New floppy imaging utility

[ppera]

I made floppy imaging programm for Windows. It can make images of diverse capacity Atari ST and followers floppies, and write floppies from images. More on site:

 

http://www.ppest.org/atari/floimgd.php

[Gunstar]

That's fantastic, and it looks good too! I'll have to download it for the future. Right no I'm still using Win '98 and WFDcopy which is fine for '98. But I imagine I will finally upgrade my PC and windows in the next few years and I'll need this image copier then...

[jens]

Thanks a lot for that.

[Memblers]

Thanks! I just got my first ST and this program saved the day.

 

BTW, looks like it was just updated today to v0.7.

Edited August 30, 2006 by Memblers

[Thelen]

I'm trying to use it, i want to convert a medway boys disk image to a real floppy....but it doesn't work on my real st ? can someone help me ?

[ppera]

I'm trying to use it, i want to convert a medway boys disk image to a real floppy....but it doesn't work on my real st ? can someone help me ?

 

If you can give more details, yes. As OS what you use (Win98, XP...)

Btw. it is not coversion, it is transfer or writing of images... :-)

 

 

Btw. program has now much more features. You can now extract or add files from/to ST floppies without any imaging. But of course, making images is very recommended from safety reasons.

 

http://www.ppest.org

[ppera]

I'm trying to use it, i want to convert a medway boys disk image to a real floppy....but it doesn't work on my real st ? can someone help me ?

 

If you can give more details, yes. As OS what you use (Win98, XP...), what floppies etc

Btw. it is not conversion, it is transfer or writing of images... :-)

 

 

Btw. program has now much more features. You can now extract or add files from/to ST floppies without any imaging. But of course, making images is very recommended from safety reasons.

 

http://www.ppest.org

[NightSprinter]

My problem is the other way around. I've got an Epson combo 3.5"/5.25" drive and am running XP Home SP2.

 

The problem I have is, that while my disks work perfectly on the real hardware the program reports the disks as having bad sectors, and the resulting images do not work or load and crash.

 

The only four games I have were from the European "GIANTS" collection: 1943, Out Run, Gauntlet II, Street Fighter

[ppera]

My problem is the other way around. I've got an Epson combo 3.5"/5.25" drive and am running XP Home SP2.

 

The problem I have is, that while my disks work perfectly on the real hardware the program reports the disks as having bad sectors, and the resulting images do not work or load and crash.

 

The only four games I have were from the European "GIANTS" collection: 1943, Out Run, Gauntlet II, Street Fighter

 

Program is not for copy-protected floppies. What is case if you have original games. 'Bad' sectors are normal on such disks.

Try imaging with Pasti, or look on WEB for already made cracks/images.

[Markimus of K.]

The site says it will only work with internal floppy drives, not usb drives.

 

Unfortunatley I don't have a floppy on the computer, can you tell us if there are any plans to include external drive support?

 

thanks, and it looks great by the way, great job!

[NightSprinter]

Program is not for copy-protected floppies. What is case if you have original games. 'Bad' sectors are normal on such disks.

Try imaging with Pasti, or look on WEB for already made cracks/images.

 

Thing is, these disks aren't copy-protected. I do have to wonder why is it always the whole "get a cracked version" response for stuff like this gets put out when someone is just wanting to make a backup of an original?

 

I can understand when I do get some later games down the road how I'd need PAstI, but not for games that don't need something like a password or a code wheel to play.

Edited January 7, 2007 by NightSprinter

[Christos]

If they are originals they are almost 100% copy protected. There were many copy protection mechanisms. Disks that rely on password protection might not be copy protected. This is just general information. I am sure that Ijor or ppera or a dbug member could explain it better.

[ijor]

I can understand when I do get some later games down the road how I'd need PAstI, but not for games that don't need something like a password or a code wheel to play.

 

Hi NightSprinter,

 

Pasti is precisely for on-disk protections, and not for manual/code wheel like protections. I don't remember exactly about Giants, but chances are that (at least some of) the disks have on-disk copy protection. And then you'll need to image them with Pasti.

[NightSprinter]

*nod* As soon as I can get the issue with my monitor cable resolved ijor, I'll see about giving PaSTi a try.

[tjlazer]

Program is not for copy-protected floppies. What is case if you have original games. 'Bad' sectors are normal on such disks.

