Thanks for that. "Would it be possible for > you to write up the information you've learned and I could put it on my > website to help other users? "
Sure. Quoting Dilwyn Jones <dil...@evans1511.fsnet.co.uk>: > > I sent an e-mail last night but I'm not sure if it was received. Anyway, > > I thought I'd try to copy from my real ql > > to a q-emulator ql over the serial port, and I'm getting better results > > that I was getting using a DOS prompt. I'm > > getting so close now I can taste it. > Wonder what a serial port tastes like? Is there enough voltage on the lines > to tingle the tongue. Says he, victim of prank a few years ago when told to > test PP3 9V batteries "on the tongue" :-() > > > Using q-emulator's serial port I have been able to copy complete files > > back and forth between the emulated and real > > ql's (no more ctrl-z problems). I just have one last problem with > > executables. > > > > I am able to copy the complete file and if I do a copy mdv1_filename to > > scr_ on the real and emulated ql's the > > output on the screen appears identical; but when I try to EXEC the > > "target" file (the copy) I get "bad parameter", Ah, usual loss of QL file > > headers on non-QL systems. Headers might not be preserved across the > > serial link. Might be worth trying Toolkit 2's "COPY_H" command to see if > > that manages to preserve headers. > > > whereas the "source" file runs correctly. I think this must be what > > several of you have to alluded to with > > headers. I expect that following the suggestion of zipping the files > > would help, however, I still have to get zip > > executable copied across. > There is a "self-extracting" version of the "unzip" executable which might > help with this, available from Jonathan Hudson www.daria.co.uk/qdos/ > > At the top of the page, click on the link to Infozip for SMS/QDOS > > Save the downloaded file to somewhere where QemuLator can find it. > > To get it self-extracted on QemuLator just LRESPR the SFX file: > LRESPR unzip541xQ.bin > and follow the prompts it gives. Needs quite a lot of free memory (might be > an issue if using the restricted memory unregistered version of QemuLator). > > > Does anyone have a solution that might help with this? If there's a good > > explanation out there regarding these > > headers and how executables are different, I'd be grateful if you could > > point me in its direction (I'm beginning to > > find all this quite interesting ;). > QDOS files have 64 byte file headers (not all of it used). There's a bit of > info about all this on my website - in the Documentation And Information > section, go to the File Formats page, there you'll find the file headers > info. Basically, QDOS files come in four main types, general data files > (type 0), executable(type 1), the Sinclair Relocatable Output File Format > (SROFF-type 2) and Level 2 Directories (type 255 or -1 on systems supporting > > level 2 directories, or I think type 3 on old Thor computers). A few more > file types were invented by certain programs over the years (e.g. The > Painter files such as pattern files etc). > > The type 1 files (QL executables, put simply programs you can EXEC or EX) > have a long word in the header which specifies how much dataspace (data area > > for a job, in bytes) a job is to have (Job is the proper term for an > executable QL program) and a byte which specifies the file type. If these > get lost on a system which doesn't understand QL file headers, tough, back > to the drawing board! Actually you can restore them if you have the relevant > > info using an SEXEC command as I alluded to in revious email, though it's > not always easy! > > Other stuff in file headers include the various dates info etc. > > When it comes to QL data files, these have only two vital parts in the > header, file length and type. Even a PC can deduce the file length of a QL > file, and an emulator will usually assume a type 0 data file unless it knows > > better, so data files survive loss of headers in these circumstances quite > well, though you may lose the dates associated such as when the file was > last modified or created. > > There are a few little utilities out there (such as my QH system) which can > transfer the header information as a physically separate 64 byte file which > can be used to restore the executable information, though it's a tricky > thing unless you have experience of all this. > > Actually, if you do get success with the QL to QemuLator serial transfers, > this is a subject not covered much at the moment. Would it be possible for > you to write up the information you've learned and I could put it on my > website to help other users? > > -- > Dilwyn Jones > > > _______________________________________________ > QL-Users Mailing List > http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm > -- ------------------------------------------------- Visit Pipex Business: The homepage for UK Small Businesses Go to http://www.pipex.co.uk/business-services _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
