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Downgraded Ultima II (From Re-released version 1985 to Original release 1984)

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fs5500

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I've got original disk of Ultima II ago.
It consists 3ea disks.
Disk 1 <-- 360KB (Re-released in 1985 with Sierra's Copy Protection just like King's Quest II/III/Black Cauldren)
Disk 2 <-- 160KB (Same as original released in 1983)
Disk 3 <-- 160KB (Same as original released in 1983)

But I wanted to be downgraded disk 1 of ultima II with original release in 1983.
Original release version of disk 1 is 160KB. (Copy protected sector is located on 20/0/5, but it can't read with normal method but it needs read track command of fdc.)
Due to any users help, I can get Kyroflux (KF) image of disk 1.
The problem is that I don't have Kyroflux but Trans Copy Board (TC)

TC can't handle KF image.
I couldn't downgrade disk 1 correctly because of writing copy protected track (20/0/5)
But, thanks to PCE's tools (pflux.exe and pri.exe), KF image can be converted to TC image.
If I have KF device, I could write to disk on windows easily.

Anyway, KF image can be converted to PCE emulator's image (.pri .psi) or Trans Copy image (.tc).
My Ultima II is now changed as original release.
 
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http://www.hampa.ch/pub/pce/pre/pce-20131222-fb58522-ibmpc.zip

http://www.hampa.ch/pub/pce/pre/pce-20131222-fb58522-pflux-win32.zip

You can see the pflux.exe , pri.exe and psi.exe in bin folder.

How to convert?

As you know Kyroflux images exsit as total 168 files (track.00.0.raw ~ track.83.1.raw)

run pflux as follows

pflux track00.0.raw -p double-step -h 1 -p delete -r 600000 -p decode pri disk1.pri

Then you can convert .pri to .tc (Trans Copy image) by using pri.exe

pri disk1.pri disk1.tc

To run PCE emulator

you can convert .tc to .psi by using

psi disk1.tc disk1.psi

(.pri <-- pce raw image / .psi <-- pce sector image)

According to author of PCE (hampa), .pri image is nearly similar to .tc format. (But not same)

But to convert MFM track (0-39) , FM track (40- ) and sector which can be accessed by Read/Write Track Command method, you need to run as following.
(This must be more difficult)

# Decode at 600 KBit/s (for MFM)

pflux track00.0.raw -p double-step -h 1 -p delete -r 600000 -p decode pri disk1-mfm.pri

# and extract tracks 0-39

pri disk1-mfm.pri -c 40-99 -p delete disk1-mfm.pri

# Decode at 300 KBit/s (for FM)

pflux track00.0.raw -p double-step -h 1 -p delete -r 300000 -p decode pri disk1-fm.pri

# and extract track 40

pri disk1-fm.pri -c 0-39 -p delete -c 41-99 -p delete disk1-fm.pri

# Merge the two images

pri disk1-mfm.pri -m disk1-fm.pri disk1.pri

# Convert .pri to .tc

pri disk1.pri disk1.tc


But I don't know KF image with weak bit track (Mainly on Track 0) can be converted to TC image correctly.

I've tested the following.

Ultima II <-- Original Release (1983) with KF (Copy protected track : 6/0/1) (Only 256 bytes shown on Anadisk : CRC-DATA / MFM-Half Size)
Ultima III <-- Original Release (1984) with KF (Copy protected track : 20/0/5) (Not shown on Anadisk : CRC-ID / MFM-Half Size)

Except Track Length, Written process has no problem by using converted TC image.


# Decode at 600 KBit/s (for MFM)
$ pflux disk1.pflx -p double-step -h 1 -p delete -r 600000 -p decode pri disk1-mfm.pri
# and extract tracks 0-39
$ pri disk1-mfm.pri -c 40-99 -p delete disk1-mfm.pri

# Decode at 300 KBit/s (for FM)
$ pflux disk1.pflx -p double-step -h 1 -p delete -r 300000 -p decode pri disk1-fm.pri
# and extract track 40
$ pri disk1-fm.pri -c 0-39 -p delete -c 41-99 -p delete disk1-fm.pri

# Merge the two images
$ pri disk1-mfm.pri -m disk1-fm.pri disk1.pri


This protection type (Only accessed via Read/Write Track Command from FDC) is used as the following games I've checked.

Gato (version 1.2 - 1.3)
Hardball I (Disk 2 -- EGA)
King's Quest (Booter version for PC/1984)
Pinball Wizard
Sierra Boxing (Booter version)
Tau Ceti
Top Gun
Ultima II (1983)
Ultima III (1984/1985)
Troll's Tale (<-- I don't have it. wanted!)
Wizball (Thunder Mountain)
 
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Trixter said:
Thanks very much, I will test this out when I get my kryoflux up and running.
Click to expand...

I've tried to convert teledisk image to .tc image by using pri.
According to author, overlaped track/sector can't be converted and fm Track/sector also too.

If Teledisk / CP2 / PSI image can be converted to .TC image, this will be very interesting.

But I don't know KF supports weak bit track/sector just list TC.
 
If I understand correctly, you could be able to dump a disk with Kyroflux to raw tracks, use the pflux.exe utility to convert them into a .pri image and then use the pri.exe utility to turn the image into a .tc image which you could write back to disk with an Option Board. Interesting but cumbersome, especially as you would need one very expensive piece of disk imaging hardware and another very rare piece of disk imaging hardware.
 
>If I understand correctly, you could be able to dump a disk with Kyroflux to raw tracks, use the pflux.exe utility to convert them into a .pri image and then use the pri.exe utility to turn the image into a .tc image which you could >write back to disk with an Option Board. Interesting but cumbersome, especially as you would need one very expensive piece of disk imaging hardware and another very rare piece of disk imaging hardware.

