Re: Problems with disk images to disk

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Labelas Enoreth writes ...
> 
> > DSK2FILE (current version 5.0) is a great program for making disks from
> > images.  I've used it several times with NO problems.
> >
> > Are you typing in the COMPLETE pathname of the image? i.e. /DISK/MYFILE.DSK
> >
> > If you don't give it the complete pathname, it'll go through all the
> > sectors but will give you nothing.
> Yeah, here's my setup. I have a 20Mb ProDOS format partition named 'PROFILE'.
> (With DSK2FILE and some other files on it)...I boot up DSK2FILE by
> double-clicking it from the Finder. Sort of convenient actually.
> Set options correctly, i.e DOS 3.3, 140k, etc
> select 'write image back to disk' or however it is worded.
> tell it /PROFILE/DISK/MYDISK.DSK (the complete path) which is definitely a
> DOS 3.3 disk.

 ....

     As Dan indicates, DSK2FILE is not a program which goes out its way
to error-check user inputs or to let you know when things are not going
right. During a normal Image--> Disk conversion, you should see "R" and
"W"rite followed by a dot for each track on the Status Line display.

(BTW, in most cases, it does not seem to matter whether you format the
target disk under ProDOS or DOS. It _may_ matter for a very small number
of dsk files. Once or twice I've come across old game dsk files which
simply would not convert correctly to a ProDOS-formatted diskette.)

     You say that your response to the Image--> Disk prompt is to enter:

"/PROFILE/DISK/MYDISK.DSK (the complete path) which is definitely a
DOS 3.3 disk"

One thing you might try is putting your .dsk Source file in the main
directory of /PROFILE. True, it should not matter; but, every once in a
while the way a program handles path names leads to errors for names
which are 'too long', etc..

     DOS or ProDOS Order does matter. If you get a nice smooth copy--
i.e. with R, W, and . for each track-- and the diskette still does not
work, try using the other Order option.

     Another possibility is that you are using bad or incompatible
diskettes. Apple II 5.25" drives like DD diskettes. If you are trying to
use HD diskettes, you are likely to have problems.

     If you are sure your diskettes are DD, it is still possible that a
target diskette is defective. (Getting through a Format does not
guarantee that a diskette is okay.)  When you do a conversion, try doing
it to 2-3 different newly formatted DD diskettes. If one works, you will
know that the problem was probably defective diskettes.

     You say that you wonder whether or not your IIe drives are working
correctly. One check is to boot a known-good DOS 3.3 or ProDOS diskette
with a utility like Copy II+ and use the utility to Verify that
diskettes are okay, drive speed is okay, etc..



Rubywand