a file name is a quick way to find out
whether your browser is ready to treat an .shk, .dsk, .bxy, or other
non-text file as binary (as it should). For instance, if you Click on
WUMPUS.SHK and you get an alert box with options including "save to disk",
or you get a standard Save window, then you can be pretty sure your browser
knows .shk files are 'special' and will not treat them like plain text.
If you Click on a .shk, .dsk, etc. file and garbage starts to fill the
screen, it probably means your browser knows nothing about the file type
and is defaulting to text mode. To correctly download the files, you will
need to set up the file type as one associated with some application. You
can do this by creating a new type in the Windows95 View--Options--File
Types window; or, if running Netscape, you can go to Edit--Preferences and
create the new type in the Netscape Applications window. (File type changes
in the Windows95 File Types window should be made before starting your
browser.)
To download under a browser, the usual way to select an item is a
SHIFT-Click (press the SHIFT key and leftClick) or a rightClick. The
results are very similar. SHIFT-Click will normally bring up a Save window
and you can change the name, change the destination folder, etc. before
Clicking "Save". RightClick gets you a menu and you Click "Save Link As
..." to get to the Save window.
Again, in the Save window, you pick the destination drive and folder
and, if you like, modify the name of the file to be downloaded and saved.
Clicking "Save" (or, "Okay", etc. for some browers) starts the download.
Downloading via an FTP Program
A slightly different approach is to use a good FTP program (often
called an "FTP client"), such as WS_FTP. It is easier to download (or
upload) multiple files, speed is usually a bit better, and FTP is not much
concerned with file type recognition.
To connect to an FTP site you can run a dial-up program to establish
contact with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and start your FTP
program. If you are on the net under Netscape, 'Explorer, etc., then you
are already connected to your ISP and can start your FTP program as a new
task.
After starting your FTP program, you can select the FTP site you want
from a list you've created. The list, also called a "profile list",
contains ...
o- the site's internet name-- such as "ground.ecn.uiowa.edu" (Note: there
are no "/" folder separators in this entry.)
o- the particular folder or directory you want to begin with-- such as
"/2/apple2"
o- and the folder on your computer for downloads-- such as "C:\Downloads".
Other information, such as the kind of connection (usually "Unix
standard") and the password you send to the site-- usually you will log-in
as "anonymous" and use your email address as the password-- are entered
more or less automatically when you first create a site's profile entry.
(To create a new entry you will usually just click "New", "Create New",
etc. instead of picking a site to contact.)
When the connection is made, you will see a list of files and folders
in the folder you have entered. If you open one of the folders, you will
get a new listing of files and folders contained in the selected folder.
You can 'navigate' deeper into the archive and reach, say, Ground's
/2/apple2/Collections/AOL/Games folder; and you can navigate backward to,
say, /2/apple2/Collections and explore some other collection, such as
/2/apple2/Collections/1WSW.
You can, also, change the the drive and folder on your hard disk to
which you wish to download. For example, the default "local" folder may be
C:\Downloads whenever you connect to Ground. If you want downloads to go
into D:\TempStuff, you can pick this destination. Another situation in
which you may wish to change the local folder is when uploading files to a
site.
Practically all programs and compressed disks will be in .SHK, .SDK,
.DSK, or some other "binary" form. In fact, "Binary" should nearly always
be your download/upload mode setting, even when downloading (or uploading)
Text files. About the only exception would be when dealing with a binscii
archive site which can not handle binary.
In general, when downloading an Apple II .SHK, .ZIP, etc. file, it is
best to avoid letting any "helper" applications process the file during
download. Usually, it is best to unZIP .zip and .gz files on the PC but,
still, after you have completed the download. Your Apple II can take care
of un-Shrinking and most other kinds of processing which may be required
after the file is downloaded and transferred from the PC (or Mac).
To download one or more files you click-highlight each file you want.
Then, you click some button-- such as an arrow symbol pointing to your
C:\Downloads folder-- to start the download.
Usually everything will go smoothly and the files will appear on hard
disk in your target folder (e.g. C:\Downloads). If you use a dedicated ftp
utility you will, usually, be able to see the exact length of a file on the
site's file list. One good check for a successful download is to compare
file lengths displayed in your target folder with those shown in the FTP
site's file list. If you do straight downloads with no processing, there
should be no differences for binary transfers. (Text file transfers in Text
mode often result in small length changes.)
