8-Bit Software
The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library
Floppy
Disk Transfer:
OmniFlop
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Last
Update: Saturday, 24 October 2009 11:59 (v2.2c) |
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v2.2b: License-free (almost) |
Only 'New' formats (see
below) and unrecognised formats now need a license. Licenses -
if needed - are free and instant if done on-line.
Registration by e-mail is slower. |
|
v2.2c: New formats Format filter added Vista/Win7 tweaks |
TI-99/4A
formats added. Slogger
DDCPM added. Computer
Automation LSI-2 added. FLEX
formats added. DEC
RX02 added. Didaktik
D40 and D80 added. Zenith
ZDOS and CP/M-86 added. Balzer
Ophthalmic Lens Machine format added. IMS
MM/1 added. Gravograph
ISIS added. Data
General/1 added. 4th
Dimension added. OS-9
1010.75kB added. OS-9
Universal added SATIM
added Stäubli/Unimation Puma 560c Robot Arm Controller added HP110
portable added Oric Jasmin formats added Dynacord
ADD-one format added Diagnostic
"Test Disk" lists all possible formats |
|
E-mail support address changed |
E-mail address for support
changed 23 Jan 2009 - download
latest version. E-mail support on old
(Lycos) address terminated 15 Feb 2009. |
|
Unconfirmed formats - license needed |
The following formats need
a (free) license because there has been no confirmation that they work: All Osbourne Slogger DDCPM Computer Automation LSI-2 All FLEX DEC RX02 Zenith CP/M-86 Data General/1 OS-9 1010.75kB OS-9 Universal SATIM HP110 portable Oric Jasmin Dynacord ADD-one |
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If the
program asks you for a license then you have probably not installed OmniFlop correctly... or... you're
trying to use an unconfirmed format from the list above. |
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On This Page You Will Find |
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Overview |
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Download & Installation |
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Support |
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OmniFlop Overview
OmniFlop is a ‘universal’ floppy disk reader, writer, and tester for the IBM PC or compatible which can handle alien floppy disk formats not normally supported by DOS, Windows and Linux. It was first released in December 2004.
If you want to read a floppy disk from another system on
your PC then you will probably need OmniFlop. But OmniFlop on its own transfers disks
between systems. If you want to access files, for example, on these disks then you need more - you will need to use OmniFlop
to image the disk, then other
software to interpret the filing system - see here. OmniFlop alone only handles whole disks.
OmniFlop consists of two Windows drivers plus a Wizard. The Wizard can be used without installing the drivers, but only the ‘standard’ DOS formats can then be read, written or tested – none of the alien ‘extended formats’ will be available. The download contains:
- the OmniFlop driver (.inf and .sys) to replace the Floppy disk drive driver, and
- the OmniFDC driver (.inf and .sys) to replace the Floppy disk controller driver, and
- the Wizard (.exe), plus
- the User Guide (.pdf).
Programmers ‑ you can access disks of your chosen formats using the standard Windows® CreateFile/ReadFile/WriteFile interface (no need to learn about the PC or FDC internals). Contact support for more information.
It runs under Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and
Windows 7. For DOS and Windows 95
through to Windows Me, use OmniDisk instead. Under Linux, you've got a whole host
of tools already (of course) more than capable!
OmniFlop was written to archive aging floppies for alien formats from other systems (e.g. BBC DFS and BBC DDOS). OmniFlop knows many disk formats and can even work out formats if they’ve never been seen before. Formats that have never been seen before can be tested, read and written - the known formats can also be used to format disks (then use a disk image to write the filing system & files on to the disk).
If you find a new format please e-mail me the format code produced by the Diagnostic 'Test disk'. This allows me to add the format properly to the program (including the format function) - you’ll get credit for 'discovering' the new format.
OmniFlop has been released but is still a ‘work in progress’. This means changes can be made by request.
1. Automatic detection of formats and hardware.
2. Manual and automatic choice of format.
3. Read, write, and format Single Density (FM)*, Double Density, and High Density disks.
4. Read, write, and format 3½" and 5¼" disks.
5. Read and write ‘standard’ disk image files (‘.img’).
6. Read and write ‘interleaved double-sided’ images (‘.dsd’) for double-sided disks containing single-sided formats.
7. Read and write AKAI S-series floppy image files (‘.akai’).
8. Read and write Atari ST disk image files (‘.st’).
9. Read and write Roland disk image files ('.out', '.s50').
10. Read and write ‘Head 0 out then Head 1 back’ (FEAT) images (‘.fea’).
11. Read and write Commodore 1581 floppy images ('.d81').
12. Read and write Thomson floppy images ('.fd').
13. Read and write single-sided format images (‘.ssd’).
14. Read and write ‘Cylinder/Head/Sector’ images (‘.chs’).
15. Read and write ‘Head/Cylinder/Sector’ images (‘.hcs’).
16. Read and write ‘Head 0 then Head 1’ images (‘.hcs’).
17. Read, write, and format IBM PC DOS formats (160kB, 180kB, 256kB, 320kB, 360kB, 720kB, 729kB, 800kB, 1.2MB, 1.23MB, 1.44MB, 2.88MB, 20.8MB, 120MB, 128MB, 230MB).
