8" floppy system needed to recover old game data - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

6 Oct 2005

...
  -----Original Message-----
 From: Dave Dunfield

 CP/M itself is independant of any particular disk format. It 
 can work with hard-sector systems, soft-sector systems, 8" 
 5.25", 3.5" drives, ROM disks and RAM disks. The only real 
 requirement is that there be block addressable storage. 
Nice! At least, it probably was at the time. ;)

...
  Most 8" systems use IBM soft-sector format, and a
lot of them 
 use the WD series of FDC controllers. Most of these can be 
 read with a 765 type controller, but there are a number that 
 cannot. There really is a lot of variation. 
Okay.

...
  Getting data from 8" drives will require some
work. Chances 
 are that it can be recovered on a PC with ImageDisk or 
 TeleDisk, however to do so they would have to make an adapter 
 to connect the drive, connect it to the PC floppy controller, 
 power the drive, configure the software etc/, and you run the 
 risk that after all that effort, it may not be a disk format 
 compatible with the PC floppy controller (we could tell this 
 in advance if you can find out the exact type of CP/M system it is).
 This sounds like it is more work they they are willing to do. 
Ouch. Yes, exactly.

...
  If the original CP/M system is still running, then the

 content of the disks can be pulled off with a serial 
 connection to a PC - but this will require getting the 
 connection established, getting a bit of software running on 
 both the CP/M system and the PC. 
No, only the media is available unfortunately. Hence the problem.

...
  Failing either of the two above, then you need someone
local 
 who can do one of the above, or have them send the disks to 
 someone further away who can do it. 
I'll contact Sellam Ismail, he is certainly looking to be my best bet so
far.

...
  I have the ability image 8" disks directly to a
PC, and I 
 also have a multi-format copying station that I have not yet 
 "gotten around" to setting up (but I could do that). I also 
 know someone relatively close to me who does have a 
 multi-format copying station up and running. You could have 
 them send the disks to me (Ontario
 Canada) which would be a bit closer than going "across the pond". 
Lets see what we can do on location, and if that fails, we will have to
campaign to get them to send somebody the disks. :)

...
  I've been fairly actively involved in preservation
of disk 
 images from classic systems in the past couple of years - if  
Ah really? That is very interesting! Check your mail. ;)

...
  it would help, the game developer can contact me
directly to 
 discuss ways to recover the data. 
Thanks for the offer! I'll keep it in mind if things pan out that way.

Kieron

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