Try imaging with Pasti, or look on WEB for already made cracks/images.

 

Thing is, these disks aren't copy-protected. I do have to wonder why is it always the whole "get a cracked version" response for stuff like this gets put out when someone is just wanting to make a backup of an original?

 

What makes you think those disk are not copy protected? If they are originals, especially from Europe, they almost certainly copy protected. If you want to make a backup you can try ACopy, or get a hardware copier like Synchro Express, or the Blitz Cable.

[mons2b]

I made floppy imaging programm for Windows. It can make images of diverse capacity Atari ST and followers floppies, and write floppies from images. More on site:

 

http://www.ppest.org/atari/floimgd.php

 

Can you make your program work with protected games? Some files when downloaded are bigger than 720k and cant be fitted on disk that the pc can read. :-(

[ppera]

The site says it will only work with internal floppy drives, not usb drives.

 

Unfortunatley I don't have a floppy on the computer, can you tell us if there are any plans to include external drive support?

 

thanks, and it looks great by the way, great job!

 

Chances that someone will ever make USB external floppy support are minimal. Reasons are numerous:

no documentation

lot of different solutions with diverse HW

architecture allows not low-level access to controler, what is required

 

It was discussed on diverse forums already couple times.

 

Finally, it would need purchase of such equipment. Price is probably much more that for internal.

 

I can say only that if your MB has floppy controller/connector buy one drive - it is about 7-8 Euro.

[ppera]

Thing is, these disks aren't copy-protected. I do have to wonder why is it always the whole "get a cracked version" response for stuff like this gets put out when someone is just wanting to make a backup of an original?

I can understand when I do get some later games down the road how I'd need PAstI, but not for games that don't need something like a password or a code wheel to play.

 

In case of non-protected floppies, and if them loads well on ST, but not reads well on PC there may be following:

 

hyperformat: 11 sectors/track

track count over 80, and PC drive can not reach them

if floimg reports bad sectors on regular positions then it is very likely disalign of floppy drive heads

 

Can you post here log files of your imaging?

 

 

As for the 'get cracked...' - it is by me simplest and fastest way. And don't forget that I recommended pasti first

[ppera]

[

Can you make your program work with protected games? Some files when downloaded are bigger than 720k and cant be fitted on disk that the pc can read. :-(

 

I don't understand what is your exact problem? PC can read floppies with over 720KB, just Windows XP can not read them. This is why programs like mine are made. To make possible read and write on such floppies. All it stays on site.

 

What OS you use, and what you want to do with downloaded images?

[Thelen]

My problem is already solved..it was a mistake by me, i had an addams family disk, which booted properly in my mega/st, but an other disk wouldn't...just by pressing the alt key on boot makes it work, although it's strange that the other disk doesn't need alt

[tjlazer]

Boot sector bootdisks do not need ALT, a disk that loads a booter from the AUTO folder will need ALT.

Edited January 28, 2007 by tjlazer

[NightSprinter]

Interesting, when I do load some of the images I obtained from Planet Emulation.. they will work in STeEM, but in some configurations for SainT and on my real 1040STf many of the games will crash in one way or another (sometimes with the infamous "row of bombs"). Games I've tested were:

 

Turrican

Turrican II

Double Dragon

Double Dragon II: The Revenge (flickering rainbow)

Ghosts 'n Goblins

Great Giana Sisters

Lode Runner

Pang

R-Type

Xenon

Xenon 2 - Megablast (sometimes)

Wonder Boy in Monster Land

 

And as far as I can tell, my 1040STf still has TOS1.0 (copyrighted 1985 on the About screen in GEM)

[tjlazer]

Sometimes they need a different TOS or PAL/NTSC machine.

[ppera]

Interesting, when I do load some of the images I obtained from Planet Emulation.. they will work in STeEM, but in some configurations for SainT and on my real 1040STf many of the games will crash in one way or another (sometimes with the infamous "row of bombs")...

 

Steem is most compatible of all emulators.

Working only with specific TOS, RAM amount and similar is common problem with cracked versions of games.

This is all result of dirty programming and testing only on one (cracker's) machine. I used in past times to remove intros and other 'add-ons', and many game then became usable (on real ST, of course - before emulation era).

Edited February 7, 2007 by ppera