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Making disks from img files not working well

Gr8BrittonGr8Britton
in Software
It is probably just me ( :) ), but I have gone through all kinds of apps trying to get something that consistently writes good disks from the img files. For DOS, it worked better for me to format /s the diskette and then just use 7zip to copy the files. That worked very well (even though many forum posts said to NEVER do it and it wouldn't work.)

Any way, I have tried WinImage, DiscImage 32, CDBurnerXP, RAWWrite and many other apps trying to find one that makes since and works well. I've even tried .exe files that are supposed to write the diskette for you they fail accessing the disk even though all other functions on the disk drive and disk works. (USB FDD on modern PC.)

I have an HP Vectra VL 5/133 Series 4 PC I rescued. I have tried DOS (various), Win98 SE (various) and OS/2. For DOS and Win98, in particular, there always seems to be a problem with the boot disk or install disks. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Comments

  • GarciaGarcia
    I use DD on linux.
    There is DD for windows which I've also used successfully on floppy images.
    Here is a windows port:
    http://www.chrysocome.net/dd
  • SomeGuySomeGuy
    Unfortunately, there is no "one size fits all" solution for writing disks.

    For standard IBM 360k/720k/1.2m/1.44mb disks, WinImage is probably the easiest and best featured.

    For Dos 1.x or non-DOS disks here, images may be in ImageDisk or Teledisk format. If an IMG version is included, those won't open in WinImage.

    Then there is copy protected stuff that requires special hardware or software.

    Just writing files is fine as long as you know what you are doing. But most people don't. It won't create volume labels that many installers require, it won't usually make a disk bootable, and it loses file order.

    Also, opening IMG files with 7z, WinRAR, or Winzip is generally a bad idea, as they will often open archives inside the disk images rather than the disk image itself. Usually WinImage is the best tool for that job too.
  • 02k-guy02k-guy
    OP said: " (USB FDD on modern PC.)".

    My take on this - and SomeGuy has far greater experience - right there is your problem.
    This issue of consistently getting positive results comes from at least in part using the floppy drive with included USB adaptor.

    Better results are obtained getting a name brand floppy like TEAC or NEC, or a pull from a name brand like Dell, IBM, Toshiba, and then a floppy to USB adaptor separately.

    Even better, a PC with internal floppy connector and BIOS that understands them.

    I did a little price checking, and a floppy and adaptor separately will run you 20 bucks or so each, plus shipping.

    Below is an example (I've known of literally dozens of similar posts) where the cause and solution was the USB drive:

    https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=84004
  • Gr8BrittonGr8Britton
    Thank you @Garcia , @SomeGuy and @02k-guy !

    I'm getting Win98 installed in the P133 now, so I will try again on a 32-bit OS with a real Floppy drive and use that going forward. Again, thank you!
  • GarciaGarcia
    I've only used real 1.4m floppy drives on both old laptops and PC.
    I dont have a USB floppy drive...

    I forgot to mention, I came across this device last week... That might help you keeping the USB connection.

    Good description of what it can do:
    https://retroready.one/collections/atari-st-e/products/greaseweazle-v4-usb-floppy-adapter-flux-reader-writer-amiga-atari-pc

    It's also sold here:
    https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle/wiki/Purchase-a-Greaseweazle


    It's opensource project (both software & hardware) so you can build it yourself:
    https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle
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