Downloading from HTTP Sites
Many users and vendors set up web pages-- pages you get to via an
http:// URL-- which allow downloading software. Typically, you will see a
relatively fancy display listing titles with descriptions and, by each
title, a button to click to do the download.
Here, you usually just click the button to start the download process.
You should get either some followup instructions or go immediately to the
usual Save window.
Naturally, there are some exceptions to the above. Some pages are
html-ized interfaces to FTP sites run on servers which do not recognize
some popular Apple II file type designations (e.g. .shk). You will,
probably, experience no difficulty reading/downloading text or downloading
files with .zip, .bin, and other standard PC designations; but, files
ending in .shk, .sdk, .dsk, ... may not download correctly even if they are
defined file types your browser knows about. The "fix" is to contact the
site via its ftp:// URL (if it has one) and do FTP downloads.
----------------------------
002- Some of my downloads are bad; what's wrong?
If the exact length of a downloaded file is different than its exact
length on the download site (e.g. as shown via your FTP client program),
the download is probably corrupted.
A common reason for getting a bad download is that a binary file was
downloaded in text mode. An FTP program should be set to "Binary" before
doing most downloads from ftp sites. If using a browser, the browser needs
to recognize the file name extension (e.g. .shk). There is some discussion
about this in Q&A 001 above.
Except for .bin, .zip, and some other standard PC file type
designations, quite a few Apple II suffixes (like .shk and .dsk) are not
correctly handled by some http site servers. The files should be downloaded
from an ftp site.
Some files may seem to be corrupted-- i.e. 'not work right'-- even if
a length check shows that the download size is identical to the file's size
on an ftp site. One possibility is that the file was corrupted somewhere in
the upload process. This is fairly rare for files made available for
download.
A few Apple II files still include a Binary II prefix. This may cause
the file to appear corrupted to some utility you try to use on a PC; but,
it will work fine once transferred to your Apple II. (Normally, a modern
Apple II telecom program such as Spectrum or ProTERM will be set to
automatically strip off the Binary II prefix during transfer. GS-ShrinkIt
and 8-bit ShrinkIt will remove a Binary II prefix from .shk, etc. ShrinkIt
files.)
The file may be okay but incorrectly named. For example, an .sys or
.bin file may be shrinked but still uploaded as an ".sys" or ".bin" file
(instead of ".shk"). Or, an .shk file may be uploaded in binscii form as
an ".shk" file. (Such a file should end with ".bsq".) When a downloaded
.shk or .sdk file is rejected by ShrinkIt, it's a good idea to try running
it through Binscii or GScii. Sometimes the result will be a genuine .shk or
.sdk file.
Other kinds of files are just misunderstood. A user who downloads a
'disk image' file named "NarfGame.dsk.gz" may conclude it is "corrupted"
when it is rejected by an emulator program of fails to convert to diskette
with DSK2FILE. But, all that's required is to decompress the .gz file using
WinZIP to produce a true .dsk disk image file.
A source of possible confusion for IIgs users is the occasional .shk
or .sdk file which looks fine but is rejected as damaged by GS-ShrinkIt.
The problem may be that the file was created by a Mac owner using Balloon.
Sometimes Balloon-created files unShrink fine using GS-ShrinkIt; sometimes,
not. Before trashing a "damaged" .shk or .sdk IIgs file, try running it
through Balloon/gs.
----------------------------
003- Are there any kinds of files I should process on the
PC (or Mac) before transfer to my Apple II?
Yes. Many old games and other interesting wares downloaded from
"emulator" sites like Asimov (ftp.apple.asimov-net) will arrive as .gz
files. These will, almost always, be compressed 5.25" disk image (DSK)
files. They should be un-compressed on the PC via WinZIP before being sent
to your Apple II. This avoids a messy de-compression process on the Apple
and makes the DSK file available on the PC (or Mac) should you wish to use
it with AppleWin or some other A2 emulator program.
Note: If you are running an FTP program under plain DOS or Windows 3.x,
long file names will be truncated to fit PC's old "8 and 3" format. A .gz
file may not show up in your C:\UPDOWN (or whatever) directory with the
".gz" suffix. It is still a .gz file and will not be useful as a disk image
(DSK) file until it is uncompressed. The usual size of a 5.25" disk image
file is about 143kB.
