Converting software from Q-emuLator to QLAY

[RWAP]

I have been trying this morning to get some software converted from a PC folder (stored using q-emulator) onto a folder for use with QL2K ( QLAY2)

However, my plans have been scuppered.

First thing I did was to copy the files onto a QL formatted floppy disk. I was then going to use qltools to convert the files from floppy disk to a QL2K folder quickly ( I have done this before).

Unfortunately, qltools does not run on 64 bit Windows 7.

So the next thing I did was to copy the files into a QXL.win file with the hope of using the QLAYT-x64.exe to copy all of the files from the QXL.win file into a QL2K folder.

Scuppered again. I just get an exception error and windows closes QLAYT-x64 when I try to use:
d:\qlayt-x64 -E d:\blank.win

Any ideas?

[RWAP]

OK I have now reported this to Jimmy Montesinos, who wrote QL2K.

I eventually extracted the files using the extraction options in qxlwin explorer.

But then found an issue or two with QL2K - in that if you change the configuration options on the front screen (to use a different ROM), these do not seem to take effect until you close QL2K and relaunch it.

Further, if you have a microdrive image set up as mdv1 - this still has priority over the win hard disk file (unlike on a real QL where the priority is always win drive, flp drive, mdv drive).

Now I just need to figure out why my copy of the cracked QL Pawn will not run and reports 'not found' from within the PAWN executable.

It works fine on q-emulator.

[dilwyn]

I know you've cracked it by now Rich but for the benefit of anyone else caught in this scenario...
There are two issues here:
(1) the qemulator modified executables need to be de-modified - "unmodify" these by copying them to a non-nfa drive in qemulator, such as ramdisk or floppy disk, zip them up using Jonathan Hudson QDOS zip, save that back to the nfa drive (which should now store the executable headers but without the QemuLator changes which prevent them working on anything else)

(2) qlayt does in fact work on windows 7 64 bit on my system but it can be a bit of a PIA to get to work properly:
In windows, copy the above zip file to a QL2K WIN drive (I normally use WIN8_ for these transfers). At this stage it won't be recognised by QL2K because no entry has been made in qlay.dir directory file yet. To do this, we must use the 'include file' command of QLAYT-64.exe. Start a DOS command box in Windows, navigate to the QL2K WIN folder in question, which should contain a copy of QLAYT-X64.EXE (hence why I use it for transfers). Assuming we are using WIN8 and we have navigated to that folder, enter this command:
QLAYT-X64.EXE -i filename.ext
where filename.ext is the filename and extension of the file to be added to QLAY's directory, e.g. something like pawn.zip

If you now go into QL2K and DIR WIN8_ it should show up and be accessible. You can now use QDOS unzip to unzip the files.

And before anyone says catch22 - how do you get a copy of QDOS unzip in there in the first place, use the version saved using Job2Bas from my website http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/arch/index.html - scroll down the page to Job2Bas and use either of the special unzip BASIC versions from there, transfer them into QL2K using the method above to recreate a copy of Unzip.

The important thing when transferring from QemuLator is not to use Windows to copy executable files out of a native QemuLator directory without de-modifying the executables first!

Shows up actually why we are still so dependent on floppy disks in the QL scene, still the easiest and most reliable way to transfer files until you run into emulators like QLay and QL2K without floppy device drivers!

[RWAP]

Thanks Dilwyn - no idea why QLAYT does not work for me - maybe it was because I was using the extract from a qxl.win folder command.... (could you maybe try that on your system).

I am still stuck and can't get QL Pawn to run in QL2K for some unknown reason when it works perfectly fine from either floppy disk or hard disk within q-emulator (or on a QL).

So no idea why it reports file not found....

[dilwyn]

Thanks Dilwyn - no idea why QLAYT does not work for me - maybe it was because I was using the extract from a qxl.win folder command.... (could you maybe try that on your system).

I am still stuck and can't get QL Pawn to run in QL2K for some unknown reason when it works perfectly fine from either floppy disk or hard disk within q-emulator (or on a QL).

So no idea why it (qlayt) reports file not found....

Just quickly tried the qxl.win extract, couldn't get that to work any more than you could, although I didn't spend much time on it.
Two possible problems, level 2 directories and number of files, qlay.dir can only have about 160 file entries IIRC.
QLAYT-X64.exe -E c:\qxl.win should output to a qlay.dir in this directory, but stops with an error as you said, already exists if a qlay.dir is there already, or another "stopped working" error if no qlay.dir there.
There is an option to use another directory file which you can set with -q name.dir but this doesn't work either.
I suspect the real reason might actually be simpler: the instructions for qlayt -E says Untested: need feedback!

QL Pawn: never used it, but a game of that era I'd probably expect it to use a protection file it's looking for a file with either null name or a space, e.g. "FLP1_" or "FLP1_ ". Just a guess.

[RWAP]

The original QL Pawn used a very odd form of copy protection - it used the original Sinclair Protection scheme which was a quick load routine for BASIC as well as checking for a master cartridgeo, but coupled with loading the game itself from specific sectors on a microdrive cartridge (the cartridge had no entries when you did a DIR mdv2_ ).

There was a special routine included to allow you to make as many copies as you liked of the game cartridge - but obviously getting that onto disk was never going to be easy.

The first Sinclair Protection scheme was always easy to overcome and I have done this in order to preserve various early Sinclair titles.

However, I have a cracked version of Pawn (no idea who did it) which managed to overcome the second issue - it uses a SuperCharged program to load in the game from disk.

No special files

[vanpeebles]

I know you've cracked it by now Rich but for the benefit of anyone else caught in this scenario...
There are two issues here:
(1) the qemulator modified executables need to be de-modified - "unmodify" these by copying them to a non-nfa drive in qemulator, such as ramdisk or floppy disk, zip them up using Jonathan Hudson QDOS zip, save that back to the nfa drive (which should now store the executable headers but without the QemuLator changes which prevent them working on anything else)

I never knew this, certainly something to watch out for

[Mr_Navigator]

Dilwyn, you could count an aliens hexadecimal fingers the number of times the dreaded zip explanation has been recounted

[RWAP]

For those interested - I managed to get QL Pawn up and running under QL2K.

It appears the last problem to surmount was the fact that when exporting files from the qxl.win file, qxlwin explorer has a bug in that it stripped the space from the end of one of the file names...

[1024MAK]

Dilwyn, you could count an aliens hexadecimal fingers the number of times the dreaded zip explanation has been recounted

So why the flip did the QL zip files not end up with a nice "qip" or "qlp" extension? Would have saved a lot of confusion...

'Tis strange how some retro computers end up with mostly only a small number of standard file formats and others end up with a much more complex mix of file formats

Did anyone ever try to set a universal standard for the QL?

Mark