XWUU@PURCCVM.BITNET (12/02/90)
I have been accumulating a bit of software over time and I am getting worried about companies that support the C64 going under or removing their support for this platform. If I trash or thrash many of my disks, I am cooked. So I am looking for feedback on available archiving programs that will allow me to backup copy protected software. I know the problems inherrent in the decision to proceed on this course - ethically speaking - but several companies that used to offer backups for sale have simply disappeared. I have no recourse but to try to make my own copies if I hope to prevent these programs from becoming vapor. Some of the disks are already over 5 years of age!! What are people using? I have seen ads for Maverick that look tempting. Any feedback? I don't really want to have to buy their RAMBOard (or any additional hardware, for that matter). Are there other good archiving pgms around - and available? If I HAVE to add hardware, consider that I do not own a real 1541, but have a new Excelerator Plus (works better than the old 1541) and an old Enhancer 2000 (works OK, but not with GEOS 2.0 and some newer games). Any addtional hardware that goes IN the DD's must fit one or the other of these machines. Thanks for the input!! Kirk A. Janowiak XWUU@PURCCVM
rknop@juliet.caltech.edu (Knop, Robert Andrew) (12/02/90)
In article <90335.140240XWUU@PURCCVM.BITNET>, XWUU@PURCCVM.BITNET writes... >So I am looking for feedback on available archiving programs that will allow >me to backup copy protected software. I know the problems inherrent in the >decision to proceed on this course - ethically speaking - Actually, I don't think there is any ethical problem with backing up software for your own use. If you buy it, make a backup copy, and then stash one of the copies, you are fully within the licencing agreement. (Indeed, I have seen many software packages that strongly suggest you make a backup and use that, saving the original disk in a safe place). If most of your software is older, you might be able to back it up with an older archive program like Fast Hack'em. Conversely, if the programs are older, Maverick would probably back them up just fine without needing the RAMBOard- from SSI's adds, I get the impression that RAMBOard is needed only for the really nasty, latest copy protection schemes. -Rob Knop rknop@juliet.caltech.edu but several >companies that used to offer backups for sale have simply disappeared. I >have no recourse but to try to make my own copies if I hope to prevent these >programs from becoming vapor. Some of the disks are already over 5 years of >age!! > >What are people using? I have seen ads for Maverick that look tempting. Any >feedback? I don't really want to have to buy their RAMBOard (or any >additional hardware, for that matter). Are there other good archiving pgms >around - and available? > >If I HAVE to add hardware, consider that I do not own a real 1541, but have >a new Excelerator Plus (works better than the old 1541) and an old >Enhancer 2000 (works OK, but not with GEOS 2.0 and some newer games). Any >addtional hardware that goes IN the DD's must fit one or the other of these >machines. > >Thanks for the input!! > >Kirk A. Janowiak >XWUU@PURCCVM
CMWOLF@MTUS5.BITNET (12/02/90)
I've seen Maverick in action before, but I've never seen this RAMBoard thing that was mentioned. What is it, what does it do, and why is it needed for Maverick? (C)
cs4344af@evax.arl.utexas.edu (Fuzzy Fox) (12/03/90)
In article <90335.224217CMWOLF@MTUS5.BITNET> CMWOLF@MTUS5.BITNET asks: >[What is a RAMboard?] A RAMboard is a hardware modification to your 1541/71 disk drive that adds an extra 8K of memory. That's all. However, 8K of memory is now plenty of memory to buffer an entire track of GCR ("nybble") data, which means that backup software specially written to recognize this memory can now copy entire tracks at a time without worrying about time delays and other problems in copy protection. Such hardware/software disk backup systems can cope with nearly any sort of copy protection on the disk, since they can duplicate it almost exactly. However, exact duplication depends not only on reading/writing entire tracks; it also requires having your drive speed set very carefully at specific rates. When the drive reads info off the disk, it can actually synchronize to a wide variety of data rates. But when writing, the drive can only write at the rate that the disk rotates, so if you want to duplicate both patterns and timing, you need both extra RAM and a drive speed controller. Fortunately, Software Support International makes both of these hardware products, as well as distributing Maverick, the software part of it all. Contact them for details. *DISCLAIMER* Only about 5% of the programs out there need any hardware at all in order to be successfully backed up. If you buy only the Maverick software and forget the hardware, you will go quite far, especially if you don't bother trying to back up your game software. Productivity software is by far the easiest to back up.
slogan@ms.uky.edu (Stan Logan) (12/05/90)
I have boght Maverick v5.0 (the last version) and have installed my own RAMboard (not just 8K - but 32K). My question is this - could anyone please tell me the details about the speed control box. I know what it does, but the add says that you simply clip on two leads and you are done, but where do you clip on the leads and how does it work? Stan Logan