18. Read, write, and format extended DOS formats (640kB, 1215kB, 1230kB, 1245kB, 1458kB, 1476kB, 1494kB, 1701kB, 1722kB, 1743kB).
19.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format 4th Dimension format (799.75kB).
20. Read, write, and format ABB/Asea Robot formats (240kB, IRB2000 320kB, IRB L6/0293 328kB, 640kB).
21. Read, write, and format Acorn BBC Master 512 DOS formats (360kB, 720kB).
22. Read, write, and format Acorn ADFS formats (ADFS S 160kB, ADFS M 320kB, ADFS L 640kB, ADFS D/E 800kB, ADFS F 1600kB).
23. Read, write, and format BBC SJ Research MDFS format (800kB).
24. Read, write, and format Acorn BBC 40-track and 80-track formats, single & double-sided (100kB, 200kB, 400kB, 415kB).
25. Read, write, and format Acorn BBC Z80 CP/M format (400kB).
26. Read, write, and format Acorn BBC Master 512 DOS Plus format (800kB).
27. Read, write, and format Acorn BBC DDOS 80-track format (360kB, 720kB).
28. Read, write, and format AKAI MPC 60 MK II format (800kB).
29. Read, write, and format AKAI S-900 formats (800kB, 1440kB).
30. Read, write, and format AKAI S-950 formats (800kB, 1440kB, 1600kB).
31. Read, write, and format AKAI S-1000 formats (800kB, 1600kB).
32. Read, write, and format AKAI S-3000 formats (800kB, 1600kB).
33. Read, write, and format Alesis Datadisks (800kB).
34. Read and write Amstrad AMSDOS Data format, single & double-sided.
35. Read, write, and format Amstrad CP/M format.
36. Read and write Amstrad AMSDOS System format, single & double-sided.
37. Read and write Amstrad AMSDOS System/Data DS and Data/System DS formats.
38. Read, write, and format Apple Macintosh 1.44MB HD HFS format (1.44MB).
39. Read, write, and format Applix 1616 formats (800kB, 810kB, 820kB).
40. Read, write, and format Atari ST DSDD and Atari ST SS (320kB, 360kB) formats.
41. Read, write, and format Atari 8-bit format (90kB).
42. Read, write, and format Atari STE formats (738kB, 800kB, 810kB).
43.
Read, write, and format
44. Read, write, and format Atari ST Power Up Plus format (913kB) Note: This may require retries when writing!
45. Read, write, and format Automatix RobotControl RAIL format (400kB).
46. Read, write, and format Balzer Metal Evaporator format (250.25kB)
47.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format Balzer Ophthalmic Lens
Machine format (250.25kB)
48. Read, write, and format Beli disk format (640kB)
49. Read, write, and format BMI3030A format (396kB).
50. Read, write, and format cbm1581 format (800kB).
51. Read, write, and format cmdfd1m, cmdfd2m, cmdfd4m formats (810kB, 1620kB, 3240kB).
52. Read, write, and format CNI NC481 (720kB)
53. Read and write COMX DOS formats (70kB, 140kB, 35-track, 70-track).
54.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format Computer Automation LSI-2 mini-computer format
(997.75kB)
55. Read, write, and format CP/M-80 format (640kB), as used on the Philips P2000C and many others.
56. Read, write, and format various CP/M-86 formats (800kB plus other machine-specific formats)
57.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format Data General/1 format (199.5kB).
58. Read, write, and format DEC Rainbow format (400kB).
59.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format DEC RX02 format (1001kB).
60.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format Didaktik D40/D80 formats
(360kB, 720kB).
61. Read, write, and format Dynacord (1600kB).
62.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format Dynacord ADD-one format
(840kB).
63. Read, write, and format Electroglas Wafer Probers CP/M (800kB).
64. Read, write and format E-mu EIII (800kB).
65. Read, write and format E-mu Emax (800kB).
66. Read, write and format E-mu EOS (1440kB).
67. Read, write and format E-mu ESi (1440kB).
68. Read, write, and format Ensoniq ASR-10 formats (720kB, 820kB, 1440kB, 1600kB, 1640kB).
69. Read, write, and format Ensoniq EPS Classic & 16+ formats (720kB, 800kB, 820kB, 1440kB, 1600kB, 1640kB)
70. Read, write, and format Ensoniq KS32 formats (720kB, 800kB, 820kB, 1440kB, 1600kB, 1640kB)
71. Read, write, and format Ensoniq KT formats (720kB, 800kB, 820kB, 1440kB, 1600kB, 1640kB)
72. Read, write, and format Ensoniq Mirage (440kB) - fixed in v2.01p.
73. Read, write, and format Ensoniq SD-1 formats (800kB)
74. Read, write, and format Ensoniq SQ1 formats (720kB, 800kB, 820kB, 1440kB, 1600kB, 1640kB)
75. Read, write, and format Ensoniq SQ2 formats (720kB, 800kB, 820kB, 1440kB, 1600kB, 1640kB)
76. Read, write, and format Ensoniq SQ80 formats (440kB, 720kB, 800kB, 820kB, 880kB, 1440kB, 1600kB, 1640kB) - note: there was a fault with some of these formats which has been fixed in v2.01p.
