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2. Insert the disk into the drive, and click Image Disk button as shown below. | 2. Insert the disk into the drive, and click Image Disk button as shown below. | ||
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3. The flux imager will start to record the disk. Depending on the type of drive and disk you're imaging, you might see a slightly different representation of the progress. | 3. The flux imager will start to record the disk. Depending on the type of drive and disk you're imaging, you might see a slightly different representation of the progress. | ||
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The screen below shows the recording process for an 800K Macintosh HFS disk. First notice the two large circles. These are a graphical representation of Side A and Side B of the disk as it's being recorded. Directly below the circles you can see the name of the disk and the data type of disk detected. | The screen below shows the recording process for an 800K Macintosh HFS disk. First notice the two large circles. These are a graphical representation of Side A and Side B of the disk as it's being recorded. Directly below the circles you can see the name of the disk and the data type of disk detected. | ||
- | An aqua circle will appear to bounce between the left and right disk images; the aqua circle shows which track is currently being read. After the track completes a visual indicator of the flux transitions is shown as that mottled gray that slowly fills in the circle. This visual representation of the flux image helps represent the organization of the underlying data. MFM, GCR, and other disk types have clearly different visual images. | + | An aqua circle will appear to bounce between the left and right disk images; the aqua circle shows which track is currently being read. After the track completes a visual indicator of the flux transitions is shown as that mottled gray that slowly fills in the circle. This visual representation of the flux image helps represent the organization of the underlying data. MFM, GCR, and other disk types have clearly different visual images. |
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- | The flux image makes an initial first pass reading of the disk. This initial pass helps the Flux Imager get its bearing as to what's on the disk. While making the first pass the flux image counts the current track in the middle of the screen, and it also counts | + | Finally, as another progress indicator, colored boxes may start to encircle the outside of the image. These are both progress bars and recording health indicators. When the colored bars make a complete circle the first pass of the recording has been made. 3.5" disks will show these outer progress colors while 5.25" disks will not have these indicators present. |
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+ | * **Green** (healthy) indicates the track has been recorded with data that has sector structures, no bad sectors, and low noise. | ||
+ | * **Yellow** (poor) means that it does see sector structures, but it is also seeing a bunch of noise and/or bad sectors. | ||
+ | * **Red** (bad) means that it can't find any sector structures. | ||
+ | * **Blue** (really bad) indicates it doesn' | ||
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+ | The flux image makes an initial first pass reading of the disk. This initial pass helps the Flux Imager get its bearing as to what's on the disk. While making the first pass the flux image counts the current track in the middle of the screen | ||
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Some disks have complex medleys of various formats, where publishers might have put MFM data in one set of tracks and GCR data in another. After moving across the whole surface of the disk from the outside in towards the center, the imager then reverses the process and takes a second pass through the disk gong from the inside track outward. | Some disks have complex medleys of various formats, where publishers might have put MFM data in one set of tracks and GCR data in another. After moving across the whole surface of the disk from the outside in towards the center, the imager then reverses the process and takes a second pass through the disk gong from the inside track outward. | ||
- | During this second pass, the flux imager attempts to interpret the data and make sure that it's read a clean copy of the underlying magnetic fluxes. Due to the potential for noise and timing errors, at this stage the flux imager will make several reads of the same track, comparing various passes to determine the canonical version of the data. If the data appears to be in a known format that Applesauce knows how to interpret, it will retry sections that don't appear to match expected error checking routines. As this format is designed to capture potentially intentional errors used by copy-protection mechanisms, | + | During this second pass, the flux imager attempts to interpret the data and make sure that it's read a clean copy of the underlying magnetic fluxes. Due to the potential for noise and timing errors, at this stage the flux imager will make several reads of the same track, comparing various passes to determine the canonical version of the data. If the data appears to be in a known format that Applesauce knows how to interpret, it will retry sections that don't appear to match expected error checking routines. |
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+ | As this format is designed to capture potentially intentional errors used by copy-protection mechanisms, | ||
