[Ql-Users] R: R: QxlwinReader
Hi Peter, Thank you for your interesting explanation, I was simply not aware of the fact that QL-SD already uses an image file on a FAT32 formatted SD card. And indeed it would be very interesting to have a similar approach for Qubide IDE hard disks which would be the solution of all the last discussions (using Wolfgang utility). Just for curiosity (for sure discussed many times in the past): why the QL-SD interface is not compatible with GD or SGC? Thanks and regards Davide -Messaggio originale- Da: Ql-Users [mailto:ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com] Per conto di via Ql-Users Inviato: mercoledì 21 giugno 2017 09.59 A: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Oggetto: Re: [Ql-Users] R: QxlwinReader Hi Davide, > The DD Unix utility might be of course an interesting option but maybe > it could be more useful for SD cards written with the QL-SD interface > rather than a Qubide hard disk (especially if it has more than one > partition) There might still be a misunderstanding, because the DD utitly is completely useless for QL-SD. DD can convert a raw media (Qubide formatted in this case) to an image file. But QL-SD already has the Qubide partitions in an image file! It does *not* have Qubide raw media, although that would have made it easier to get a working driver. The whole reason I initially wrote the QL-side FAT32 code, is to save the step of converting raw media to image files. Or in other words, the basic concept of QL-SD is *not* to need tools like DD. On QL-SD you can directly read the Qubide image file from a PC, for instance with QxlwinReader or an emulator. By the way, the same approach could also be taken for Qubide IDE harddisks! The IDE harddisk (or compact flash, etc.) could be formatted in FAT32, and then have Qubide inside an image file like QL-SD. That way, DD would no longer be needed. Now that the QL-side FAT32 code is there, it could be re-used. Maybe Alain could comment on this? The only remaining issue would be to convert old "raw" Qubide harddisks once. > I think maintaining compatibility and support of native QL hardware > should have some priority. I agree, insasmuch retro-computing becomes pointless if it lives only on emulation. Whereever I saw people returning to the QL in the recent years, it was hardware-related. All the best Peter ___ QL-Users Mailing List ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] R: R: QxlwinReader
Hallo Peter, Ich hoffe Dir geht es gut, und Deinem Freund, besser. Anbei eine neue Version von SMSQ/E (QL_RAM.BIN), und eine neue Version von Minerva mit eingebautem "WIN" Treiber (QL_ROM.BIN - für Dich auch mit integriertem Qmon). In beiden gibt es einen neuen Treiber, der "QUB" heisst. Dieser liest und schreibt Imagedateien im Qubide-format, d.h die QL_BDI.BIN-Dateien. Einschränkungen : - Der Treiber in beiden Versionen liest und schreibt nur die erste Partition - wenn Du eine Beispiels-QL_BDI.BIN-Datei mit mehreren Partitionen hast, könnte ich das, wahrscheinlich auch ohne grösseren Umfang, darauf ausweiten. - Der Treiber kann nur mit solchen Dateien umgehen die nicht mit Zylindern, Spuren und Köpfen erstellt wurde. Auch hier wäre eine solche Datei willkommen, obwohl das vielleicht mehr Arbeit erfordern würde. - In der Minerva-version gibt es (genau wie für den "Win"-treiber) keine qub_ oder win_ Basicbefehle (die werden in SMSQE über "Things" eingebunden). D.h. es ist nicht möglich einmal schnell die Imagedatei zu wechseln, so wie mit WIN_DRIVE unter SMSQE. Man kann die QL_ROM.BIN-datei aber konfigurieren und 8 Namen für die Imagedateien einsetzen (genau wie bei dem "WIN"-treiber). Als Default sind QL_BDI.BIN für QUB1_ gesetzt, und QL_BDI2.BIN bis QL_BDI8.BIN für die QUB2_ bis QUB8_. - In der SMSQ/E-version funktionieren QUB_USE, QUB_DRIVE und QUB_DRIVE$ wie ihre WIN-pendants. Ich habe die SMSQ/E-version hier ausprobiert, sie funktioniert gut. Ich muss aber hinzufügen, dass ich nur eine einzige Qubide-imagedatei habe... Minerva habe ich nur ganz kurz getestet. Die Treiber werden bei QDOS Classic nicht funktionieren. Mit diesem Treiber könntest Du aber Dein FPGA umbauen, da ich ihn dann leicht anpassen könnte. Ich schicke Dir dann evt. einfach meinen Q68 damit Du ihn umprogrammierst, wenn Dir das recht ist. Schönen Sonntag noch. Wolfgang ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] R: R: QxlwinReader