77. Read, write, and format Ensoniq TS12 format (1540kB)
78. Read, write, and format Ensoniq VFX-SD formats (720kB, 800kB, 820kB, 1440kB, 1600kB, 1640kB)
79. Read, write, and format Exelvision format (640kB)
80.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format FLEX formats (100kB, 178kB, 200kB, 356kB, 358kB, 400kB,
716kB)
81. Read, write, and format FM77L4 format (320kB)
82.
[ for v2.2b]
Read, write, and format GEM S2/S3 synthesizer format (1600kB)
83. Read, write, and format Gravograph VX engraver format (320kB)
84.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format Gravograph ISIS engraver format (640kB)
85. Read, write, and format Heath H-89 HDOS format (640kB) and CP/M format (800kB)
86. Read, write, and format Hector CP/M formats (200kB, 720kB, 800kB)
87.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format HP110 portable format (693kB)
88. Read, write, and format HP-1000 format (770kB)
89. Read, write, and format HP-2100 8" format (125kB) and 3.5" format (616kB)
90. Read, write, and format HP-9000 Series 300/310 3.5" format (616kB)
91.
[ for v2.2b]
Read, write, and format HP-9000 Series 362 3.5" format (1540kB)
92. Read, write, and format HP-9121 3.5" formats (315kB, 664kB)
93. Read, write, and format IBM Torch Graduate format (360kB).
94.
[ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format IMS MM/1 format
(1280kB)
95. Read, write, and format Korg 01/W format (720kB)
96. Read, write, and format Korg DSS-1 (800kB).
97. Read, write, and format Korg DSM-1 (1600kB).
98. Read, write, and format Korg T-series (T1, T2, T2EX, T3, T3EX) (1600kB).
99. Read, write, and format LIF format (1232kB).
100. Read, write, and format LynxDOS format (800kB).
101. Read, write, and format Mecmor Variatex 2500 format (1280kB)
102. Read, write, and format Moog TMC Blowmould control format (640kB).
103. Read, write, and format Mori Seiki DS DD format (648kB)
104. Read, write, and format NEC PC9801 UV & NEC FC9801 V DMF format (1680kB).
105. Read, write, and format Oberheim DPX (880kB)
106. [ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format Oric Jasmin and Jasmin II formats
(340kB, 348.5kB, 357kB) .
107. Read, write, and format OS-9/68K 3.5" DD 38W7 format.
108. [ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format OS-9
(1010.75kB) format.
109. [ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format OS-9
Universal (632kB) format.
110. [ for v2.2b]
Read, write, and format Osbourne 1 (O1)
5.25" 40-track single-sided single density (100kB) and single-sided double
density (200kB) formats.
111. [ for v2.2b]
Read, write, and format Osbourne Vixen
(O4) 5.25" 40-track double-sided double density (400kB) format.
112. Read, write, and format Panasonic KX-W940 Word Processor Typewriter (320kB) format.
113. Read, write, and format Peavey SP format (1440kB).
114. Read, write, and format Prophet 2002 (880kB)
115. Read, write, and format RadioShack OS9/Nitros9 40-track, 80-track, single & double-sided, 96TPI and 48TPI formats (180kB, 360kB, 720kB).
116. Read, write, and format RCA Micro Floppy System (315kB)
117. Read, write, and format Roland S5xx formats (720kB, 1440kB).
118. Read, write, and format Roland S7xx format (720kB, 1440kB).
119. Read, write, and format Sanyo X68000 format (1248kB).
120. [ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format SATIM (560kB)
format.
121. Read, write, and format Sequential Studio 440 (440kB)
122. Read, write, and format Shima Seiki DS DD format (640kB).
123. Read, write, and format Sinclair ZX Spectrum BetaDisk 40S format (160kB).
124. Read, write, and format Sinclair ZX Spectrum BetaDisk 40D format (320kB).
125. Read, write, and format Sinclair ZX Spectrum BetaDisk 80S format (320kB).
126. Read, write, and format Sinclair ZX Spectrum BetaDisk 80D format (640kB).
127. Read, write, and format Sinclair ZX-Spectrum TR-DOS (640kB) format.
128. Read, write, and format Sinclair Spectrum Plus3 CP/M format.
129. [ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format Slogger DDCPM format (784kB
padded to 800kB).
130. Read, write, and format Spectrum DISCiPLUS 40-track.
131. Read, write, and format Spectrum Miles Gordon Tech +D/Disciple format (800kB).
132. Read, write, and format Spectrum Opus Discovery (180kB)
133. Read, write, and format Sinclair QL QDOS (800kB).
134. [ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format Stäubli/Unimation Puma 560c Robot Arm Controller (640kB).
