On Fri, 21 Jun 2002, Antonio Carlini wrote:
> >Primary goal is backup - TELEDISK should do that. Secondary goal is
> >to produce image files suitable for use with simh and E-11.
>
> Backup implies an ability to restore, and, at least
> for me, TELEDISK has problems doing that. On my system
> (which at the time was a K6 233MHz machine) 3.5"
> disks could be restored without issue but 5.25"
> disks could not be reliably restored (this seemed
> to apply to both 360KB and 1.2MB disks). I assume
> that restoring RX50s will be no easier.
Unlike Antonio, I've had no such problems. If you have problems with one
computer, you might wish to move to a different machine to try this with.
> Is the TELEDISK format freely available? If not,
> restoring your disks may be difficult once the
> last PC has expired!
I've seen a C program that decodes the 'normal compression' version of the
disk format floating around in source code on the internet. Looking
around, this seems to be it:
http://www.conknet.com/~w_kranz/WTELEDSK.HTM
> BACKUP/PHYSICAL has the advantage that you can at
> least work out where each block ends up (since the
> BACKUP source listings are available).
using 'dd' where possible is much easier
> (If anyone has suggestions for "imaging" 360KB
> floppies, 1.2MB floppies and RX50s using PC hardware
> running Windows or Linux or NetBSD, I'm all ears.
> Preference given to those with practical experience
> of restoring the data afterwards ... I'm not keen
> to run through several hundred floppies just on
> the off-chance it will be worthwhile.)
1) If it's a true 360K or 1200K 5.25" disk or 720K or 1440K 3.5" disk, you
can just type 'dd if=/dev/fd0 of=disk.img' and get a copy of it, assuming
you don't have bad sectors (which teledisk handles more gradefully).
2) Something like teledisk would be fairly easy to construct on Linux/BSD
using floppy ioctl's, or INT 13h services on DOS/Winderz (non NT/2k/XP)
if you already know the disk format and the program doesn't have to do
the discovery (sides, cylenders, sec/track, etc).
-- Pat
Received on Fri Jun 21 2002 - 07:50:06 BST