Kryoflux for backup?

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dlinsley
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:15 pm
Location: Seattle, USA (formerly Chester-le-Street, UK)

Kryoflux for backup?

Post by dlinsley »

I was wondering if anyone has successfully used a Kryoflux for backing up DragonDOS or OS9 disks? I bought one about four years ago, and like everything else Dragon took a complete back burner since then with work and the birth of our second child. Now I maybe see myself having some time to get one of my systems out of the garage and try to recondition it and get some items added to the archive. Famous last words, that I think I also said about 3.5 years ago...

I did find one post on the Kryoflux forum, but there was no follow up, so just wondering if anyone made it work. I'd be working with 5.25" and 3" disks.

Cheers,
David.
admin
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Posts: 409
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:22 pm

Re: Kryoflux for backup?

Post by admin »

David,

I too have a Kyroflux but have never bothered to use it for backing up Dragon disks - I didn't see the point as 99.9% of them are a standard, simple layout that can be read by most PCs. The images within the archive were mostly created within MS-DOS/WIN9x using VCOPY.EXE or under Linux using DD (and adding the VDK header info). This doesn't give an exact copy of the disk, but there is little point on the Dragon. I use very similar techniques for other simple systems such as the RML 380z/480z. I have an old PII desktop I got off ebay for this purpose - has WIN98SE installed (for USB support mainly) plus differed drives (not all connected at the same time!).

I use Kyroflux for some of the more "interesting" systems such as Amiga, ST, Amstrad CPC - All those that had copy protection systems or fully programmable disk controllers thus use many variations of custom formats. Kyroflux doesn't actually care about the disk or the system, it will make an image of whatever is on the media - its only when you want to get that captured bitstream converted that it matters if the system is supported or not.

If you want to access your disks in an emulator, then I strongly suggest the direct method rather than Kyroflux as I don't think anybody has tried to get the Kyroflux bitstream converted into VDK or DMK formats for the Dragon.
Simon Hardy
dlinsley
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:15 pm
Location: Seattle, USA (formerly Chester-le-Street, UK)

Re: Kryoflux for backup?

Post by dlinsley »

Hi Simon,

I had used VCopy and Omniflop in the past, but I remember a few disks not reading correctly and so was hoping for better luck with the kryoflux - plus my current PC doesn't have a floppy connector on the motherboard :)

I'll try and get an older PC - there are always people at work clearing out their old ones.
KenH
Posts: 182
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 9:50 am

Re: Kryoflux for backup?

Post by KenH »

If you already have a disk drive connected to your Dragon the easiest and fastest way to backup it to a VDK file on your PC (any PC with a USB port) is using Drivewire and the new DWLOAD rom.
Pere has created a special DWLOAD dweeb that copies an entire disk instantly.
Backing up a 360k disk takes less than 3 minutes.
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