135. Read, write, and format Stride PDOS (640kB) format.
136. Read, write, and format Tandy CoCo RSDOS single & double-sided 48TPI (157.5kB, 315kB).
137. Read, write, and format Tandy CoCo RSDOS single & double-sided 96TPI (157.5kB, 315kB).
138. Read, write, and format Tandy TRS-80 Model 1 NEWDOS/80 v2.0 (100kB) & 77-track DS (385kB).
139. [ for v2.2a]
Read, write, and format Tandy TRS-80
Model 1 TRSDOS 3.1 (87.5kB) - needs
hardware support and OmniFDC driver must be
installed.
140. Read, write, and format Tatung Einstein TC01 Xtal Dos 1.31 40-track DS (400kB) & 40-track SS (200kB).
141. [ for v2.2b]
Read, write, and format Thomson TO8-TO9 series 3½" format (320kB).
142. Read, write, and format Thomson TO9 3½" (640kB).
143. [ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format TI-99/4A formats (90kB, 160kB, 180kB, 320kB, 360kB,
640kB, 720kB, 1440kB, 40-track, 80-track, single- and
double-stepped). Note: High-density formats need DDAM hardware support and OmniFDC driver must be installed.
144. Read, write, and format Timex 2048 FDD3000 single-sided (160kB) and double-sided (320kB) formats.
145. Read, write, and format TV3102 Controller Programmer (171kB).
146. Read, write, and format ZEISS Spectrophotometer Specord M400 format (640kB).
147. [ for v2.2c]
Read, write, and format Zenith ZDS ZDOS (360kB) and CP/M-86 (320kB) formats.
148. Read, write, and format unknown formats 144kB [Brian "Briza" Palmer], 180kB [Shawn Howell], 360kB [Ralph Hänsel]. If you can name these please contact Support.
149. Extended support of more drive types, motherboards and media.
150. Test floppy disks for compatibility with the IBM PC (including unknown formats!)
151. Read and write unknown formats, including Intel 8271, WDC1770, and NEC µPD765 FDC formats.
152. Easy to use – a wizard guides you through the process.
153. Choice of formats and detection algorithms after auto-detection.
154. Diagnostics included for advanced support and data recovery.
155. Instant free on-line licensing (via WWW) and support (by e-mail).
* A good few - but not all - modern PCs can support single density (FM encoding). The main difficulty in getting it to work is usually the software or the configuration of it. Don’t assume your PC can’t do single density ‑ it's always worth a try. Just try OmniFlop or OmniDisk.
Some of these functions require a (free) license. See section 2.5 of the User Guide (in the download) for more information.
OmniDisk is a Command Prompt universal disk reader, writer and formatter. It is more powerful than OmniFlop but harder to use. It includes native support for some filing systems, and configures itself automatically to your system. It is capable of automatically reading all formats that the hardware can, even if these formats have never been seen before, or are copy-protected. [OmniFlop can also test, read, and write all such formats if uniform.] The original 16-bit version of OmniDisk runs under DOS or a DOS Command Prompt in Windows 95, 98, 98SE, or Me. If there is sufficient demand, a new version of OmniDisk, OmniDiskXP may be released to run in a Command Prompt under Windows XP, 2000, NT and Vista.
FDC is a Command Prompt disk reader, writer, and formatter. It is manually configured and you must use the correct combination of commands for your system to access disks correctly. There is no auto-configuration. FDC runs under DOS or a DOS Command Prompt in Windows 95, 98, 98SE, or Me.
The most important difference between these utilities is the Operating System(s) they work under. There is no point trying [the 16-bit version of] OmniDisk or FDC under Windows XP/Vista!
