floppy disk images

What tool do you like best for writing floppy disk images to an image files?

I would like to find one that allows you not only to write the saved image
back to floppy, but one that would also allow you to open up the image file
and access the files inside, without having to restore back to floppy. Seen
anything like that? Something like what Daemon Tools does with CD images,
but it wouldn't have to be a virtual drive.

spoon2001 wrote:
> What tool do you like best for writing floppy disk images to an image files?

I tend to use RawWrite for Windows, but there's not really a huge amount
of choice...

> I would like to find one that allows you not only to write the saved image
> back to floppy, but one that would also allow you to open up the image file
> and access the files inside, without having to restore back to floppy. Seen
> anything like that? Something like what Daemon Tools does with CD images,
> but it wouldn't have to be a virtual drive.

The only program I've found to do exactly that (and do it very well at
that!) that is shareware... You'll probably have come across it while
googling for floppy disk imaging tools. Looking around this morning, I
did come across this -

"Virtual Floppy Drive 2.1"
http://chitchat.at.infoseek.co.jp/vmware/vfd.html

Looks very interesting, but I've never tried it before. It can mount
and read images created by RawWrite but not create them itself.

Someone has also just mentioned DuBaron Diskimage in another thread.

http://dubaron.com/diskimage/

Again, haven't tried it, but planning on having a look - it does mention
imaging floppy drives, but whether it will let you explore those images
without putting them back onto a floppy I don't know.

HTH

B

http://www.rundegren.com/products/floppyimage/

Version 1.5.2 Freeware

You should be able to find it somewhere.
or try google it



"spoon2001" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:EZCFf.52236$PL5.52156@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com...
What tool do you like best for writing floppy disk images to an image files?

I would like to find one that allows you not only to write the saved image
back to floppy, but one that would also allow you to open up the image file
and access the files inside, without having to restore back to floppy. Seen
anything like that? Something like what Daemon Tools does with CD images,
but it wouldn't have to be a virtual drive.

"spoon2001" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:EZCFf.52236$PL5.52156@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com...
> What tool do you like best for writing floppy disk images to an image
files?
>
> I would like to find one that allows you not only to write the saved
image
> back to floppy, but one that would also allow you to open up the image
file
> and access the files inside, without having to restore back to floppy.
Seen
> anything like that? Something like what Daemon Tools does with CD
images,
> but it wouldn't have to be a virtual drive.
>
>

My vote goes to

http://www.mirkes.de/en/freeware/flpmstr.php

or rawrite for windows

AAH wrote:

> http://www.rundegren.com/products/floppyimage/
>
> Version 1.5.2 Freeware

Program: Floppy Image
Author: (Anders Rundegren)
W: LFW
Ware: Freeware v. 1.5.2
http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/

http://www.woundedmoon.org/win32_freeware.html

http://www.themolezone.net/
http://htmole.altervista.org (temporary address)

Susan
--
Posted to alt.comp.freeware
Search alt.comp.freeware (or read it online):
http://www.google.com/advanced_grou...t.comp.freeware
Pricelessware & ACF: http://www.pricelesswarehome.org
Pricelessware: http://www.pricelessware.org (not maintained)

On Mon, 06 Feb 2006 07:33:56 GMT, "spoon2001" <invalid@invalid.invalid>
wrote:

>What tool do you like best for writing floppy disk images to an image files?
>
>I would like to find one that allows you not only to write the saved image
>back to floppy, but one that would also allow you to open up the image file
>and access the files inside, without having to restore back to floppy. Seen
>anything like that? Something like what Daemon Tools does with CD images,
>but it wouldn't have to be a virtual drive.
>

Maybe not what you need but nevertheless a good freeware tool.


Virtual Floppy Drive v2.1

This is a virtual floppy drive for Windows NT / 2000 / XP (works also on
2003, it seems).
You can mount a floppy image file as a virtual floppy drive and directly
access the contents -- view, edit, rename, delete or create files on a
virtual floppy, format a virtual floppy, launch a program on a virtual
floppy... almost anything you can do with a real floppy.


http://chitchat.at.infoseek.co.jp/vmware/vfd.html

John Stubbings wrote:
> My vote goes to
>
> http://www.mirkes.de/en/freeware/flpmstr.php
>
> or rawrite for windows

I wondered about this one, and passed it over when I first saw it ... though
the link says "flpmstr" the name of the program is 3.5"master and it seems
to support only 720K/1.44M floppy formats.

OK gang I have done a little testing. I created images of a 1.44MB 3.5 inch
floppy disk (an old MaxBlast diskette, presumably bootable) using RawWrite
for Windows 0.7; Floppy Image 1.52; and Floppy Image Creator 1.41.

