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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Software Issues and Discussion => Topic started by: A4000_Mad on January 10, 2011, 10:46:49 AM
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Hi Guys,
I picked up this Amiga game at a charity shop for 50p :)
(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o164/Cyberstorm604e/XJ220Box.jpg)
So I got the installer from www.whdload.de (http://www.whdload.de) and all went well when I put the game into an A4000 with the game running perfectly :)
(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o164/Cyberstorm604e/jagfile.jpg)
But when I went to put it into another Amiga I got the report:-
Checksum error on track 159
I clicked 'Retry' many times with no luck, so I eventually clicked on 'Cancel' and was told"-
Disc imaging was not successful! RawDIC was unable to create all needed files!
Is it somehow possible to overwrite the floppy using the perfectly good image of Disk1 created by RawDIC in my first successful installation of the game please?
Thanks,
:pint:
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Is it somehow possible to overwrite the floppy using the perfectly good image of Disk1 created by RawDIC in my first successful installation of the game please?
Wouldn't it just be easier to copy the disk1 image file over to the 2nd machine?
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Wouldn't it just be easier to copy the disk1 image file over to the 2nd machine?
Yes, that's quite true thanks Piru :) But I would still like to repair my disk as I don't like having faulty ones :(
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maybe the floppy drive on your other Amiga is at fault, since it works on your A4000 ???
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maybe the floppy drive on your other Amiga is at fault, since it works on your A4000 ???
I thought of that thanks loinstorm and tried again with the same A4000 and same floppy drive. The disk has definately become faulty. I would never normally insert or remove a disk while the floppy drive light is on. But unfortunately this is one of those rare games where the floppy drive read light stays on all the time. I had no choice but to remove Disk 1 to insert Disk 2 while the floppy drive light was still on. This probably caused the checksum error.
Anyway, does anyone know if the image of Disk1 created by RawDIC can be written to a floppy with some kind of program?
.
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Not sure about a RawDIC image, but you could always download an .adf and write it back using adf2disk (aminet)
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It's also possible that the disk is physically damaged or degraded, hence the checksum error. So writing the image back might not work [properly] even if it is possible.
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moto
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loinstorm
I like that typo.
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Thanks guys,
I'll look for an ADF or another complete, boxed copy of the game :)
However, I now consider it an Amiga challenge to write that image of Disk1 to a floppy disk. Does anyone know whether it can or can't be done? :confused:
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I think there are a couple of potential issues:
1. If WHDLoad patches the image when it's created, then it may well fail to work even if you can write it to floppy.
2. If the image is patched on the fly when you run the game (and the image itself is a perfect copy) then presumably you would have the same copy protection issues you would have if you tried to copy the original disk to another floppy.
Maybe if you can mount the image as a virtual floppy then you could do a diskcopy to a real disk, or use an ADF writer to write it. I have no idea whether either of those will work with the image format used by WHDLoad.
Sorry, bit vague :-/
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moto
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The answer is yes, yes it can be done.
You asked if it could be done, not if it could be done _easily_ after all. :)
Here's copy protection 101:
A DOS disk uses a standard MFM sync signal, 0x44A9. The signal tells the machine to start reading data, because it's all data after that signal.
A copy protected disk will usually use a special copy protection track (a very simple mechanism might just have a block marked "deleted" or with an invalid checksum). This track will usually use a different sync signal, one which only the game knows to expect: for instance, 0xA9A9. The AmigaDOS won't find a signal and gives "Read/Write Error". The game, however, knows that 0xA9A9 is the sync signal on this track and so can read the data. Quite often the track will be written "weak" so that it reads back differently every time. Also the sector may be longer than a normal one.
Following so far? Good.
Some games, for example Psygnosis games, use a custom sync signal throughout the whole disk. Other games will use a DOS disk - complete with disk label - except for the protection track, so it'll even have a disk icon on Workbench.
So, can you correct your disk?