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16OmniDisk XPOmniDiskXP |
OmniFlop |
FDC |
|
Configuration |
Automatic |
Automatic |
Manual |
|
User Interface |
Command line (DOS box) |
Windows Wizard |
Command line (DOS only) |
|
Ease of use |
Medium |
Easy |
Medium/Hard |
|
Facilities under DOS |
16Disk read/write/format 16Interpretation of disk images |
Not compatible |
Disk read/write/format |
|
Facilities under Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me |
16Disk read/write/format Interpretation of disk images |
Not compatible |
Disk read/write/format |
|
Facilities under Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP/Vista |
XPDisk read/write/format Interpretation of disk images |
Disk read/write/format Disk test (v0.03+) Diagnostics |
Not compatible |
|
Editing Disk Images |
Supported |
Not supported |
Not supported |
|
.inf Files |
Supported |
Not supported |
Not supported |
|
DFS ‘*’ Commands |
Supported |
Not supported |
Not supported |
|
DDOS ‘*’ Commands |
Supported |
Not supported |
Not supported |
|
Floppy Drive Types Supported (BIOS setting) |
Any - BIOS setting not used. |
5¼" 360kB (v0.04+) 3½" 720kB (v0.04+) 5¼" 1.2MB 3½" 1.44MB 3½" 2.88MB (v0.04+) |
Any - BIOS setting not used. |
|
Filing Systems Supported |
BBC DFS BBC DDOS Stride PDOS (Basic) |
None (use external program, e.g. emulator) |
None (use external program, e.g. emulator) |
|
Physical Formats Supported |
All including: All DOS formats All BBC DFS formats All BBC ADFS formats All Spectrum formats All Amstrad formats All CP/M formats All PDOS formats … plus many more … |
See 'Features' above, but including: All DOS All BBC Acorn All BBC Opus DDOS All Acorn ADFS All Acorn DOS/Plus CP/M-80 PDOS ZX Spectrum +3 CP/M Amstrad ZX Spectrum MGT +More NEC µPD765/7265/ 72065/72066 FDC formats ‑ including Intel 8271 and WDC1770 formats. |
DOS 180kB DOS 360kB DOS 720kB DOS 1.2MB DOS 1.44MB DOS 2.88MB (untested) BBC DFS 40-track BBC DFS 80-track Acorn ADFS L 640kB Acorn ADFS 800kB DEC RX01 DEC RX02 DEC RX50 |
Support/Enhancement |
Available |
Available |
|
Status |
16v3.6 Established XPNot yet released |
v2.01h established. v2.01h available as pre-release |
v0.13 Established |
If you format a disk with OmniFlop it does not put on the disk all the filing system information for the format you choose - it just makes a disk of the correct physical format. The reason for this is the sheer number of operating systems out there - I do not have the time in my short life to implement all the Operating Systems ever invented, even if it is just to access the disks! For the same reason you can't see all your files listed in OmniFlop (see Filing System vs Format).
If you format a disk to your chosen format you must then put an image onto the disk for the correct Operating System/Filing System. That is, you are meant to use OmniFlop like this to create blank 'formatted' disks:
- Archive a blank disk (e.g. freshly formatted on original equipment) to an image file on your PC.
- Use OmniFlop to format a new disk to the correct physical format.
- Use OmniFlop to write the blank disk image to the disk (so correcting the Filing System).
OmniFlop knows no Filing
Systems at all.
OmniFlop will give you the raw data off floppy disks of the formats listed above plus other formats it can work out. However, it can't work out the filing system (data format) of the disk - such as FAT12, FAT16, NTFS, DFS, ADFS, Atari ST, RS-DOS - to give you access to the logical files on the disk! Once you've got the data onto your PC in an image file, though, it should be easy to extract the data from the disk image, either manually or with software. Many utilities already exist out there on the Internet to interpret your disk image as files of a whole variety of formats - see Compatible Programs below.
Getting the data
off an alien format disk is the hardest part - which is what OmniFlop does for you ‑ interpreting the data (as
files/samples/documents/audio/video) can be done by anybody with experience of
handling files under Windows, with their own tools of choice, and knowledge of
the system from which the floppy came. I will not live long enough to re-implement
all the systems that ever used floppies - sorry! - so I just give access to the
raw data off the floppy disk.
The OmniFlop Wizard will let you archive a whole disk to a file on your PC and write such a file back onto a disk, formatting it if needed. This is great for handling the whole disk, but if you want to edit or alter the content of the disk (i.e. files, samples, data) on the disk you'll need a program which understands the (logical) format of the disk - i.e. the filing system (see above).
Some utilities allow you to edit the images of the disks - i.e. the files produced by the OmniFlop Wizard. Other utilities are integrated with the OmniFlop driver and can directly access the disks themselves - for these, you will need a version of the OmniFlop driver installed which has the necessary support - or a later version.
|
I have
got… |
…of Disk
Format… |
…so I
should use... |
... with OmniFlop version |
|
a disk image file from OmniFlop |
for an ancient computer |
an emulator for that computer, or |
Any |
|
a file *.ssd |
BBC DFS, Opus DDOS |
Almost any BBC emulator [DFS], BBC Explorer, OmniDisk, DFS Explorer |
Any |
|
a file *.dsd |
BBC DFS, Opus DDOS |
Almost any BBC emulator [DFS], BBC Explorer, OmniDisk, DFS Explorer |
Any |
|
a file *.adl |
Acorn ADFS |
Almost any BBC emulator [ADFS], ADFS Explorer |
Any |
|
a file *.adf |
Acorn ADFS |
Almost any BBC emulator [ADFS], ADFS Explorer |
Any |
|
a floppy disk or image file |
Shima Seiki |
v2.01a onwards |
|
|
a floppy disk or image file |
All AKAI All Ensoniq All Roland And more... About 260 file
formats total. |
v2.01a onwards |
|
|
a floppy disk or image file |
Electroglas Wafer Probers CP/M |
Electroglas |
v2.01b onwards |
|
a floppy disk or image file |
Tandy/RadioShack |
unknown |
v2.01d onwards |
|
a floppy disk or image file |
All AKAI All Ensoniq All Roland Dynacord |
v2.01n onwards |
|
|
a floppy disk or image file |
All Ensoniq |
Ensoniq DT |
v2.01i onwards |
|
a floppy disk or image file |
E-mu Emax |
EMXP/EMXPN by ///E-Synthesist |
v2.01j onwards |
|
a floppy disk or image file |
All Ensoniq |
v2.01k onwards |
|
|
a floppy disk |
DEC RX50/Rainbow/DECMate |
RSX2MS by Tony Fagg |
v2.01p onwards |
|
a floppy disk |
AKAI S20 |
AkaiS20 by Dominique Crevoisier |
v2.01p onwards |
|
a floppy disk or image file |
AKAI S900 |
http://akai-s900.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-transfer-floppies-to-pc.html |
v2.01h onwards |
|
a high-density floppy disk |
Apple Macintosh (not 400kB or 800kB disks!) |
Any |
|
|
a floppy disk |
TI-99/4A |
Paolo Bagnaresi's software... coming soon...! |
v2.2c |
Note: You must have the OmniFlop driver installed with the version specified, or a later version, for direct disk access from these programs to work. Those accessing file images of the disks do not require the OmniFlop driver.