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4. While the disk is being imaged, you can fill out the Product Metadata on the right-hand side of the screen. Often this can be obtained from the disk label, while sometimes you need to allow the imaging process to be completed to know what's actually on the disk. For archival purposes try to be as complete as possible. Remember individuals in the future may get a copy of the .a2r and might need a serial number, unlock key, or other information that's on the disk label or jacket. More information is always better. | 4. While the disk is being imaged, you can fill out the Product Metadata on the right-hand side of the screen. Often this can be obtained from the disk label, while sometimes you need to allow the imaging process to be completed to know what's actually on the disk. For archival purposes try to be as complete as possible. Remember individuals in the future may get a copy of the .a2r and might need a serial number, unlock key, or other information that's on the disk label or jacket. More information is always better. | ||
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5. When the disk has completed being read, click the Save & Analyze button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. | 5. When the disk has completed being read, click the Save & Analyze button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. | ||
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6. The disk will open in the disk analyzer. | 6. The disk will open in the disk analyzer. | ||
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=== Sides to Image === | === Sides to Image === | ||
- | The Sides to Image selector, just below the Image Disk button, defaults to Autodetect. In the autodetect mode the Applesauce reads the first few tracks on both Side A and Side B and attempts to determine if the disk is single or double sided. If the Side B doesn' | + | The Sides to Image selector, just below the Image Disk button, defaults to Autodetect. In the autodetect mode the Applesauce reads the first few tracks on both Side A and Side B and attempts to determine if the disk is single or double sided. If the Side B doesn' |
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=== Autofill with volume name if available === | === Autofill with volume name if available === | ||
Under the Disk Metadata section, check the Autofill with volume name if available checkbox if you want the Name field to be filled in automatically if the Flux Imager detects a disk name. Not all disk formats support a name for the disk itself. If the recording media doesn' | Under the Disk Metadata section, check the Autofill with volume name if available checkbox if you want the Name field to be filled in automatically if the Flux Imager detects a disk name. Not all disk formats support a name for the disk itself. If the recording media doesn' | ||
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===== Example Flux Recording Sessions ===== | ===== Example Flux Recording Sessions ===== | ||
Here are some example flux recordings so you can see how the visualization differs between various floppy data formats. In addition, note that the metadata fields change depending on what is selected in the Platform pulldown. This is to help you identify dependencies frequently encountered on each computing platform. | Here are some example flux recordings so you can see how the visualization differs between various floppy data formats. In addition, note that the metadata fields change depending on what is selected in the Platform pulldown. This is to help you identify dependencies frequently encountered on each computing platform. | ||
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+ | * Below is an example of a poor quality 800K Mac HFS disk. There are two points in time represented. The first image shows the output of the display as the first pass is being completed, at 1:10 elapsed. In the left-hand, Side A visualization, | ||
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* Below is an example of a 3.5" DSHD 1440K Mac HFS Disk. | * Below is an example of a 3.5" DSHD 1440K Mac HFS Disk. | ||
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- | * Below is an example of a 5.25" DSDD 360K MFM IBM Disk. Notice the fading that appears at the 1 o' | + | * Below is an example of a 5.25" DSDD 360K MFM IBM Disk. Notice the fading that appears at the 11 o' |
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- | * Below is an example of a 5.25" SSQD 620K Victor 9000 GCR Disk. Note the right-hand circle is black because this is a single-sided disk with no data on the 2nd side. The Flux Imager tried to read several of the outer tracks on Side B, and when it saw a pattern of no data on the 2nd side it determined it was a single sided disk. | + | * Below is an example of a 5.25" SSQD 620K Victor 9000 GCR Disk. Note the right-hand circle is black because this is a single-sided disk with no data on Side B. The Flux Imager tried to read several of the outer tracks on Side B, and when it saw a pattern of no data on the 2nd side it determined it was a single sided disk. |
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+ | * Below is an example of a 5.25" Flippy DSQD 1.2M Victor 9000 GCR Disk. Note the Flux Imager saw data on both sides of the disk so the autodetect treated it as a double-sided disk. But this is a flippy—meaning the disk was treated as if each side was a single-sided disk. In the vintage hardware the second side was written and read by inserting the disk upside down, hence the name flippy. Only drives that didn't utilize an index sensor could read and write flippy disks. Because of this, when read right-side up by the Applesauce the disk data will be read backwards and the track will be slightly misaligned for the Side B as the upper and lower recording heads are not in the same position relative to the disk. So after imaging the data on the second side will not be valid when read this way. | ||
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