allred@ut-emx.uucp (Kevin L. Allred) (11/17/90)
I downloaded the Apple ][ emulator that runs on 286+ machines from the SIMTEL20 archives in the emulation directory. The code was apparently written in 1988 by Randy Spurlock, but the ZIP archive and all the files are dated 1990. The documentation is extremely brief. On the subject of reading apple disks, it only states that, for example, a file named DISK6A.DSK would be interpreted to be an image of a disk corresponding to a disk in drive A connected to the controller in slot 6. In the distribution is a 144KB file named DISK6A.DSK. When I run the emulator, apparently it reads this file and proceeds to boot up. I can use the CATALOG command to look at the files on the disk image, and I can RUN/BRUN some of them. The problem is that I can't figure out how the image file was created, or how it would be possible to simulate a disk swap if I had multiple image files. Does any one know how to create a disk image file from an apple ][ disk (I will assume that making a serial connection between an Apple ][ and a PC is the easy part)? Is there any way to read an apple ][ disk directly in a pc drive? It seems to me that it would be easy if there were an apple ][ program that would do a block by block binary read of the disk and dump the info over a serial cable to a PC. The PC would only need to forward everything coming in on the serial cable into a file. A nice short direct serial connection would remove the need for any type of error correcting protocol. I suppose the same thing would work even faster between parallel ports, if the particular PC had bidirectional ports. -- Kevin Allred allred@emx.cc.utexas.edu allred@ut-emx.UUCP
rlcollins@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu (Ryan 'Gozar' Collins) (11/18/90)
In article <39817@ut-emx.uucp>, allred@ut-emx.uucp (Kevin L. Allred) writes: > I downloaded the Apple ][ emulator that runs on 286+ machines from the > SIMTEL20 archives in the emulation directory. The code was apparently > written in 1988 by Randy Spurlock, but the ZIP archive and all the > files are dated 1990. The documentation is extremely brief. > > Does any one know how to create a disk image file from an apple ][ > disk (I will assume that making a serial connection between an Apple > ][ and a PC is the easy part)? Is there any way to read an apple ][ > disk directly in a pc drive? > > It seems to me that it would be easy if there were an apple ][ program > that would do a block by block binary read of the disk and dump the > info over a serial cable to a PC. The PC would only need to forward > everything coming in on the serial cable into a file. A nice short > direct serial connection would remove the need for any type of error > correcting protocol. I suppose the same thing would work even faster > between parallel ports, if the particular PC had bidirectional ports. My roommate and his friend wrote two pieces of software, one for the PC and one for the Apple, that would transfer disks exactly like the way you mentioned. They are both very short, nofrills programs. (I don't think they even have any options. Since they are short, I'll try to get them and post them right here. Maybe everyone can persuade them to had some more options to them!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ryan 'Gozar' Collins ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ o__)\ rlcollins@miavx1.BITNET / ) RC1DSANU@miamiu.acs.muohio.edu / / ____ R.COLLINS1 (On GEnie) /(____/__(_) o)_/ /) [ || ] Atari Computers, "There is no Substitute." [ || ] They're not just Vs lbh pna ernq guvf, lbh'er geniryvat // || \\ for breakfast gbb pybfr! // || \\ anymore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Yea, right, thats what I said.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~