Yes, it is very hard and expensive to get TC Option Board than Kyroflux.
If TC image is converted to kyfoplux image, it will be very excellent work.
It is also interesting work for user who don't have both H/W. to run on emulator.
 
The reason I'm interested is because the kryoflux allows anyone to dump "perfect" images (supposedly, I have yet to test mine), but the kryoflux cannot write images back to disk. If a kryoflux image can be transformed and written back with an option board, that solves a major problem.
 
If there is software to convert the file to the TC format, wouldn't it be easier to convert it to the ipf format Kyroflux uses and use the Kyroflux to write back to the disk. If Hampa did that, there would be many more converts to the Kryo.
 
Trixter said:
The reason I'm interested is because the kryoflux allows anyone to dump "perfect" images (supposedly, I have yet to test mine), but the kryoflux cannot write images back to disk. If a kryoflux image can be transformed and written back with an option board, that solves a major problem.
Click to expand...

Oh, really?

I didn't know Kyroflux can't handle write copy protected image to original disk.

I've tested Ultima II / III to convert.
I'll test King's Quest II soon.

By the way, do you have Sid Meier's Pirates! (432.01) (PC) and Solo Flight / Spitfire Ace original disk?
I want to recover cracked image to original by using TC.
 
Great Hierophant said:
If there is software to convert the file to the TC format, wouldn't it be easier to convert it to the ipf format Kyroflux uses and use the Kyroflux to write back to the disk. If Hampa did that, there would be many more converts to the Kryo.
Click to expand...

According to hampa, a few of .psi (or .td0 .imd) can be converted to .tc image too not only from kyroflux.

But there is limitation.


> This does not work if source.psi contains sectors that overlap.
>Also, as the name suggests, only MFM images can
> be encoded, not >FM (you can also encode Macintosh GCR
> images, but I guess >that's not important for you ;-)).


>The PRI image contains just raw bits
>(they are already encoded as either MFM or FM, PRI knows
>nothing about sectors). The only way to do what you want is to
>decode the track and then re-encode it as FM. You should never
>need to do that, because track 40 should have been encoded as
>FM in the first place. Once pri.exe supports FM encoding, this
>problem will disappear.

I'll test more kryoplux image (Especially Sierra's copy protection)
 
To my knowledge, the kyroflux cannot write all types of images back to diskette.

I no longer own Pirates! or Solo Flight or Spitfire Ace so I can't dump them for you.
 
(Double Side)

pflux track00.0.raw -p double-step -r 600000 -p decode pri disk1-mfm.pri

# and extract tracks 0-39

pri disk1-mfm.pri -c 40-99 -p delete disk1-mfm.pri

# Decode at 300 KBit/s (for FM)

pflux track00.0.raw -p double-step -r 300000 -p decode pri disk1-fm.pri

# and extract track 40
 
Trixter said:
To my knowledge, the kyroflux cannot write all types of images back to diskette.

I no longer own Pirates! or Solo Flight or Spitfire Ace so I can't dump them for you.
Click to expand...

I've sent converted .tc image to your Email
 
Trixter said:
To my knowledge, the kyroflux cannot write all types of images back to diskette.

I no longer own Pirates! or Solo Flight or Spitfire Ace so I can't dump them for you.
Click to expand...

Ok.

By the way, do you have "Hard Hat Mach" original?
I've tried to edit "Hard Hat Mach" by using .td0 .cp2.
But it doesn't work.
I want to test it by your .TC image.
 
fs5500 said:
(Re-released in 1985 with Sierra's Copy Protection just like King's Quest II/III/Black Cauldren)
Click to expand...
Well, not exactly just like those. Ultima II (1985) uses Softguard's original loader (CML0203.FCL), whereas Sierra wrote their own loader for their later games. (Nitpicking!) Which makes me wonder why the Option Board could copy that disk, because it is said that Softguard support was specifically removed because of a lawsuit.
fs5500 said:
But I don't know KF supports weak bit track/sector just list TC.
Click to expand...
Kryoflux should support everything that TransCopy does (except maybe laser-burned holes, which on the PC were only used AFAIK with the PROLOK protection scheme, which was only used on application software due to cost). I don't know if the same applies vice-versa.
Trixter said:
To my knowledge, the kyroflux cannot write all types of images back to diskette.
Click to expand...
As I understand, Kryoflux can write .IPF images, but not raw stream files. .IPF images can only be produced by the Software Preservation Society (SPS) team, or those who buy their analysis tool that costs several thousand Euros.
 
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NewRisingSun said:
As I understand, Kryoflux can write .IPF images, but not raw stream files. .IPF images can only be produced by the Software Preservation Society (SPS) team, or those who buy their analysis tool that costs several thousand Euros.
Click to expand...
That's just crazy. What is the point of a device like this if it can only read? If it can't write back to a disk, then how do you know that what it read in is actually correct?
 
You're supposed to send the Kryoflux stream files to the Software Preservation Society (SPS) who will tell you if your image is good enough for preservation (i.e. not modified by a PC drive after factory duplication) and will send you an .IPF file in any case, which then can be written or used in an emulator that supports the format.
 
fs5500 and I just recently verified that an image translated in the manner he wrote above does write back with an option board. It throws some pretty weird errors (like not all tracks verifying correctly), and attempting to access track 42 (on a 40-track drive) crashes TC.EXE, but amazingly the resulting disk does indeed work.

Disclaimers: My DOB is installed in an IBM 5160 and the same 5160 was used to test the written disk. Also, we only attempted this with a single title.
 
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