Other chores you will want to handle on the PC before sending a file
to your Apple II include converting .HTM (HTML) files to text and splitting
up very large Text files. Similarly, it will be easier to view, process,
and convert most large graphics files on the PC.
----------------------------
004- I need some help with uploading. I uploaded a large file to
apple2.caltech but nobody seems able to download it without
ending up with garbage. What's wrong?
Uploading files to an FTP site is a fairly simple process-- basically,
it's pretty close to the reverse of downloading described above. For
example, to upload a group of Apple IIgs files named "NARFGAME" you would
...
o On the GS, use GS-ShrinkIt to created a single compressed file
containing the NARFGAME files. The new .SHK file could be named
"NARFGAME.SHK".
o Use Spectrum or some other A2 telecom program to NULL modem NARFGAME.SHK
to, say, the PC's C:\UPDOWN folder using Z-modem protocol.
o Dial-up your ISP
o If you are running Netscape or some similar browser, you can do the
upload very easily.
Go to the site's upload URL-- e.g. you might type in
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/ and open the Uploads/
folder(the folder will often be named "Uploads" or "Incoming").
Open a window for the folder (e.g. C:\UPDOWN) which has the file or
files (like NARFGAME.SHK) to upload.
Select the files and drag them onto the uploads page display.
Click "Yes" when asked if you want to upload the files.
o If you prefer using an ftp program (e.g. WS_FTP), start the program.
Select the desired FTP site's name in your "profiles list" (or,
if necessary, create the profile entry) and connect with the
FTP site.
Navigate to the FTP site's uploads folder-- usually, it will be
named "Uploads" or "Incoming".
Note: you may or may not see any files listed when in a site's
Uploads folder. Some FTP sites hide file names in this folder
and/or restrict folder access to upload-only.
For .shk, .dsk, and most other program files you upload, make
sure 'transfer mode' is set to "binary". (For Text files, mode
should be "text" or "ASCII".)
Highlight "NARFGAME.SHK" (and any other binary mode files to
upload) in the listing of files in your C:\UPDOWN folder.
Click an arrow button (or whatever) to start the transfer to
the FTP site's Uploads folder.
With a little experience everything is nearly 'automatic'. However,
there are a few common mistakes which can ruin an upload:
o Probably, the most common error is failing to make sure "binary" is set
(check-marked, etc.) as the transfer mode when an .SHK file or other
non-Text file is uploaded using an ftp program. Similarly, Text files are
messed up if the user neglects to set "ASCII" mode for his/her Text
uploads.
o Many Apple II users seem to feel that, because "Binary Up"-- an option
which adds a Binary II header-- is available on their telecom program, it
should be used for all transfers. It is best to turn OFF any Spectrum
(ProTerm, etc.) option which adds a Binary II header. (Also, you should
_not_ use GS-ShrinkIt's option to add a Binary II header.) A Binary II
header renders a file useless until the header is stripped off; so, for
example, any Text file with the header will be un-readable by a PC. If a
downloader does not have an A2 telecom program which automatically strips
off the header during NULL modem transfers (or if "Binary Down" is turned
OFF), the Text file will look like garbage on the Apple II as well.
o Too many old-time Apple II users still insist upon doing a binscii
conversion of all .SHK files before uploading them. When, as sometimes
happens, a binscii'd .SHK file is uploaded as an ".SHK" file, downloaders
end up with a ".SHK file which ShrinkIt cannot unshrink". Except for
uploads to text-oriented services like comp.binaries.apple2, binscii is not
necessary on the modern internet.
o Sometimes, a user will NULL modem an Apple Text file to PC using a block
transfer protocol (like Z-modem) and, then, upload the file as Text
intended to be readable on-line. Such a file will, usually, be a mess when
viewed on a PC.
o Mac owners sometimes use the Mac version of ShrinkIt to create a ".SHK"
archive of Apple II files which is then uploaded to an Apple II FTP site.
The result is another 'mystery .SHK file' which Apple II users cannot
unshrink. .SHK files uploaded to an Apple II FTP site should be created on
an Apple II using an Apple II version of ShrinkIt.
In short, most of the common uploading errors are the result of
carelessness or of doing something which is unnecessary. A good uploading
'rule of thumb' is "Keep it simple".
----------------------------
005- What kinds of files should I upload to which sites?
