User`s guide

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From: Rubywand
017- How can I create 'blank' .dsk, .nib, etc. disk
images?
The simplest way to get a new .dsk or .nib is to copy an existing one and
delete the files. Under Windows, you can just Right-click drag-and-drop a file
in the same folder to get a copy. If you want a DOS 3.3 formatted image, pick a
DOS 3.3 image to copy. If you want a ProDOS formatted image, pick a ProDOS image
to copy. You can use a utility like Copy II Plus v7.4 to delete the files.
If you want a DOS 3.3 image, it's a good idea to boot DOS 3.3 and INIT
HELLO the new image. This guarantees that the new image is correctly formatted.
Doing an INIT also allows you to pick the version of DOS 3.3 that the new image
will boot-- i.e., it will be the version of the DOS 3.3 (e.g. regular DOS 3.3,
ProtoDOS, EsDOS, ...) which does the INIT. And, the INIT command allows you to
set Volume Number on a .nib (which may be important if the image is supposed to
work with a game, etc. which looks fo
r a particular Volume Number).
DOS 3.3's INIT works fine as a way to format images; but, the routines used
by many utilities are not reliable. In general, you should be wary of using
utilities like Copy II Plus and Apple's ProDOS Utilities to handle formatting of
images on an emulator.
Another way to obtain fresh disk image files is to download 'blank' .dsk
and .nib images from the Apple II archives which offer them.
However you create or obtain a 'blank' disk image of the sort you want,
once you have one, you can save future bother by making multiple copies of it--
e.g. via multiple drag-and-drop copies-- and naming the copies something like
"D33blank1.dsk", "PDblank1.dsk", "D33blank1.nib", etc..
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018- How can I convert .dsk image <--> .nib image?
You can use a whole-disk copier such as Disk Muncher to copy from one to
the other. For .nib --> .dsk, the .nib must not be a copy protected image.
For a .dsk --> .nib copy on an emulator using most whole-disk copiers, one
result will be to set the Volume Number of the .nib to the default assigned to
the .dsk. For example, converting a normal .dsk image this way will result in a
.nib with VN set to 254.
If you want to 'convert' from .dsk to .nib without changing the VN of the
.nib, use a copier that transfers just the contents. The old Apple program,
COPYA, will do this if the program is modified to eliminate formatting of the
target disk. Change the Line which does the INIT (usually Line 250) to ...
250 FT= 1