Creating Game Disks

[westcoastech]

Hey guys

I am going to try and explain this as simply as I can, sort of confusing. I have a bunch of old games for Macintosh, however most of the disks are corrupt and cannot be read. I have found most of the game data online for the various games and they are playable when I move the folders to the old Mac's. They are the original floppy disk data but put into one folder. I wish to recreate the original floppy disks for the games I own as a "back up" but since I cannot compare the original disks I am not sure exactly the data I need to copy to each floppy.

It appears that generally the first floppy had the majority of files, then the following disks would only have a single file named vol.1 etc. The problem is that some games had the first vol.1 file on the first disk and some had it on the second disk. Such as for some games vol.1 would go on disk 2 and on some games vol.1 would go on disk 1 along with the rest of the files.

I am wondering if anyone knows what I am talking about and might be able to help me out. I really would like to create the original disks and put them in the game boxes.

 

[westcoastech]

I guess no one knows what im talking about or how I would determine what file needs to go on what floppy

 

[Sherry Haibara]

I don't think there exists a general method that applies to every multiple-floppy Macintosh game that has ever been made, unfortunately. I'm not aware of a general rule that defines where to put each game's files, because I guess that every developer chose how to name them and where to put them on his own. 
For some specific cases, you could probably find the original file arrangement of each floppy documented somewhere on the web, but you'll have to be lucky.

 

[Macdrone]

Best backups to find are usually already imaged (img) so that disk tools can just create a floppy from the image like original.

 

[westcoastech]

ya a file arrangement log or document would be great, also I agree macdrone a separate img for each floppy disk would be great if I could find it, usually the image opens up a single folder with all the floppies already pilled into it.

I am not looking for just any game, specifically for old Sierra games, more specifically for Kings Quest, Space Quest and perhaps Leisure Suit Larry but mostly the first two. Other games I am not too concerned about but those are my favourite and I want to try and preserve the ones I have.

 

[olePigeon]

Well, I'd start by looking for copies of the original disks from the usual websites.  Macintosh Garden has an extensive catalog.

If Macintosh Garden doesn't have disk images of the original floppies (sometimes they're just Stuffit Archives with all the files already installed), your next step is to ask if anyone else here or at Vintage Forum also has the game, and see if they can send you disk image copies of their floppies.

 

[Scott Baret]

If you can find it, try a utility called DiskDup+. It's great for making backups of just about anything. I'm not sure if it does copy-protected game disks but it's easy to use and doesn't even require a multiple-floppy Mac.

 

[MinerAl]

I would go by file sizes.  If the installer and Vol.1 both fit on one floppy I'd expect that to be what disk 1 originally looked like.  If Vol.1 is 1.4M all by itself, then it probably was its own disk.

 

[onlyonemac]

I would go by file sizes.  If the installer and Vol.1 both fit on one floppy I'd expect that to be what disk 1 originally looked like.  If Vol.1 is 1.4M all by itself, then it probably was its own disk.

That's what I was going to say.

Also some installers asked you to insert the disks in a specified order or displayed a status message indicating which disk they thought that they were copying from. You might be able to use that information to figure out where the files are supposed to go.