I. Ground, A2-Caltech, and most other Apple II ftp sites
These sites prefer .SHK files for stuff intended to run or be accessed
on an Apple II. For example, a game which includes a program file, text
Readme file, and folder of pic files would be Shrink'd into an .SHK file.
It is best to Shrink even compressed picture, small binary, and icon
files and upload them as .SHK files because everyone is used to dealing
with .SHK files and the filetype of the Shrink'd file is preserved.
ProDOS diskettes should, usually, be uploaded as a collection of files
in a regular .SHK file. This uses less space than a whole-disk archive
file.
DOS 3.3 diskettes should be uploaded as whole-disk archive .SDK files.
(That is, you have an .SHK whole-disk archive but you change its name to
end with ".SDK".)
Pictures and diagrams you want to be both useable on an Apple II and
viewable on-line should be converted to .GIF form (e.g. via Super Convert)
and uploaded in this form.
If you have several pictures or diagrams you want to be accessible
off-line on an Apple II as well as a PC, Mac, etc., you can convert them to
.GIF form, place them all in a .ZIP file on your PC, and upload the .ZIP
file.
All of the above would be uploaded in "Binary" mode.
Text which is intended to be readable on-line should be uploaded as
plain Text in "ASCII" or "Text" mode.
Whenever you upload a game, utility, etc. to an ftp site, it's a good
idea to also upload a brief Text file with a description of the uploaded
item. For example, after uploading NARFGAME2.SHK (in binary mode), you
could upload a brief description in a Text file named NARFGAME.TXT (in Text
mode).
II. Comp.binaries.apple2
Programs, etc. posted to this newsgroup are normally .SHK files which
have been Binscii'd-- i.e. after Shrinking, the file is changed to Text
form via a binscii utility.
III. Asimov and other Apple II emulator ftp sites
Upload files will, generally, be individual DOS 3.3 or ProDOS disk
image (.DSK) files created on an Apple II by DSK2FILE or ASIMOV. Upload in
binary mode.
____________________________
From: Brian Hammack
006- How can I read & send email and newsgroup messages with my Apple II?
You can use a program by Tom Larson named "2qwk!". Many PC-based
BBS's and other servers have hidden among the door programs a "maildoor,"
which will package all unread messages in a user's chosen news groups and
make them available for download as a single compressed file, called a QWK
packet. (Hence "2qwk", QWK access for Apple II; get it?!)
So, you have a QWK packet sent to your machine, which takes a few
seconds to a few minutes depending on how fast the modem is and how many
messages there are. Then, you can go off-line and launch 2qwk!. Selecting
"Archiver" lets you start the utility of your choice (such as Angel 0.81b,
available separately) to unpack the QWK packet and return to 2qwk!.
Now, you may select "Messages" to view your news groups, scan messages
by author and subject, and, finally, read individual messages. When you
find a post that needs a reply, you can decide how much of the message to
quote and type-in your words of wisdom. You can also haul in text from disk
and, even, pick just the right tagline (snappy words at the very end of
many messages seen on-line nowadays). Naturally, 2qwk! allows complete
freedom to change a message title along with the group to which it is to be
posted and to originate new messages.
When you are done reading and replying, you exit the program and it
creates a reply file, called a REP packet. The next time you connect, you
simply upload the REP to the maildoor. The maildoor will decide what goes
where and your messages will enter cyberspace pronto!
To use 2qwk! you will need an enhanced Apple IIe, IIc, or IIgs, with
at least 128k RAM and drive space to hold the QWK data. The program itself
will fit on a 5.25" disk with plenty of room to spare. Of course, the
server to which you connect must have a QWK-compatible maildoor. 2qwk! runs
under ProDOS 2.x. It comes with QuickFix, a program to patch ProDOS, and
other utility programs to handle MSDOS-legal names.
____________________________
From: Richard Der
007- With a fast modem, how can the IIe connect to the internet?
Get an Internet Service Provider that has the option of a text based
shell account. For email, Proline and METAL BBS's work well too.
----------------------------
008- I'm on the Internet and running the Lynx web browser.
It dosn't look like Netscape Navigator at all. Where do
I put in the URL?
Type "g" which will bring up a URL dialog. You can then type in the
URL and hit return.
----------------------------
009- How do I download an .SHK file through Lynx? Selecting the
link gives an unusable text dump.
