[Coco] CoCo Diskettes backup

[Al Hartman]

You'll need to download the latest Drivewire 4 software from:

https://sites.google.com/site/drivewire4/

The Drivewire on the Cloud9 site is old.

You identified everything you'll need except for a Cassette Cable which you 
will attach from your Coco (use the Coco 3 for the best results) to the 
sound card output of your PC.

On the Coco 3 you type:

CLOADM:EXEC[enter]

Then you play the WAV file : dw3doscc3.wav on the PC

When the file loads, it will reboot into HDBDOS and you'll be ready to go.

Type DRIVEOFF 0[enter]

That will make Drive 0 your physical floppy.

You need to mount a blank floppy image as drive 1 ( 
http://www.colorcomputerarchive.com/coco/Disks/Blank%20disks/DMK/  has 
premade blank images. )

I usually use windows to copy the blank image to a different file and rename 
it to the name of the floppy.

Then, just use the BACKUP command;

BACKUP 0 TO 1

Once it copies, remove the floppy, dismount the image, and repeat for the 
next disk.

-[ Al ]-


-----Original Message----- 
From: Robin Lavallée

Hello,

Objective: I want to make backup copies of all my Coco diskettes before
their content is lost forever. I’m especially looking at backing up some
programs I wrote then I was less than 10 years old. :D

What I have:

·         A CoCo2

·         A CoCo3

·         A floppy disk reader for the CoCo

·         A bunch of CoCo floppy diskette containing all sort of data.

·         A PC

My talents (or lack of):

·         I’m no good at soldering. (No experience).

·         I’m good with software.

·         I’m ready to pay for missing parts.

What is my plan:

1)      I need to get DriveWire (3 or 4?) running on the PC

o   ROM Pak seems to be unavailable from http://www.cloud9tech.com/ OR;

o   I need a cable to connect between my PC and the CoCo to load up the
HDB-DOS program. What cable ? “(just two cables connected from your Mac or
PC to your CoCo”

2)      I need to get a DriveWrite Serial Cable. (Available from cloud9).

3)      I should also get a USB-DB9 Serial Cable adaptor for the PC. (Like
this http://www.cablestogo.com/product/26886 ?).

Anything else I might be missing in this quest toward glory ?

I’m especially confused by step 1.

Thanks a lot,

Robin