RawWriteWin
http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/rawwrite.htm

FloppyImage 1.52
http://www.321download.com/LastFree...#Floppy%20Image

Floppy Disk Creator 1.41
http://www.geocities.com/johnno_ann/

RawWriteWin wrote an image that was 1474560 (1440 x 1024), and I was able to
load it into Virtual Floppy Drive (VFD) 2.1, as Drive O: (arbitrary choice
by me). I was able to display a directory of drive O:, load TXT files into
notepad, and run an EXE.

The files created by FloppyImage 1.52 and Floppy Disk Creator 1.41 were
slightly larger, and could not be loaded by VFD. Then I ran FloppyImage
again, had it make a compatible IMG file without the description. I didn't
see any way of disabling the description in Floppy Disk Creator 1.41.

Then I decided to try to compare the two files made by RawWrite and Floppy
Image 1.52. (I used Tiny Hexer, which is anything but Tiny) The files were
different! I think that I changed the contents of the RawWrite image file
by writing to a file contained in the image, when loaded into VFD. So, if
you want to make sure that your archived floppy is not altered, make sure
you use the Write Protect option, or use the VFD option to load the floppy
image into RAM, not directly from the FILE.

VFD supports WinImage IMZ compressed disk images. Floppy Image registers
IMZ files to itself, but I didn't see a way to write one. Since I couldn't
figure out how to write a compressed disk image, I didn't test trying to
load one into VFD.

I am unclear on whether VFD supports self-executable EXE floppy disk images;
I thought I saw somewhere that it does, but I can't find it now.

Bottom line, I'd go with RawWriteWin or Floppy Image 1.52, write compatible
uncompressed disk image files without a description added.

followup -

Floppy Image 1.52 does provide the option to save a floppy image in a
compressed file (IMZ) or a self-extracting EXE. These options appear when
you click on the Browse button, and get to the Save Image File As dialog
box. These options appear in the Save as Type dropdown box. Floppy Image
turned my MaxBlast floppy into a 770KB IMZ file. I tried mounting this
image using Virtual Floppy Disk 1.2, but it didn't work.

"spoon2001" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in
news:waRFf.9836$2O6.4684@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com:

> OK gang I have done a little testing. I created images of a 1.44MB
> 3.5 inch floppy disk (an old MaxBlast diskette, presumably bootable)
> using RawWrite for Windows 0.7; Floppy Image 1.52; and Floppy Image
> Creator 1.41.
>
> RawWriteWin
> http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/rawwrite.htm
>
> FloppyImage 1.52
> http://www.321download.com/LastFree...#Floppy%20Image
>
> Floppy Disk Creator 1.41
> http://www.geocities.com/johnno_ann/
>
> RawWriteWin wrote an image that was 1474560 (1440 x 1024), and I was
> able to load it into Virtual Floppy Drive (VFD) 2.1, as Drive O:
> (arbitrary choice by me). I was able to display a directory of drive
> O:, load TXT files into notepad, and run an EXE.
>
> The files created by FloppyImage 1.52 and Floppy Disk Creator 1.41
> were slightly larger, and could not be loaded by VFD. Then I ran
> FloppyImage again, had it make a compatible IMG file without the
> description. I didn't see any way of disabling the description in
> Floppy Disk Creator 1.41.
>
> Then I decided to try to compare the two files made by RawWrite and
> Floppy Image 1.52. (I used Tiny Hexer, which is anything but Tiny)
> The files were different! I think that I changed the contents of the
> RawWrite image file by writing to a file contained in the image, when
> loaded into VFD. So, if you want to make sure that your archived
> floppy is not altered, make sure you use the Write Protect option, or
> use the VFD option to load the floppy image into RAM, not directly
> from the FILE.
>
> VFD supports WinImage IMZ compressed disk images. Floppy Image
> registers IMZ files to itself, but I didn't see a way to write one.
> Since I couldn't figure out how to write a compressed disk image, I
> didn't test trying to load one into VFD.
>
> I am unclear on whether VFD supports self-executable EXE floppy disk
> images; I thought I saw somewhere that it does, but I can't find it
> now.
>
> Bottom line, I'd go with RawWriteWin or Floppy Image 1.52, write
> compatible uncompressed disk image files without a description added.
>
>
>

So you are testing a Win95/98 version of Floppy Image, with a
Win2000/NT/XP only version of Virtual Floppy Drive, to check out DOS
legacy 1.44Mb floppy disk images ? Good luck !