Just highlight the link, but do not press return. Press "d" instead,
which will bring up the download dialog.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
010- Can I send and receive FAXes using my Apple II?
If your Apple II is a IIgs, yes. There are two GS FAXing programs:
FAXination and PMPFAX.
----------------------------
011- What is a "Binary II" header?
A Binary II header is a small block of code tacked onto some Apple II
files. Sometimes, this is referred to as a "binary wrapper". Mainly, the
Binary II header contains filetype information. The purpose of Binary II is
to allow Apple II users to download files and have them show up with the
correct filetype. (Otherwise, a downloaded file tends to show up as a TXT
type file.)
In order for a Binary II header to be recognized and used to supply
the filetype info, the Apple II downloading software must have its "Binary
Down" option set to ON. The problem with this is that, at least on a few
popular telecom wares (like Spectrum), setting "Binary Down" to ON will
turn OFF Resume Transfer, something you probably do not want to do when
downloading over phone lines.
When you use a PC or Mac to handle downloads and, then, NULL-modem the
files to your Apple, it makes sense to leave "Binary Down" ON for the
telecom program running on the Apple II. Resume Transfer is not necessary
because you have a direct, noise-free connection between two machines.
Meanwhile, Binary Down will automatically recognize and strip-off any
Binary II header and save the resulting file with the correct filetype.
----------------------------
012- Should I add a Binary II header to files I upload?
In general, no. Binary II is an Apple-only device which, today, is
largely unnecessary and can cause problems. Virtually the only valid use
for Binary II is to retain filetype information for .SEA self-extracting
archives. (An .SEA file with a Binary II header is a .BSE file.) The only
file which really needs to be downloadable as a self-extracting archive is
GS-ShrinkIt.
----------------------------
013- What is a "binscii" file 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.
----------------------------
014- What are .SHK files and how do I use them?
.SHK 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 and are not 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. Since the unshrinking process is very speedy and since size of
a compressed .SHK file is, often, around half that of the original files it
contains, .SHK files are very handy for archiving your software. Since an
.SHK file also preserves filetype information of contained files, .SHK has
become the preferred format for uploading and storing Apple II files on the
internet.
----------------------------
015- 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.
----------------------------
016- What are DSK "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.. Usually, they are images
of Apple 5.25" game, utility, etc. diskettes. A standard 5.25" DSK (.dsk)
file is 143,360 bytes in length (1 side x 35 Tracks/side x 16 Sectors/Trk x
256 Bytes/Sec).
There are several disk image formats. DSK files are disk image files
used by popular Apple II emulators like AppleWin to run A2 wares on the PC
or Mac. Emulators treat DSK files like diskettes.
DSK files are also a handy way to archive DOS 3.3 disks on hard disk
and to maintain old DOS 3.3 wares on Apple II ftp sites. 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 5.25" 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. The vast majority of DSK files are images of DOS 3.3 diskettes. Unless
you have good reason to believe the DSK is an image of a ProDOS diskette,
format or INIT a 5.25" diskette for DOS 3.3. (If the DSK file has a .PO
suffix or if you have good reason to believe the DSK is an image of a
ProDOS diskette, format the target diskette for ProDOS.)
If you are using DSK2FILE, now is a good time to 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 target diskette into 5.25" Drive 1 (Slot 6).
6. Start DSK2FILE or ASIMOV. Normally, you will accept the defaults. (If
the DSK is a ProDOS image, select "ProDOS Order".)
7. Select the "Image file ---> Diskette" option, follow prompts, and you
should end up with a good diskette.
DSK2FILE and ASIMOV can, also, create DSK files from game, etc.
diskettes so long as the diskette is not copy protected.
----------------------------
017- Where can I get ShrinkIt, Shrink (64k), Unshrink (64k),
GS-ShrinkIt, binscii, GScii, BISCIT, TCHANGE, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV,
PMPunZip, FileManager, 2qwk!, and GZPK?
You can download
ShrinkIt v3.4 or later ("8-bit ShrinkIt") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
Shrink (v2.1) for 64k Apple II's at ...
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
Unshrink (v2.1) for 64k Apple II's at ...
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
GS-ShrinkIt ("ShrinkIt-GS", "GSHK") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
Binscii at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
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://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/
TCHANGE at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/
DSK2FILE (for a 128k //e or later Apple II recommend version 4.3 for
5.25" .dsk files and version 5.0 for 3.5" .dsk files;
for 64k Apple II's, recommend version 3 or earlier.) at ...
