steps to diskcopy a 5.25" floppy with only one 1541 drive on the VIC-20?

[newTIboyRob]

Hi, just as the title thread says... I have one 1541 drive hooked up to my VIC 20 and would like to copy an entire floppy disk's contents (which is only 2 large files actually) onto a blank floppy, but only using the one drive I have available. I found the steps in the 1541 manual, but the poster had written in things and crossed out things and I found it a little tricky to navigate, so I am hoping someone here would kindly just post the exact procedure step by step. Many thanks!

Edited January 18 by newTIboyRob

[brain]

How big are the files?  The unexpanded VIC-20 is going to be tough to use for this.  3.5kB for BASIC, a program will take 1kB, so you're left with 2.5kB at most for transfer, so divide the total file size by 2500 and then multiply by 2 for number of disk swaps 🙂

 

You don't have a 64 or know someone with one, or a ZoomFloppy?

[newTIboyRob]

Good points. Oh, I should have mentioned I do have the 16 RAM cartridge inserted, and turns out that the files were smaller in size than I originally remembered.  The sizes should allow me to do this. Can you post the exact procedure step by step so I can give it a try? 

 

My 64 is all packed away and I don't have a ZoomFloppy unfortunately, so I will need to go the 1 drive disk swap method, it looks like. 

Edited January 18 by newTIboyRob

[brain]

Where are you?  Is shipping to disk to me (Iowa, USA) an option?  I can dupe it here.

 

If not, do you have someone close who could turn this image into a disk?  (https://commodore.software/downloads/download/816-vic20-disk-copiers/15555-vic20-disk-backup) as it looks to do what you want?  I can transfer and send if you need...

 

Jim

[carlsson]

Many times I have toyed with the idea to make some file copying program for the VIC-20, but as mentioned the buffer space even on a medium expanded computer will be rather small, meaning a lot of swaps to load and save blocks between the disks. A full disk copier sounds a possibly bigger task, as even if the main program resides within 3.5K, there would be 11 cycles with 16K or 7 cycles with 24K expansion. I saw the linked program mentioning 50 buffers but I don't know what it means.

[brain]

I didn't pay close attention to the description, but I'd assume 50 buffers is 50 256 byte buffers of data (1541 buffer size).  If so, that's 12.5K of data, which seems in line with the expansion required (maybe the app takes up 7kB, which leaves about 12kB free for data.

 

Jim

[newTIboyRob]

I actually don't mind a lot of swaps since I would be doing it only for these 2 files on the disk. Back in the day with my IBM 5150, with one drive, I can remember doing something like 20 swaps, maybe even more, for a diskcopy. Thank you @brain, but with the mix of these artic statewide temperatures, mail delays, mail re-routes and the like, not to mention the possibility of outright loss of a disk which has really some really precious and hard to come by programs on them, this time around, I respectfully think I should pass on your copying offer.  Though I very much appreciate that!

[newTIboyRob]

Just to put this thread to bed...  and in case there is someone new here who is learning... I thought of one way that could work, and it did. This worked because, after checking the 2 source files I had on the source disk, they were indeed PRG program files and each was 25 and 24 sectors. This method also was successful because I have the VIC-1111 16K RAM Cartridge inserted at the rear right side port. It only took about 5-10 mins for the whole shebang:

 

On my VIC-20 with 1541 drive, I took a blank DD (not HD) disk and first just successfully formatted it with the command OPEN 1,8,15,"N:MYDISK,01":CLOSE1  (Typing LOAD "$",8  then LIST will show the directory, though empty.)

 

then remove this target disk and insert the source disk... remember to do this, though an obviously needed thing to do.

 

Type LOAD "MYFILE",8  (or whatever your file name is within the quotes) from the source disk to put the file in memory.

 

again, swap out disks, but this time remove the source disk and reinsert the target disk... remember, as that is crucial.

 

Type SAVE "MYFILE",8  (or whatever your file name is within the quotes), which will now save the program in memory to your target disk. Repeat procedure as necessary for as many files needed or fittable.

 

Now you'll have the same file/s copied over from your source disk onto your target disk, creating a nice disk file/s back up, without altering the contents of either file.  Always a good idea to make at least 1, or more, backups.

Edited January 20 by newTIboyRob