Download & Installation
OmniFlop
is written for Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. For DOS and Windows
95 through to Windows Me, use OmniDisk instead. If you want to use the command-line
of OmniDisk under Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 please
register an interest in OmniDiskXP.
Download the latest version unless you specifically need a previous version. Make sure you re-install the driver if you download a different version.
Download the latest release of OmniFlop here
Download
the next (pre-release) version of OmniFlop here
Note: You should not need a license any more (v2.2b
onwards)! If you do, licensing is via WWW and e-mail, or by manual e-mail
alone. E-mails to support are dependent on my Internet connection - please send
an e-mail and be patient.
The download contains installation instructions in Adobe ‘pdf’ format. You can read these with the free Adobe Reader at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html, if you don’t already have it installed. If you want to read them immediately on-line they are also available here.
The download contains a user guide (OmniFlop.pdf), a Windows Floppy disk drive driver (OmniFlop.inf, OmniFlop.sys), a Windows Floppy disk controller driver (OmniFDC.inf, OmniFDC.sys), and a Wizard (OmniFlop.exe).
The Wizard can be used without installing the drivers, but only the ‘standard’ DOS formats can then be read, written or tested – none of the ‘extended formats’ will be available.
The drivers can also be used by your own software from v2.01 onwards. See support.
Download the archive, install the drivers (if you want extended format support beyond the standard DOS formats), and run the Wizard.
For help or suggestions, use the ‘Support’ contact at the bottom of this page or in the ‘About’ box from the Wizard.
Previous and Pre-release Versions
In case you need to use a previous version, here are a few of them.
Support
If you have problems, check the lists below, and look in the User Guide - online (the one with your download may be out-of-date).
OmniFlop is designed to work with the majority of PCs using a 'standard' Floppy Disk Controller and in most cases works immediately without any changes to the host system. However, trying to use some alien disk format in a PC under Windows is fraught with problems:
- PCs weren't designed to handle your
alien disk format
- Windows wasn't designed to handle your
alien disk format
so you shouldn't expect it to work. Also, floppy disks are physical media using magnetism to store binary data - trying to read that 20-year old floppy in a modern PC with an unrelated drive from 10 years ago is fraught with opportunities for things to go wrong. Start with a floppy disk and drive that works - i.e. a 1.44MB or 1.2MB DOS-formatted floppy.
Generally, if you have a problem, make sure you've got the latest version of the drivers and wizard installed, turn off your anti-virus software, and run in Safe Mode.
If you have tried all the suggestions on this page then use the contact address in the ‘About’ box of the Wizard. My e-mail address is not available on this page due to excessive spam. You will need to provide details of:
- The version of OmniFlop you are running.
- The hardware and software set-up of your PC.
- The format you are trying to use.
- The media you are using (3½", 5¼", Double Density, High Density, Extended Density)
- What you are trying to do.
- What you are doing.
- What happens.
- A disk map for the disk - go to 'Diagnostics >> Get disk map' in the OmniFlop Wizard, and send the file.
Do not just say "It doesn't work." - because that doesn't help.
OmniFlop is unlikely to work with an
external USB floppy drive.
OmniFlop is unlikely to work with a
software simulation of a PC (e.g. VMware), unless the
simulation is exceptionally good.
If your hardware does not work properly then OmniFlop won't work properly. Make sure your hardware works - under Windows, you should be able to format disks (to Windows'/DOS' FAT12), write them, fill them up, read them, and delete files off them - this must all work without error. Then try the same disk with OmniFlop, using DOS formats. Make sure you have a decent floppy drive, and disk, that actually works before trying to get support for one that doesn't.
- Don't try to repair a floppy disk drive or re-align the heads unless you've got all the tools and you know what you're doing.