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/DSK2FILE/ v3, v4.3, v5.5
http://net-24-42.dhcp.mcw.edu/dsk2file.html v3 and v5.5
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/ EXEC-able Txt file
ASIMOV at ...
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/utility/disk_utils/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Emulators/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/
PMPunZip at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Com/Utils/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/
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/
----------------------------
018- 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.
----------------------------
019- I've downloaded ShrinkIt but it comes in as a TXT file.
Since I do not have a way to change filetypes on my,
Apple II how do I get ShrinkIt going?
You can download a file named "TCHANGE.BIN" and the directions for
using it from Ground's "Useful stuff" folder.
TCHANGE.BIN is the original Roger Wagner BASIC Type Changer
filetype-changer program which has had a short machine code routine tacked
onto the front to make it BRUN-able. As explained in the directions, this
circumvents the Catch-22 situation of needing to already have a
filetype-changer program.
Using Type Changer you can set the filetype for 8-bit ShrinkIt to SYS
or of GSHK.SEA (GS-ShrinkIt) to S16 and run the programs.
____________________________
From: Slick
020- 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: Rubywand
021- How can I move AppleSoft BASIC programs to Quick BASIC on my PC?
Transferring Applesoft programs on an Apple II to QBASIC, GW-BASIC,
etc. on the PC is mainly a matter of moving a text copy of the program to
the PC. (To make a text copy of an Apple II program, you LIST the program
to a Text file.)
On the PC, you bring the A2 program text into your BASIC editor.
BASICs available on a PC are not 100% compatible with Applesoft. Once you
can list the Applesoft program on the PC under QBASIC (or whatever), you
will, almost certainly, need to modify it.
It will be necessary to replace some Applesoft commands with their PC
BASIC equivalents. Some commands are very similar but differ slightly in
syntax; and you are likely to find that some conventions, such as the
numerical value of "True" from boolean tests, are different.
The more an Applesoft program is "pure BASIC", the easier it will be
to get it working on a PC. Programs which employ lots of PEEKs and POKEs,
do monitor CALLs, and access other features specific to the Apple II will
be more troublesome.
____________________________
From: Dan DeMaggio, Boris Guenter, Nathan Mates, Phil Abro, Rubywand,
Labelas Enoreth, tturner
022- What do the different popular file name extensions, like ".BSC",
mean and how do I access the files?
File name extensions tell you what sort of file you are dealing with
so that you will know which program(s) to use to unpack, unShrink, display,
etc. the file. Many programs which create such files do not automatically
add an extension-- for example, most of the disk images on the Golden
Orchard CD are DiskCopy files with no name extension. Many other programs
which create files suggest a default extension as part of the name--
GS-ShrinkIt generally suggests ".SHK"-- but, the user can change this and
save under any legal name desired. (One popular change is using ".SDK" for
ShrinkIt whole-disk archive files.)
Some extensions indicate a filetype recognized by Apple II ProDOS;
but, often, the extension is just for user information or to help some
utility recognize the file as one it can deal with. For such files the
actual ProDOS filetype is usually TXT, BIN, or SHK.
What is it? (What program do I use?)
------------------------------------------------------------
.2MG XGS IIgs disk image file (DSK2FILE v5.5)
.AAF Apple Archive Format [TEXT] for source code (aaf.unpacker)
.ACU NuFX Applelink archive (ShrinkIt*)
.ALU usually a multi-file, non-compressed A2 archive (ALU)
.APF GS super-res "Apple Preferred" packed graphics format
(Platinum Paint, Convert 3200, etc.)
.ARC PC Archive (GS-ShrinkIt* or DeArc2E or PC Arc program)
.BMP Windows Bit-Mapped graphics format (GS Convert 3200;
many PC viewers)
.BNX NuFX with BLU header. (ShrinkIt*)
.BNY BLU archive. (ShrinkIt*)
.BQY NuFX with BLU header. (ShrinkIt*)
.BSC BinScii file. [TEXT] (BinScii or GScii)
.BSE A GSHK* .SEA file with a Binary II header (ShrinkIt*)
.BSQ BinScii'd NuFX file. [TEXT] (BinScii plus ShrinkIt* on
the result)
.BXY NuFX archive with a Binary II header. (ShrinkIt*)
.CPT Compactor Pro archive (Compactor Pro on a Mac only)
.DSK standard emulator disk image (typical length: 143360) for
5.25" software (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.DO "DOS Order" DSK file; same as standard .DSK file default--
i.e. a DOS 3.3 disk image (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.EXE A2 Executioner file [TEXT]. (On A2; some files may EXEC
properly under only DOS 3.3.)
