32 replies to this topic

[KirkDCO]

I'm going through my collection and I have a very, very nice collection of floppy disks. Things like DTIHCG Disk of the Month from 05/86 through Feb 95 - over 100 disks in total. (Not sure what DTIHCG is - any ideas?) Also IUGAMES01 through IUGAMES11, 14 disks titled TI-Carts, and a mixed set of some User Group disks. I would very much like to archive this in such a way that they can at least be used on an emulator - Classic99, Win994a, or MESS. This archiving could also allow reconstituting them to floppy in some way.

Are there ways to do this? How? I appreciate any and all tips and ideas.

-Kirk

Edited by KirkDCO, Sat Dec 31, 2011 3:44 PM.

[jacquesg]

DTIHCG is Dallas TI Home Computer Group

[marc.hull]

KirkDCO, on Sat Dec 31, 2011 3:30 PM, said:

I'm going through my collection and I have a very, very nice collection of floppy disks. Things like DTIHCG Disk of the Month from 05/86 through Feb 95 - over 100 disks in total. (Not sure what DTIHCG is - any ideas?) Also IUGAMES01 through IUGAMES11, 14 disks titled TI-Carts, and a mixed set of some User Group disks. I would very much like to archive this in such a way that they can at least be used on an emulator - Classic99, Win994a, or MESS. This archiving could also allow reconstituting them to floppy in some way.

Are there ways to do this? How? I appreciate any and all tips and ideas.

-Kirk

If you have access to a WIN98 machine with a floppy drive then you could use TI99-PC to read the floppies and save the disk images to the WIN98 machine. For some reason I want to say that 2000+ machines don't work too well.

[jchase1970]

Maybe send them to one of the guys on here that have a CF device for the TI.

[marc.hull]

jchase1970, on Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:08 PM, said:

Maybe send them to one of the guys on here that have a CF device for the TI.

Unless I'm wrong.....

A CF7 or NANO PEB does not co-exist with the PEB at all (which would be needed to read the floppies.) IDE or SCSI requires the same (IDE or SCSI) on the other end to "UN-PeeCee".

[jchase1970]

marc.hull, on Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:24 PM, said:

jchase1970, on Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:08 PM, said:

Maybe send them to one of the guys on here that have a CF device for the TI.

Unless I'm wrong.....

A CF7 or NANO PEB does not co-exist with the PEB at all (which would be needed to read the floppies.) IDE or SCSI requires the same (IDE or SCSI) on the other end to "UN-PeeCee".

Duh.....

[KirkDCO]

I found this: http://www.deviceside.com/fc5025.html

Any experience with it?

[ti99userclub]

Hi Kirk, for tranfer all my disks to ti99 (about 1500 disks, i am using a PC Pentium 4 with a 5.25 Floppy Disk and TI99-PC programmed from Mr. Paolo Bagnaresi. It Use a Modified Version of OmniFlop Program.
the same program work on a Core2Duo with Windows XP using 3,5" floppy, so i can transfer disks from ti99 3.5" to disk image .dsk.
You can download the program from this link: http://www.ti99iuc.i...ori/TI99-PC.zip
be must replace the original windows XP floppy driver with the TI99 compatible floppy driver from the directory named: OmniFlop, OmniFDC.sys



About This :
I found this: http://www.deviceside.com/fc5025.html

i tried it, and i must say it work, but you must know how the original disk is formatted becouse the program of that card do not load the disks parameters in automatic like do the TI99-PC program, but we must insert manually the disk parameters and if we do not know how the diskette is formatted, well, this could be a problem.

Edited by ti99userclub, Mon Jan 2, 2012 6:24 PM.

[KirkDCO]

Thanks for the tips! I have a Windows XP machine that just might work (the one I'm using now, in fact). The trick will be to find a 5.25 drive that will work with it. I wonder if one of my TI PEB drives would work...hmmmm....

