Disk Images

[LaPorta]

I’m sure this has been answered 1,000 times, but I am new to it.

im trying to get games and such working with my Apple IIe card. I’ve read a bunch online about CiderPress, serial transfers, etc. I have about 25 Macs...but ONLY Macs. Can’t use CiderPress and all that. I have little/no experience with Apple II disk images and such. What tools are available, for what Mac systems? How do I write images to disk on a IIe? How do I even get a disk image program onto the IIe if I can’t copy those images on a Mac?

i need to figure out where to start here.

 

[sixsevenco]

Have you looked into ADT Pro?

http://adtpro.com/

 

[LaPorta]

Thank you. I did, but I was hoping to not have to use cabling and all of that. I was hoping to be able to download the images, transfer them via 3.5" floppy to the LC II that the IIe Card resides in, and then somehow load them on the IIe card's disks and/or hard drive partition, and then write them to a blank disk. This would forego any of the cabling/serial stuff. However, I do need  a way to create the floppy from the image once it is loaded on the LC II.

 

[ScutBoy]

It's been a while since I've done this...

You can create a ProDOS partition on the Mac that has the IIe card. Then it can be visible from both the IIe and the Mac side. Get  your software on Mac floppies copied to the ProDOS partition, and then reboot into the IIe and read them from there.

Where I get fuzzy is how to create II floppies from the image files; can't remember what software I used to do that step - depends on the image file format. If it will run from from the ProDOS partition, then you're done.

 

[LaPorta]

Thank you. Yes, I am less worried about getting the image there (as you said, ProDOS partition and all) than extracting it. It’s like having a Mac with stuffed disk images but no access to StuffIt or DiskCopy, basically. I don’t know the Apple II equivalents nor how to use them. I found and downloaded a program called Diskmaker 8, which looks sound in theory, but that itself comes as a disk image!

 

[bibilit]

Yes, CiderPress is the way to go, 

CiderPress will create a Prodos 800 k drive, including all the wanted sotwares, no need to create a partition.



You will need an utility named DSK2file (IIRC) that will convert DSK files to real Apple II 5.25 disks.

 

[LaPorta]

CiderPress is windows-based, yes? I do not have a PC...

i suppose unless someone is able to make me an 800k ProDOS image with the utilities on it that I can open on a Mac with DiskCopy?

 

[bibilit]

Yes CP is windows-based.

I can have a look and send you probably something, but if you want to download images later and play with you Apple IIe card, find yourself a cheap windows machine with a floppy drive.

 

[joethezombie]

CiderPress is windows-based, yes? I do not have a PC...

CiderPress runs pretty well in a Wine Bottle, though.  You can get a self-contained OSX app from Retro Computer Australia's download page if you don't want to create your own or be bothered with Wine.

http://retrocomputingaustralia.com/rca-downloads/

 

[jongleur]

Thanks for the plug JTZ, it also reminds me that it's time to repackage the latest version of CiderPress.

Cheers.

 

[LaPorta]

Very interesting. That I will have to try. Do you think that it will allow me to make the disk images that I have into images that DiskCopy will be able to read? I ask because I have no OS X - capable computer that also has a floppy drive. That i need to do on one of the older Macs to get to the LC II.

 

[LaPorta]

So far, thanks to joethezombie, I got CiderPress running on my MacBook Pro. I successfully extracted the DiskMaker 8 program and ReadMe from the archive. These I will endeavor tomorrow to copy into my LC II ProDOS partition, use them, and then utilize the program to make real floppys from the images. This is a great start, thank you for that!

 

[LaPorta]

Ok so I got the diskmaker 8 program extracted with cider press. Copied it to the IIe card ProDOS partition...and for the life of me I can’t figure how the heck to make the damn thing run. I’ve tried the RUN command, BRUN command, always get these file type errors or some such crap (I think "File Type Mismatch". The file I’m trying to open is DISKMAKER8.SYS, so I’m pretty sure it’s the correct file.

this reminds me why I stuck with Macs back when...

 

[bibilit]

Well, all the programs i am using in my own setup are just as easy as double clicking the icon from the Macintosh partition.

 

[LaPorta]

I wish it was that easy. This happens to be a DOS 3.3 based program (at least CiderPress calls it that), not ProDOS. Could that likely be why I can't do that? There is no resource fork or anything, so the Mac side can't see it as a program.

I still need to know how to load this thing from the command line within the Apple II.

 

[bibilit]

from the prompt, try the following:

]cat                       (should show the files availables on the partition)

if you can see on the list your Dismaker program (Name DISKMAKER8  Type SYS)

again, at the prompt, load the program:

]-DISKMAKER8           (Upper case and don't forget the "-" in front of the program's name)

 

[LaPorta]

Thank you I will give this a try. I much appreciate the hand-holding as I was never an Apple II guy.

Alternatively if this does not work and I have a corrupted file or something, perhaps someone could put their copy that works onto a ProDOS image that is a Disk Copy 4.2 file so I can make a real disk out of it on one of my Macs.

 

[bibilit]

Hey, look at that video found online, exactly what you are dealing with:

Only difference, he made a disk using CiderPress first (exactly what i got, a nice Prodos floppy seen by the LC)

Never used Diskmaker before, DSK2file looks easier

 

[LaPorta]

Yes indeed! I did in fact watch that video. The crucial difference is he is using a PC: I don't have one. The only shot I'd have is making a ProDOS DiskCopy 4.2 image, but that option is grayed out for me for some reason (maybe Cider Press can't do that). I have no way of writing to a floppy because any Mac that I have with a floppy drive cannot run OS X, and therefore cannot run the WINE version of Cider Press. I'm fairly certain that once I am able to get DSK2file or DiskMaker running on the IIe side, the rest will all fall into place, it's just that crucial first step.