Copy a floppy that is protected

[Buickguy]

I've managed to aquire an old copy of Digital Performer 2.11 with a single original key floppy. I wanted to make a backup copy since I don't completely trust 14 year old disks. The rig I'm using to attempt copy has been a Qaudra 605 running system 8.1. I've tried DiskDup+ 2.9.2 which makes a disc but when I try to run the copy it asks for the original disk. I tried CopyII mac but it hangs the system.

Anyone had any success with this kind of thing? What sofware should I try?

Thanks

 

[Gil]

Ah yes, Digital Performer. I bought one on eBay last spring, that came with a key diskette that didn't work. After a month with tech support, they sent me a CD containing Digital Performer 2.7, which doesn't require a diskette. As long as you can prove that it's not pirated, they'll most likely give it to you.

Not sure if that helps. I don't know if 2.7 is PPC only or not.

 

[Buickguy]

I guess I could give MOTU a call. They used to be notorious for not liking to support the old stuff but it's worth a shot.

I'd still like to be able to make a disk image to copy onto a Cd for an emergency.

I was able to locate another copy of a key disk through the help of a friend who runs a music shop.

It would probably also be wise to convert all my old Performer sequences into SMF format and archive it all to CD just in case.

 

[Mars478]

DON'T COPY! DON'T COPY THAT FLOPPY!

(google it)

 

[Buickguy]

:lol: I remember that campaign by the software industry!

 

[macgeek417]

DON'T COPY! DON'T COPY THAT FLOPPY!(google it)

lmao

 

[JRL]

DON'T COPY! DON'T COPY THAT FLOPPY!(google it)

Heh, even that vid says you are legally allowed to make one backup copy of a program AFAIK.

 

[tomlee59]

I don't know about that particular disk, but a relatively common copy-protect scheme was to damage the disk in one or more locations. Upon launch, the program would check for the ability to write to the damaged area. A successful read-write-verify operation would cause the program to quit.

The damage was fairly obvious to the naked eye, so you can readily check whether this method was used in your case. Just open the shutter and rotate the disk. Look for an obvious burn mark or something similar. To (attempt to) make a copy, note the location of the damaged area with as much precision as you can, and use a utility knife to make a matching defect in the target floppy. Rerun your copy operation, and see what happens. You may not succeed on the first try, but with care you should be able to get there eventually.

 

[Buickguy]

Thanks Tomlee,

I think that may be at least part of the protection scheme. Diskdup+ reports a single bad sector. I did a cursory inspection of the physical disk but did not notice any damage. I'll give it another, more painstaking look for some form of damage.

 

[Dog Cow]

To (attempt to) make a copy, note the location of the damaged area with as much precision as you can, and use a utility knife to make a matching defect in the target floppy.

That's insane! How would you know what track/sector corresponds to any given physical location on the floppy?

 

[Charlieman]

That's insane! How would you know what track/sector corresponds to any given physical location on the floppy?

On hard sector disks, sectors are in an absolute physical position. However, that does not apply to soft sector disks such as used with the Mac.

In my utility collection, I note the existence of Fedit that I was using well into the PowerMac era to perform disk recovery. Fedit can identify bad sectors and perform selective read/writes, making it a great copying tool.

 

[slomacuser]

That is how it looks protection on my SmoothTalker diskette ... first time I hear for Fedit, can you please send it me, so I could try to backup my protected floppies, well I would like to make a disk images to run them on vMac emulator.

 

[protocol7]

You can get Fedit here and Fedit Plus here.

 

[Buickguy]

Thanks, I appreciate the heads up on Fedit

 

[Mycatisbigfoot]

lol dont coppy that floppy, did you see all of the macs that heaven there guys

 

[candyflip]

Hi,

I have successfully copied my protected Turbosynth disk using Copy II Mac.

Perhaps give it a try. Copy II Mac v7 can easily be found using Google.

 

[slomacuser]

So far, nothing worked for me to copy SmoothTalker, Adobe Illustrator, Macintosh Basics, to disk image (to another disk yes, but not disk image, to try it on vMac). Possibly impossible ...

 

[Dog Cow]

Did you check the bozo bit?

 

[edibot42]

Bozo bit?