Re: Help: Mac to IIe, .dsk images, etc!

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Michael Maas writes ...
> 
> I have been reading past posts to this group on this process, but I still
> can't get it to work.
> 
> I want to download .dsk images from Asimov, transfer them to my IIe via
> modem (adt and ata, no dial tone), and "expand" them onto a 5 1/4" disk. If
> someone could walk me through this process, it'd be really helpful. I have
> DISK2FILE with a .shk extentsion, that I don't know what to do with.
> 
> My configuration:
> Mac 7300, Zterm
> IIe, ProTERM, Duodisk
> ....


     Assuming you have a 128k IIe, there is still a problem. Quite a few DSK 
image files take up 275-280 blocks of actual storage. An empty 5.25" ProDOS 
diskette has 273 blocks available.

     Practically all 5.25" drives can handle 36 tracks; so, there may be a 
convenient way to format a 5.25" diskette for 36-40 tracks and to have it 
recognized by ProDOS. Perhaps you or someone else knows of such a utility.

     Otherwise, it looks like you will need to add a 3.5" drive, a hard disk, 
or RAM card which allows you to create a large RAM disk in order to handle 
all DSK files on your IIe.

     What follows is more like an outline than a walkthrough; but, it may be 
enough to get you going.

     Assuming the storage problem is dealt with, the first step is go ahead 
and unshrink DSK2FILE.SHK using a utility named "ShrinkIt". You will get 
several files, including DSK2FILE and some docs in Text files.


     Files in Asimov's Image folder are, generally, .gz zipped files and 
will, usually, have names like "narfgame.dsk.gz". On a PC, you would use 
WinZip to unpack the downloaded files; on a Mac, you would use whatever 
un-zipper is equivalent to WinZip.

     After unpacking, a DSK file will, usually, show up as about 143k in size 
and using 250-280 blocks of actual disk space. 143k DSK files are images of 
5.25" diskettes.

     Probably, the easiest way to get a DSK image to your IIe is via a NULL 
modem connection. Typically, a NULL modem is just a double-ended 25-pin male 
connector which swaps some Data-In/Data-Out, etc. lines. (You can buy NULL 
modem connectors at Radio Shack for a few dollars.) You connect a modem cable 
from each computer to the NULL modem connector.

     To transfer stuff between the Mac and Apple IIe, you start up a telecom 
program on each machine. Set baud rate on each program to a speed you know 
will not be too fast, like 2400 baud. Other basic settings (e.g. 8-N-1 
format, etc.) should match-- probably, they already will.

     Do any necessary setting up of Source and Destination folders/disks on 
the two programs. Check that "Timeout"-- the time a program will wait for a 
response before shutting down a Send or Receive-- is set to 20-30 seconds.

     With each telecom program in plain Terminal mode, select Z-modem on the 
Mac, select the DSK file to send, and start Send. On the IIe, select the 
Destination disk (e.g. a ProDOS formatted diskette with enough space for the 
DSK file), select Z-modem, and start Receive. (The order of these steps will 
vary for different programs. For example, a program may automatically start 
Receive once Z-modem and destination disk are selected.)

     Once Send is started, you have until the Timeout period (on the Sending 
machine) ends to get Receive going. When Receive is started, the Sender will 
know that it can start sending data and the actual transfer will begin.

     If all goes well, you should end up with the DSK file on a ProDOS 
diskette, RAM disk, or hard disk on the IIe side.

     Place a 5.25" diskette-- it need not be formatted-- in the Slot 6, Drive 
1 drive and start DSK2FILE. Follow prompts. For example, select Convert DSK 
image --> 5.25" diskette, enter the full pathname of the source disk (e.g. 
/HD1/DOWNLOAD/NARFGAME.DSK), and start the conversion.

     DSK2FILE will translate the image and write it to the diskette. The 
result will be the original Apple ][ diskette from which the image was 
created. This diskette will be useable on your IIe.


 
Rubywand