Check you are using the correct media, and it is good. If the disk is old, damaged, dirty, or losing its magnetic coating, then the disk will be at best unreliable, at worst unreadable. Use decent, known good, media, at least initially for testing. Once you know the system works, you can then try those disks from 20 years ago. Make sure you use a disk of the correct density for the format - 3½" disks can be Double Density or High Density:
3½" Double Density disks:
- are often marked "720kB", "DD", "QD","1MB capacity (unformatted)"
- have one notch in the corner, for write protect.
3½" High Density
disks:
- are often marked "1.44MB", "2HD", "HD","2MB capacity (unformatted)"
- have two notches in the corners, one for write protect, the other to indicate High Density.
To use a High Density disk for a Double Density format you can tape over the 'High Density' hole with black tape as a last resort, but the results aren't guaranteed. If you get problems (errors) doing this, then blame the disk - and get hold of a proper Double Density disk. You should always use the correct media for the format.
Single Density (FM encoding) Support
Note that there are cases of PCs with chipsets that do not support Single Density (FM encoding) operation, but it is not as common as often portrayed on the Internet. The topic is complicated so casual statements about "most" PCs don't help - for the best description of the topic see here. You will only ever hear about cases where it doesn't work. Licenses were used in previous releases to get a view of failures and successes, and the PCs known about so far that do not support Single Density (FM encoding) are:
- Dell Latitude XPi P133ST laptop - no Single-Density support at all.
- Dell Dimension XPS T500 - possibly read only 5¼" Single Density. [Paul Jenkinson]
- Olivetti PCs - no Single-Density support at all. [Mark Ferns]
- Advansys card - reported to read only Single Density. [Mark Ferns]
- Platinum PackardBell P3 500MHz - read-only Single Density. [Colin McDougall]
If you find more, or wish to clarify which particular machines are afflicted, please also see here or contact support.
To test single density support on a PC, get hold of a known, working floppy disk drive, and a known good double-density floppy disk (one with only one hole in the top - not a High-Density one). First make sure that a double-density format works, by, for example, formatting the disk to Acorn BBC DDOS 720kB, then reading it back in - it should be recognised as this format and should read without error. If this works, try re-formatting the disk to Acorn BBC DFS 80-track double-sided 400kB, and try reading that back in - if the disk is not recognised as BBC DFS 400kB or it cannot be read back in then it is reasonable to assume your PC does not support Single Density (FM encoding). Contact me and I will add it to the list above - you will have to use another PC if you want to handle Single Density disks.
Note that the encoding (FM or MFM) does not depend on the drive. On the PC, the encoding is a property of the floppy disk controller, not the drive. You can have Single Density (FM-encoded) 3.5" disks.
Software
If your hardware works properly then under Windows there is an added complication: other software. Other software running at the same time as OmniFlop may interfere with OmniFlop's operation; OmniFlop needs exclusive access to the floppy disk while it runs. As a first step, check:
- There is no Anti-Virus software running or enabled. If you are not willing to turn it off completely while you try OmniFlop, make sure you at least 'Disable scanning of removable media'.
- Windows Explorer is not open. A refresh/update of Windows Explorer can cause it to access the floppy disk.
- No other software that accesses the floppy drive is running.
- Do not run OmniFlop under a Virtual Machine. OmniFlop accesses hardware, not a software simulation of it.
If none of these help, reboot Windows into Safe Mode. To do this, as your PC reboots, before it starts Windows, press 'F8' many, many times, like a lunatic, even if the PC starts beeping at you. This should give you the Windows Options Menu - select "Safe Mode" and hit 'Enter'. Try OmniFlop once Safe Mode is up and running.
If you want to prove that your hardware is OK then reboot your PC into DOS and use a DOS-based program such as OmniDisk to SAMPLE a disk. If this does not work, then your hardware (PC) and the disk you are trying to read simply aren't compatible. Try another PC, or disk, or both.
Requests
Use the support contact – requests are welcome and are normally implemented.
From v2.2b onwards, you should not need a license. The only licenses that remain are because:
· You are using one of the formats at the top of this web page that have not yet been confirmed as 'working', or
· You are trying to use a new (unknown/unrecognised) format, or
· The driver has not been installed correctly, or
· There is a hardware or software problem on your PC.
Licenses are to provide information so that I can solve any problems you have, or to confirm that a new format works. Licenses are free and used for feedback only. No-one tells me if a format works - only if it doesn't. When a format or function is known to work (because of sufficient feedback) the license is removed.
You do not need a license unless the program tells you so. Just use the program and it will prompt you for a license if you need one. From v2.01i onwards, the program offers you the choice of registering automatically on-line (via WWW with an e-mail reply) or using e-mail alone.
If you use the on-line registration process (via a web browser and an e-mail account) you should get an almost immediate response. If you use the e-mail contact alone a license is usually issued (manually) within 1 working day - but there is no guarantee it won't take longer. As this is a free service you do not get 24-hour emergency support.
