Image Verifier/Analyzer Feature
#1
Hi there,

I have bought and just received the Supercard Pro and absolutely love it.

Just wanted to ask a question in regards to the software and my apologies if this has been already answered.
I noticed in the PDF manual it states the following in regards to the mage Verifier/Analyzer feature:

The Image Verifier/Analyzer is a utility for integrity creating a working disk from a disk that has errors. This feature is not currently implemented.

I have a retail copy of Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 for the Amiga that has disk read errors when trying to load it on my real Amiga. Disk drive is fine and heads have been cleaned. Same results occur when using 2 external drives and also on another Amiga.

I was hoping I could use the Supercard Pro along with a properly aligned and cleaned PC floppy drive to read the disk at a flux level and hopefully try to recover the data and correct the errors if possible. Therefore I was wondering if the above mentioned feature was the one to do this and, if so, when it was likely to be implemented. If not, is there a feature or procedure I should be using in the Supercard Pro software. I already tried creating a flux image but when testing the image in WinUAE it has the same read errors as the original disk.

I'm new to this so my apologies if I sound like I don't know what I'm talking. Thanks in advance for your help.
Reply
#2
I'm not too familiar with the Amgia disk formats, but for most other disk formats the HxC disk tool is useful for opening SCP images and verifying the contents: http://hxc2001.free.fr/floppy_drive_emul...l#download
It will open SCP images and can visually graph out the contents of disks, showing sectors as green or red depending on if they are good or not.

If you are new to this, I would recommend limiting yourself to reading in the disk and creating a new copy of the disk. Don't write anything to a factory original disk - that sort of makes the disk non-authentic, but in all probability there is damage on the disk that would fail writes anyway.

That said, at least the SCP is the right tool for the job when it comes to repairing a disk. As far as I can tell it doesn't try to write any crazy "signature" to the disk.

A quick Google search and it looks like that particular game is already dumped and available floating around on some web sites out there in ADF format. The SCP should be able to write that format natively, but the HxC disk tool should also be able to convert that and many more.
Reply
#3
You could try doing the conversion from disk to ADF. That will re-read and adjust various timings in attempt to extract valid data. Now, having said that, it is unlikely this will make a working disk because .ADF images do not include copy protection. However this works very well for standard data disks.
Reply
#4
(09-19-2016, 07:43 AM)SomeGuy Wrote: I would recommend limiting yourself to reading in the disk and creating a new copy of the disk. Don't write anything to a factory original disk - that sort of makes the disk non-authentic, but in all probability there is damage on the disk that would fail writes anyway.

While I certainly understand and appreciate your thoughts on this, I somewhat tend to disagree when it comes to this particular case. With the disk not working, I feel that this has diminished both the sentimental and monetary value of the game to the point where they have become just idle bits of cardboard and plastic that are no good to anyone. May as well just throw it away. There's no point in it being authentic if what is on the disk cannot be read and used.

Anyway, as it stands, I have obtained an identical working original retail copy in excellent and looked after condition. I have successfully created an SCP file from it and have rewritten it to the non-working retail disk. The disk now works flawlessly as it did before. I have also uploaded SCP image if the game to the FTP server, along with Lotus 1 and Lotus 3. Hopefully they're useful and someone can check them out and make sure they're ok. They seem to test fine with no problems here.

If the Supercard Pro project aims to reproduce exact flux duplicates of the original disks, then what has been re-written back to the non-working disk should, technically, be as authentic as what was originally on it. If this is the case, then the Supercard Pro has been a success and my most valued purchase as an Amiga hobbyist. I'm very happy with the results.

A big thank you to both of you for your replies.
Reply
#5
There is no signature or change to the original flux image - much to the dismay of SPS and others that tried to get me to add something to SCP images so that they could be detected.  That makes no sense, and would defeat the purpose of why I created SCP.

It is rare to just have a disk go "bad" and be able to successfully write over it.  Typically when there are errors it is due to the magnetic surface detetriating, not from something (like a magnetic tipped screw driver) resting next to the disk.  So, you were lucky that writing over the original disk worked.
Reply
#6
(09-20-2016, 10:23 PM)sean_skroht Wrote: While I certainly understand and appreciate your thoughts on this, I somewhat tend to disagree when it comes to this particular case. With the disk not working, I feel that this has diminished both the sentimental and monetary value of the game
I am all for repairing disks where possible. But when I first started out and did not have the right tools for the job yet (such as an SCP), I sort of messed up a couple of disks in ways I regret now. You were lucky you had access to a second, known good copy.

(09-20-2016, 10:23 PM)sean_skroht Wrote: If the Supercard Pro project aims to reproduce exact flux duplicates of the original disks, then what has been re-written back to the non-working disk should, technically, be as authentic as what was originally on it. If this is the case, then the Supercard Pro has been a success and my most valued purchase as an Amiga hobbyist. I'm very happy with the results.
I was more concerned about writing sector images (such as ADFs), as often the results can come out significantly different although technically functional.

An SCP image from a known good disk would not have many authenticity issues, although it IS possible for a SCP to record and replicate flux-level "noise" from a weak or damaged disk. Duplicating a damaged disk with marginal readability, even to perfectly good media, can result in a disk that is still only marginally readable after some retries.

I am also surprised that your disk wrote successfully. Usually such repairs only work in cases such as where an original user deleted/altered/reformatted data on the disk.
Reply




Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)