[ti99userclub]

Well Kirk, i used a ti99 floppy drive too, but you must see if your motherboard can work with 5.25" floppy drive, for example on mine Core2Duo computer i can't setting a 5.25" floppy drive from motherboard BIOS.
and more, you must check if your controller is compatible with the TI99-PC program floppy Driver, read the file text in the TI99-PC Directory

[KirkDCO]

Will do! The PC that I'm using is over 10 years old, so there's a chance. I'll check out the details you outlined and report back.

Thank you again!

[KirkDCO]

I checked the BIOS on my old computer and I see it only has an option for a 3.5" floppy - no 5.25" at all. So, it does not look like I can set up this PC with a drive and capture the disks.

Other ideas?

[ti99userclub]

Yes, it's the same problem of me... so i found and purchased an old pentium 4 with 5.25" disk drive for 20 euro...
or you could mount a 3.5 floppy drive on the PEB and copy your 5.25 floppy in 3.5 but it's will be need more time for disk conversions...

you could purchase the HxC SD Card for transfer the disks to HxC but it's will be a bit more expensive of an old Pentium4 computer.

Edited by ti99userclub, Mon Jan 9, 2012 1:54 PM.

[KirkDCO]

Is that you, Ciro? We just keep bumping into each other!

Yes, I had a similar thought to find an old PC for not too many $$$. That might be the best option at this point.

[eck]

Hi!
I transfered my floppies on SD-Cards with a HxC device. Thanks to Mr. Guidry, who mailed me a blank pc99 DSDD disk in times, when it was the only format to write on a SD-Card. The issue, why I post here is: there is actually no way to reconvert the .hfe-files, used along with the HxC, into pc99-files. I saved my disk-images in .hfe-format on my pc, but they can not be used in emulators. I think somebody tries to enhance the software written for use with the HxC-device in that direction, but I am not able to tell the status about this project. I had problems with other image-formats other than the pc99, maybe this is fixed so far, cannot tell either. It is no easy decision, but I think you should know this about the HxC-system. I like it.

[adamantyr]

I set up an old Pentium 200 MMX with Dos 6.11 and a 5 1/4" drive so I could move my TI software over to safe archives. It took a bit to set up, and I still had to use a 3 1/2" floppy to move the data back to my real PC (no USB on that ancient thing), but it worked.

I haven't tried setting up the units in awhile... they may not even work anymore. But if nobody else offers, I could certainly try and help out moving your stuff.

Adamantyr

[RXB]

Using PC99 I moves everything off my TI to my PCs. But then I only had problems with 3 disks and no others.

[ti99userclub]

RXB, on Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:06 AM, said:

Using PC99 I moves everything off my TI to my PCs. But then I only had problems with 3 disks and no others.

Have you a link for PC99 ?

[KirkDCO]

RXB, on Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:06 AM, said:

Using PC99 I moves everything off my TI to my PCs. But then I only had problems with 3 disks and no others.

PC99 format is not compatible with Classic99, Win994A, nor MESS, correct?

[eck]

Correct, Sir.

[Tursi]

KirkDCO, on Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:26 AM, said:

PC99 format is not compatible with Classic99, Win994A, nor MESS, correct?

Works in Classic99. (Read only though, like all disk images so far).

Edited by Tursi, Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:30 PM.

[marc.hull]

KirkDCO, on Mon Jan 9, 2012 12:11 PM, said:

I checked the BIOS on my old computer and I see it only has an option for a 3.5" floppy - no 5.25" at all. So, it does not look like I can set up this PC with a drive and capture the disks.

Other ideas?

You only have the disks ? or you have the TI & PEB ??

[KirkDCO]

I have the TI and PEB with 2 working 5.25" drives.

[marc.hull]

KirkDCO, on Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:09 PM, said:

I have the TI and PEB with 2 working 5.25" drives.

The TI works 3.5 drives easily. Maybe a 5.25 to 3.5 copy on the TI will ease your transfer woes. If you copy your 5.25" floppies to 3.5" on the TI then that may ease the transfer with TI99-PC. Details are important and I'll relate them if you are interested.

hull.

[KirkDCO]

Interesting option I hadn't considered. I guess the idea would be to transfer the 5.25" content to a 3.5" disk, then move that to the PC/emulator.

I'm all ears!