.GIF Graphics Interchange Format: Compressed picture (IIGIF for
//e; Super Convert, ... on GS; PC, etc.: many viewers
and editors)
.GZ GZip PC archive format often used for storing A2 emulator
disk images (GS GZPK v2 plus PMPUnZIP or Angel; PC WinZIP)
.HQX Mac BinHex file. [TEXT] (BinHex on Mac or GScii)
.HTM HTML [TEXT] with embedded Text commands (Web
browsers, web editors, etc.)
.IMG Type IMG or "user #7" Copy II Plus disk image file (A2
Copy II Plus v6.x or v7.x)
.IMAGE, .DIMG, .IMG DiskCopy disk image file usually produced
by a Mac (GS Clone or Diskcopy)
.JPG PC JPEG hi-res, hi-color graphics format (GS JPEG.VIEWER,
etc. B/W only or PC, Unix viewers)
.LBR a multi-file, non-compressed A2 archive (Librarian)
.LHA LHA Archive (PC/Amiga LZH program)
.LZH LZH Archive (PC/Amiga LZH program)
.NIB emulator disk image (typical length: 232960) for protected
5.25" software (A2 Saltine's Super Transcopy)
.PCX PC graphics format (GS Convert 3200; PC many viewers)
.PD compressed GS multi-palette graphics file w/o
palettes (GS SuperPac)
.PNG PC PING hi-res, hi-color graphics format (PC viewer)
.PO "ProDOS Order" DSK file; typically a DSK disk image of a
5.25" ProDOS disk (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.PS compressed GS multi-palette graphics file with
palettes (GS SuperPac)
.QQ BLU archive. (ShrinkIt*)
.SDK ShrinkIt disk image, usually NuFX-compressed (ShrinkIt*)
.SEA Self-extracting A2 ShrinkIt* or Mac ShrinkIt archive
(depending upon kind, run on Apple IIgs or Mac)
.SHK usually an A2 NuFX-compressed archive; non-A2-compatible
Mac .SHK archives also exist (GS ShrinkIt* / Mac unshrinker
utility / PC Nulib-- does not extract GS resource forks)
.SIT Mac StuffIt archive. (Stuffit on Mac or GS ShrinkIt)
GS-ShrinkIt will not decode StuffIt Deluxe files.
.TAR Unix Tape Archive (Unix tar with -xvf option, GS EXE tar)
.TGZ Gzipped .TAR file
.uu Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (//e uudecode, Unix uudecode)
.uue Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (//e uudecode, Unix uudecode)
.TIFF Graphics format (GS SHR Convert)
.TXT [TEXT] An ASCII text file (Text editors,
word processors, etc.)
.UU Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (A2 uudecode or Unix uudecode)
.UUE Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (A2 uudecode or Unix uudecode)
.Z Compressed file (GS-ShrinkIt or Unix uncompress)
.ZIP PC Zip Archive (GS PMPUnZIP or UNZIP [GS Shell EXE]
or PC WinZIP, PKUNZIP, Unix unzip)
.ZOO PC Zoo Archive (GS-ShrinkIt??? or PC ZOO program)
* Note: GS-ShrinkIt (= GSHK) can handle all ShrinkIt files except
.SDK (shrunken disk) files of 5.25" DOS 3.3 disks created by
8-bit ShrinkIt. 8-bit ShrinkIt does not work for GS
files having a resource fork or GS .SEA files.
----------------------------
From: Apple's ftp site ...
Most files are in one of a few common formats, and many are a combination.
.sit StuffIt 1.5.1 archives
.hqx BinHex 4.0 file
.bin Binary file
.image DiskCopy 4.2 image file
.txt plain ASCII text file
.bsc Apple II BinSCII file
.shk Apple II ShrinkIt file
Most of the Macintosh files are BinHexed StuffIt files. This means
you need to transfer the file, then read the license agreement which is
prepended to it (with any text processor), use BinHex or any utility which
can read BinHex 4.0 files to decode the BinHex to a StuffIt archive, then
use UnStuffIt or the StuffIt Expander (or any other utility) to decompress
the .sit file into the final file.