Davide wrote: > Having had to transfer a full QL system based on SGC/Qubide to .win with 150 > Mb, using DD would have been quite a nightmare. Why should dd be a nightmare? Are you aware that dd means a utility program, not floppies? > [...] > I understand the effort to write such sw might not be negligible, but a > utility which could manage to read native Qubide hard disks on a PC and > transfer files to a .win file (and maybe vicecersa) I think would be very > useful. If you have a PC with IDE port anyway, then where is the problem to use dd to get the image? Peter ___ QL-Users Mailing List
[Ql-Users] R: R: QxlwinReader
Hi Wolfgang,
You got the point, Jose Leandro (ref here
http://hardware.speccy.org/temp/qubide-i.html) wrote a similar sw but a part
for some incompatibilities it does not fill the gap as the sw does not allow
to transfer Qubide files to a .win file for instance but only to standard
DOS files.
Having had to transfer a full QL system based on SGC/Qubide to .win with 150
Mb, using DD would have been quite a nightmare. At the end luckily a friend
of mine lent me a QXL and I managed to do everything using the network port.
Not really fast but it required minimum effort from my side. Sernet was of
course an option but both from sw and hw side was not as easy as using the
network port with a QXL.
I understand the effort to write such sw might not be negligible, but a
utility which could manage to read native Qubide hard disks on a PC and
transfer files to a .win file (and maybe vicecersa) I think would be very
useful.
Kind regards
Davide
-Messaggio originale-
Da: Ql-Users [mailto:ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com] Per conto di Wolf via
Ql-Users
Inviato: venerdì 16 giugno 2017 05:25
A: ql-us...@q-v-d.com
Oggetto: Re: [Ql-Users] R: QxlwinReader
Hi Davide,
I'm not sure I understand what you want. You want to be able to read a
physical Qubide formatted disk, not just an image file?
Perhaps the best way would be to copy (via "dd") the disk to an image file
and work off that.
Regards
Wolfgang
On 11/06/2017 10:16, via Ql-Users wrote:
> Hi Wolfgang,
>
> Very nice, that was indeed one of my "most wanted" utilities. I am
> almost over recovering the content of a hard disk from a Sinclair
> QL-Qubide system to a WIN file via QXL. This took quite some due to
> the file numbers and sizes with the bottleneck of the network speed
> which in any case proved to be extremely reliable. Of course it is not
> so easy these days to find a QXL and even more a host PC with ISA bus.
> The only other alternatives without a QXL would have been floppy disks
> or sernet which however looks not as easy as the network port to be
> configured also on the hw side (cables, wiring etc).
>
> Having a utility which could read/write WIN files and read (which for
> me would be more then sufficient) Qubide formatted hard drives on a
> standard PC would be really great.
>
> Regards
>
> Davide
>
>
> -Messaggio originale-
> Da: Ql-Users [mailto:ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com] Per conto di
> Wolf via Ql-Users
> Inviato: sabato 10 giugno 2017 19:56
> A: ql-us...@q-v-d.com
> Oggetto: [Ql-Users] QxlwinReader
>
> Hi all,
>
> I've released QxlwinReader, a small java program that allows you to
> read/write qxl.win type container files directly.
>
> There is also experimental support for Qubide formatted ("BDI")
> container files.
>
> www.wlenerz.com/QLstuff.
>
> Have fun!
>
> Wolfgang
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