New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

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robg
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Re: New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

Post by robg »

"POSTNL" should read "PC" my mobile 'phone tried to help me.


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Dave
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Re: New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

Post by Dave »

Rob,

It's not plain sailing developing the card and there are some issues to overcome. There are a few GREAT QubIDE clones - one has floppy controller, IDE adapter, Compact Flash socket and 1MB of SRAM on it. If you can find one of those -- it is listed in a thread in the hardware section -- you should buy it. The thread is here: http://qlforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1670

With that and a CF card, you'll be able to use it normally from SuperBASIC just like mdv1_ -- but MUCH faster and MUCH larger.


Timbucus
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Re: New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

Post by Timbucus »

robg,

Yes sorry once you have all the programs you need on the system then the SD card just acts as a hard drive called win1_ (short for winchester rather than windows...).

so COPY mdv1_program TO win1_program works fine.

The issue is that you need to get programs onto the QL so unless you have the Cartridge (or an interface with a Floppy and the Disk) you need to move it from another machine. As the SD card is in a specific format for the QL you cannot just use a PC to write to it with Windows/Linux filesystems. There is a bit of software from Habi that can read and write QL format SD cards (see docs below):

http://hardware.speccy.org/temp/qubide-i.html

The reason I mentioned Linux is less simple is only that as it is windows software it cannot access the SD card drivers so you have to make an image copy first - but, otherwise it works fine.

Tim


Derek_Stewart
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Re: New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

Post by Derek_Stewart »

Hi,

If you use the Habi Image Editor, in a WIndows PC, read/write to Qubide SD Card, CF Cards is possible.

I have tested the Image Editor on a 1Gb CF Card with 2 QubATA (Qubide v2.xx) partitions and a 256Mb Sandisk CF Card with Qubide v1.56 partitions, all work as expected.

As normal QL executable file lose their file headers, though there is a header function on the Image Editor, I have not used it yet. I have only transferred ZIP files and uncompressed them on the QL.

I have not tried the Image Editor with a hard drive, the problem could be Windows not recognising the hard drive structure, but worth looking at.


Regards,

Derek
actualreality
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Re: New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

Post by actualreality »

Hi all,

I've been trying for a few days to get the headers on to Habi's image editor. Problem being with the QL software being in a zip file (with headers), the zip file can be opened in the image editor, but as soon as you open the disc, it loses the image just opened.

Tried the other way around, opening the disc 1st, then adding the files but of course that means extracting the files from the zip which it seems loses the headers too. Tried on Qemulator by attaching the zip and works a treat. So close, so frustrating!

Formatting on the Qubide is fine now (although there are a few gotchas to navigate) and I can get the files to show up but without the headers it's not much use!

Anyone help at all getting the contents of the zip file on to the CF whilst retaining the headers? The headers option on the Editor doesn't seem to work - possibly because I extracted the files before I was able to import.

Thanks


Timbucus
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Re: New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

Post by Timbucus »

@actualreality - the only real way to do this is to put them as a ZIP file on the SD and then use unzip on the QL - but then of course you need the header for unzip. Although headers can be added back; for Executables it is more complex as they need the data space values.

There is a bit about this on Dilwyn's blog and site site:

https://dilwyn2.wordpress.com/2017/02/2 ... e-headers/

I used the add a header back method as I could not get the self extractor to work...

You will also need ToolKit for the EW command to use the UNZIP and pass it commands:

EW win1_unzip;'-x win1_zip23xq_zip -d win1_'

take a look at the DATA_USE command as well to set the destinations.

to Get the ZIP program out of its archive for example.

Tim


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Dave
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Re: New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

Post by Dave »

It's ridiculous that we're still having this problem in 2017!


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Re: New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

Post by Derek_Stewart »

Dave wrote:It's ridiculous that we're still having this problem in 2017!
There is another silly solution, put all the files that require a QL Header in a small QXL.WIN file, say 2mb and copy the QXL.WIN file onto the SD/CF Card or hard drive and use something like QXLWIN to extract the files. But the Pointer Environment has to be installed. I have not tried this, but when I have time.

What this needs is a special option added to an UNZIP programme to preserve QL Header, I am not sure how to do this, but I would say it can not be hard for a good C programmer on Windows or Linux.


Regards,

Derek
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Dave
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Re: New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

Post by Dave »

Isn't the unzip program in a self-unarchiving program written in BASIC?


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Re: New to QL. Wanting to write from QL to SD (type) card directly.

Post by Derek_Stewart »

Dave wrote:Isn't the unzip program in a self-unarchiving program written in BASIC?
Hi,

Just remembered, Jonathan Hudson, did a SFX version of unzip v5.41

Available at this web site:

http://www.zen35309.zen.co.uk/qdos/

Look in the Info-Zip section near the bottom of the page, and down load the file: LRESPR unzip541xQ.bin

or this link:

http://www.zen35309.zen.co.uk/qdos/unzip541xQ.bin

This file can be transfer to the SD/CF Card with the Habi Image Editor.

Just LRESPR the file: LRESPR unzip541xQ.bin

and it will produce 3 files: SFX_bas, SFX_EXE, SFX_DAT

Lrun SFX_BAS, will extract the required UNZIP files and documentation. The unzip process will complain the the Signal extensions are not loaded, but it still works OK with without them.

The result is a QL executable UNZIP programme, very slow on a Trump Card, so lots of time and coffee required.

If it fails, try the Header option in the Habi Image Editor...


Regards,

Derek
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