If the corrupt track is on a weak track, forget it. You need very expensive stuff to write them.
If the corrupt track is on an AmigaDOS track (there may or may not be any on XJ220), then just use a simple imager to write the correct track. Job's a good'un. Track 159, incidentally, is the track 79 on side 2.
If the corrupt track is on a protected track, you need to look at the RawDIC file to work out what the sync signal is and the sector length and then use RawDIC. I don't know if you can write it back with RawDIC, but you can with a Catweasel. You can do anything with a catweasel except weak tracks.
Right, that all understood?
Now you can pretty much forget all that because the problem isn't just the disk, it's your drive, it's slightly out of alignment with the disk. Sometimes a drive will be perfect for 99% of disks but only just, and when a disk is slightly out in the other direction, it all breaks down.
Your best bet is to get hold of a disk copier like Cyclone, or X-Copy Pro or something, and just copy the disk using your A4000 which can read it fine. If it were just the disk that were bad, the 4000 wouldn't read it. If copying the disk works, you could copy the disk to another disk, and then copy that copy back to the original again. The alignment will now be with your A4000 drive rather than the disk duplicator that originally made it.
Hope that helps a little. :)
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WoW! That's all great and helpful stuff thanks spirantho :) :drink:
If the corrupt track is on an AmigaDOS track (there may or may not be any on XJ220), then just use a simple imager to write the correct track
What simple imager would that be? :confused:
Your best bet is to get hold of a disk copier like Cyclone, or X-Copy Pro or something, and just copy the disk using your A4000 which can read it fine. If it were just the disk that were bad, the 4000 wouldn't read it. If copying the disk works, you could copy the disk to another disk, and then copy that copy back to the original again. The alignment will now be with your A4000 drive rather than the disk duplicator that originally made it.
Unfortunately the A4000 only read the disk fine the first time and can't read it again now :(
I've got this copying gadget.............
(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o164/Cyberstorm604e/Syncro.jpg)
Would this give me a repaired disk or just another copy of the faulty disk?
:drink:
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Isn't that the one that needs special hardware? I think X-Copy Pro was the best one which didn't need a dongle. I could be wrong though.
If the A4000 can't read it now, then you won't be able to copy it - you'll need to find out what's supposed to be on that track!
Note that RawDIC doesn't image the whole disc, it skips the copy protection tracks completely as it doesn't need it (WHDLoad removes the check), so if the dead track is the protection track I'm afraid you can't do anything at all....
Your best bet would be to find out what the WHDload imager does, maybe the person who wrote it can help?
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I've had luck inspecting floppy disk surfaces through the little window and finding spots of whatever on the disks and removing the spots gently with a cotton swap dipped in rubbing alcohol. I'd say it's a last resort, though.
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Isn't that the one that needs special hardware? I think X-Copy Pro was the best one which didn't need a dongle. I could be wrong though.
If the A4000 can't read it now, then you won't be able to copy it - you'll need to find out what's supposed to be on that track!
Note that RawDIC doesn't image the whole disc, it skips the copy protection tracks completely as it doesn't need it (WHDLoad removes the check), so if the dead track is the protection track I'm afraid you can't do anything at all....
Your best bet would be to find out what the WHDload imager does, maybe the person who wrote it can help?
Hmmm... Looks like this Amiga battle could be lost unless the WHDLoad guys can be of help.
Yes, the Synchro Express does have the special hardware dongle which you plug onto your external floppy drive port and then plug on the drive itself :)
Thanks again spirantho :)
:pint:
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I've had luck inspecting floppy disk surfaces through the little window and finding spots of whatever on the disks and removing the spots gently with a cotton swap dipped in rubbing alcohol. I'd say it's a last resort, though.
That's worth a try thanks tone007 :)
:drink:
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That's worth a try thanks tone007 :)
:drink:
Another vote for this. I've found all sorts of weird crap living on the disc surface. After so many years, you have to expect physical contamination.