In some cases the final file is a .image file. These are exact
duplicates of floppy disks (with verified checksums). Use DiskCopy to
convert these files into floppy disks for installation. Some Apple System
Software is in this format.
Most of the Apple II files are either straight text or BinSCII'd
ShrinkIt files. This means you need to transfer the file, then use BinSCII
to convert the .bsc file to a ShrinkIt file, then use ShrinkIt to create
the final file or disk.
Note: Apple calls their BinSCII'd .SHK files ".bsc" instead of ".bsq". It
is fairly common for uploaders and ftp sites to tag any BinSCII'd file as
".bsc". The rationale is that, once a user un-BinSCII's a file, he or she
will find an .SHK, .ZIP, etc. file and know how to continue.
____________________________
From: Dan DeMaggio
023- How do I tell what kind of file this is?
Here is a simple guide to help you identify a file. You should always go by
filename extension first, but not everybody uses those. In Unix, you can
use the 'head' command to look at the first couple of lines of a file. If
it turns out to be a binary file, you may be in for a surprise. You may
want to use the Unix 'file' command to find out if it is a text file or not
first. Once you have identified the file, check the earlier info on
filename extensions for how to deal with it.
If there are lines in the file that look like this (there can be other text
before it--search for 'FiLeStArT'):
FiLeStArTfIlEsTaRt
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789()
GBINSCII AQhmAAAAA8)4MIAI02DA9ARMQEDtAQhmAIVZ
gYITA6u7xADA0MjM3YTNBlDOENkQwYURzITM2UDN5gzNDJUQGVERyEDM1QzM4cjN
CFUOFR0QxAjR0MjM3YTNBlDOENkQwAQRzITM2UDN5gzNDJUQGVERyEDM1QzM4cjN
..
then you've got something encoded by BinSCII. You must decode _all_ the
parts using BinSCII before attempting to extract using ShrinkIt.
On the other hand, if you have a binary file which resembles:
NuFilei][![/#NuFX_<:c[[[ H`F-fGSCII~[
cRJ0)fNN^P)3'A2p6SF6X#GPd<9#'LC^08N7n\NB7Dd!eMN&eYX0Am=fXp
dsPAsp7rh`I'NS0ALAfi2)2ysGEQ$k9CP%L9
...
then you have a NuFX file (note the key words NuFile and NuFX). You should
be able to extract the files it contains using ShrinkIt.
On the third hand, if you have a text file which resembles:
begin 666 nonsense.bny
M4W5N3U,s4F5L96%S92 T+C$s\%-$4U0V,"Ds(SsZ(%1U92!/8W0s.2 Q,CHS
M...3HT.2!%1%0s,3DY, HT
then you have a uuencoded file.
On another hand, if you have a text file which begins with
(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)
:$&4)48C28N0&,P009!"6593K8dP8)3%!!!#Ls!!!!!!Qie009#%!!3!!SPKb6'&
e!3!!!!!!!!!#!!P8D'8J4QpbBf9P)IN33)(4$N#"d4K!JG%S!!!!!`!'VfJ!"VP
then you have a BinHex file. The GScii NDA by Derek Taubert decodes BinHex
files on an Apple IIGS. You can also use a variety of macintosh programs to
do the decoding. There is also a Unix implementation of BinHex called
mcvert.
On one more hand, if you have a text file which resembles:
CALL-151
E00:38 A5 FF D0 32 D8 20 8E FD AD 30 BF 8D 6A 0E 20 00 BF C7 6D 0E 0D 80 02
E18:D0 1D 20 00 BF C5 69 0E B0 15 AD 81 02 29 0F AA E8 8E 80 02 A9 2F 8D 81
and more lines like that, followed by a bunch of lines that look like:
A90885A420732090242039FB2058FCA200BD9220F00620EDFDE8D0F5200CFDA9
008DF2038DF3038DF4036CFCFFE6A4A5A4C96F90CFA9008DFCBFA9018DFDBFA0
A90885A420732090242039FB2058FCA200BD9220F00620EDFDE8D0F5200CFDA9
then you have an Executioner file.
____________________________
From: tturner, Rubywand, Greg Buchner, Labelas Enoreth
024- 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.
____________________________