Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

[Jerry Weiss]

> On May 5, 2017, at 5:13 PM, Jerry Weiss <jsw at ieee.org> wrote:
> 
> 
>> On May 5, 2017, at 4:58 PM, Terry Stewart via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk at classiccmp.org>> wrote:
>> 
>>> In case not everyone noticed, but Terry's already given up on this
>> 
>> Lol, true. The disks will be given back on Monday.  It's no big deal.  The
>> owners can decided what they want to do.  Even if I can't read it the
>> disks, however, pondering just what the format might be is fun. I'm
>> certainly learning something. Feel free to keep speculating if you are so
>> inclined.
>> 
>>> I still think the best suggestion was the one about posting what's on the
>>> printed sheet that appears to be a directory listing
>> 
>> Here it is:
>> 
>> http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/images/2017-04-15-vax-disk-cover.jpg <http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/images/2017-04-15-vax-disk-cover.jpg>
>> 
>> Some more info.  Anadisk tells me the disks are Single Sided, Single
>> Density.  It can see ID marks as it tracks a disk but that is all.  It
>> can't see any data.  Could be an RX02 disk as people say...
>> 
>> Terry (Tez)
> 
> 
> Looks like ODS2.  The files appear to be RUNOFF.   Quick guess is that they
> are the appendices to some document or manuscript.
> 
> 

Mr Obvious here (missed the handwritten text in the label at first). 

The .RNO files should contain human readable text.  It no-one has a VAX
with an RX02, it should be possible to image the disk from a PDP11 and
then mount the image in elsewhere to recover the data.




> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Sat, May 6, 2017 at 8:50 AM, allison via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk at classiccmp.org>>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> On 05/05/2017 03:39 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote:
>>>>>> Terry is doing it for fun; we can't expect the others to.
>>>> 
>>>> On Fri, 5 May 2017, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk wrote:
>>>>> I would.  :-)  Or maybe for beer.
>>>> 
>>>> I doubt that Allison will want to underbid THAT!
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> Free beer?!?  No, no,no...
>>> 
>>> Allison
>>> 
> 
> Jerry Weiss
> jsw at ieee.org <mailto:jsw at ieee.org>
> 
> 
> 

Jerry Weiss
jsw at ieee.org