Apologies to the BBC users out there who had to license OmniFlop for a while. Why? Because some members of the BBC Micro mailing list asserted vociferously that "most PCs do not do Single Density" but did not provide balanced statistics to justify 'most'. Statistics on how many PCs do not implement Single Density without statistics for how many PCs do are meaningless. Whether or not 'most' do, or don't, it is worth a try on your PC.
Using OmniFlop in your own programs
If you want to use the facilities of OmniFlop with your own program this is also possible from v2.01 onwards. There is no charge. You access the floppy disk in exactly the same way as standard Windows® - using CreateFile/ReadFile/WriteFile ‑ and all the usual Windows functions are available (e.g. get disk geometry, set file position).
You must decide which formats you need to access and then notify Support. OmniFlop must support your format for it to be made available to you, so make sure it works and the format is available.
You do not need a license to develop with OmniFlop ‑ but initially your users (or you) must register their copy (using the OmniFlop Wizard) to enable support of the formats you have chosen (see 'Get a License' in the Wizard). The on-line registration will give them a (free) license almost immediately. Again, as for the Wizard, the license is only used to get feedback about how many people are using the program and what it is being used for ‑ otherwise there is no feedback at all, especially when it works. After enough time to show that it (and your code) works, the licensing is removed, and your users from then on can download OmniFlop without having to get a license.
For more detailed information about how to use OmniFlop with your own programs, contact support directly by e-mail. The e-mail address is in 'About' on the first screen of the OmniFlop Wizard.
Q: I want to use the files on this
floppy disk. How do I do this?
This is a huge question. What's the floppy disk for? What do you mean by "use"? OmniFlop reads hundreds of disk formats, including disks from:
§ Robot arms
§ Knitting machines
§ Synthesizers
If OmniFlop could use the disks for all these formats then it would be a robot arm that could knit and play music! OmniFlop is not a robot arm, nor a knitting machine, nor a synthesizer.
If you want to "use" data on the floppy disks - whatever that might mean - you need:
§ Something to read the data off the floppy disk.
§ Something to handle ("use") the data off the floppy disk.
OmniFlop does the first. It will get the data off the disk and give you a Windows file of all the data. But it won't pretend to be a robot arm, a knitting machine, or a synthesizer - for that, you will need more software, such as this.
Q: The format is listed but OmniFlop comes back with "Unrecognised format"
Check the media you are using. For a Double Density format you should use Double Density disks (one hole); for a High Density format you should use a High Density disk (two holes).
Q: How do I copy a GravoGraph VX (or other format...) disk?
This sequence applies to any other
format, but is written for GravoGraph VX. Just
substitute the format you want for "GravoGraph
VX".
To copy a GravoGraph VX disk (press 'Next' between each step):
1) Insert original disk into PC.
2) Run OmniFlop.
3) Select 'Read disk'.
4) Choose the disk drive and turn ON 'Automatically detect format'. Turn OFF 'Skip bad sectors'.
5) The computer will test the disk and should return with the format: "Gravograph VX" (if it does not, try again). Select this format.
6) Choose a filename (such as "Disk.img") and select file format "Standard disk image (*.img)".
7) The disk should read OK.
8) Remove the original disk. Insert the target disk - this disk will be overwritten! For a double-density format, you must use a double density disk with one hole in the top (do NOT use a High-Density disk with two holes in the top).
9) In OmniFlop, select 'Format disk'.
10) Choose the disk drive (the other options are not important).
11) Choose the format "Gravograph VX".
12) Select 'Write disk'.
13) Choose the disk drive and turn ON 'Automatically detect format'. Turn OFF 'Skip bad sectors'.
14) The computer will test the disk and should return with the format: "Gravograph VX" (if it does not, try again). Select this format.
15) Choose the file you made in step (6).
16) The disk should write OK.
This completes the copy.
Q: How can I read/write to ADFS 800k
disks/format?
I'm not sure what you want to read/write from/to the disks (files or disk images) but you've got the tools...
(a) To read an ADFS disk install OmniFlop. Insert disk, and select 'Read disk'. This reads the whole disk into a single file which can be handled by Windows and other applications...
(b) To write an ADFS disk the disk must already be formatted to ADFS 800kB format - see (c). Insert disk, and select 'Write disk'. You then must choose a disk image (of a whole disk) for OmniFlop to recreate the disk. This is usually to restore an image made from reading a disk.
(c) To format a disk to ADFS 800kB you will need OmniFlop plus an image (file) of a blank ADFS 800kB disk (see (a)). Use OmniFlop to 'Format' the disk to the correct physical format then 'Write' the disk produced with the 'blank disk' image - or any other suitable disk image (e.g. one you made earlier by 'reading' one).
(d) If you want to handle files and directories on the ADFS disks then you have to use an additional program that understands ADFS - for example, ADFS Explorer (http://www.g7jjf.com/adfs_explorer.htm). This uses the disk images that OmniFlop reads and writes from real disks. Once you have finished editing a disk, for example, you can write the disk image back using OmniFlop and use the real disk.