Using virtual floppy in XP Mode via Win 7

I have an old piece of DOS software, CopyQM, that I use to 'burn' exact images of floppy key disks for control development software I use. The control software will now run in Win 7 64bit, but to avoid buying new licenses, I need to use my CopyQM to burn the floppy keys. The problem is that I can only run CopyQM in XP Mode, while I need to install the control software in Win 7. I see the virtual floppy in XP Mode, but it show up as "A on MININT-7R2A0FR (the computer name in Win 7)". So, CopyQM can't burn the image to the virtual floppy mounted in Win 7.

The reason I need to do it this way is because I have to use the control software activation software from the OS that I am installing the control software to, and it uses a floppy disk.

How do I get the CopyQM to burn an image to the virtual floppy mounted in Win 7? I know I could install IMDisk in XP Mode, but then I couldn't get to it when I come back to Win 7 to activation the software.

I have an old piece of DOS software, CopyQM, that I use to 'burn' exact images of floppy key disks for control development software I use. The control software will now run in Win 7 64bit, but to avoid buying new licenses, I need to use my CopyQM to burn the floppy keys. The problem is that I can only run CopyQM in XP Mode, while I need to install the control software in Win 7. I see the virtual floppy in XP Mode, but it show up as "A on MININT-7R2A0FR (the computer name in Win 7)". So, CopyQM can't burn the image to the virtual floppy mounted in Win 7.

I am not entirely familiar with the virtual Windows XP in Windows 7, but is there any way you could create a drive letter for the UNC path used by redirection to the host OS? For example try (in your case):

net use A: \\MININT-7R2A0FR\A

...or...

subst A: \\MININT-7R2A0FR\A

...or some similar tool. What happens if you try that?

The reason I need to do it this way is because I have to use the control software activation software from the OS that I am installing the control software to, and it uses a floppy disk.

How do I get the CopyQM to burn an image to the virtual floppy mounted in Win 7? I know I could install IMDisk in XP Mode, but then I couldn't get to it when I come back to Win 7 to activation the software.

Why? If you create the floppy image using ImDisk installed in XP I cannot see why you could not take your floppy image file to the host OS and mount it with ImDisk there. Or am I missing something?

More generally, CopyQm is not the "only" program in the world capable of making an "exact" copy.
There are several ones running under NT systems, unless the "original floppy" has a hardware based kind of protection and then you need a specialized hardware.


Wonko

I am not entirely familiar with the virtual Windows XP in Windows 7, but is there any way you could create a drive letter for the UNC path used by redirection to the host OS? For example try (in your case):

net use A: \\MININT-7R2A0FR\A

...or...

subst A: \\MININT-7R2A0FR\A

...or some similar tool. What happens if you try that?



Why? If you create the floppy image using ImDisk installed in XP I cannot see why you could not take your floppy image file to the host OS and mount it with ImDisk there. Or am I missing something?

How do I save the image created in the IM installation in XP Mode and insert/mount it into the virtual floppy in Win 7?

Thanks for the fast reply too ;-)

How do I save the image created in the IM installation in XP Mode and insert/mount it into the virtual floppy in Win 7?

Well, just mount an image file in virtual XP, let your old application write to it, dismount it there and mount the same image file in Windows 7. Or is there something I am missing here?

unless the "original floppy" has a hardware based kind of protection and then you need a specialized hardware.

I may be remembering incorrectly ( a distinct possibility), but I thought that most of the older floppy based protection schemes had to do with funny manipulation of the raw data, and possibly timing of how long it took to read different sectors and all sorts of funny things that prevented them from working with anything but a physical floppy disk...Yes, if you had good, low level bit for bit copying SW, you could duplicate them, but a basic question here is did you ever do this sort of thing with a virtual floppy on any OS???

i.e. use real XP, with virtual floppy??? Then if that worked, we can see if it can work when the whole of XP is virtual...

Scott

Yes, if you had good, low level bit for bit copying SW, you could duplicate them, but a basic question here is did you ever do this sort of thing with a virtual floppy on any OS???

Sure it works IF there is NO actual hardware copy protection, as said.

The "funny manipulation of RAW data" is not a problem if you do a RAW copy.

The "weak sectors" is usually not as well, ONCE the image has been made correctly, since there are no possible "weak sectors" in a virtual floppy, though some specific software may be needed, to create the image in first instance, example:
http://atari.8bitchip.info/floimgd.php
but yes, mileage may vary on these.

If there is an actual hardware protection, like "fake tracks" or direct access bypassing OS, the only way is hardware, like the CP option board or the CatWeasel:
http://reboot.pro/7833/page__st__4
amd definitely an OS with DIRECT access to the floppy controller AND possibly a good floppy drive. (which translates to "DOS", and old - at least ten years old - floppy drive, thingies made, after, say 2000 are simply too cheap hardware)
and definitely these won't work anyway in any VM.

I still don't understand what the OP question/problem is, like:

• duplicating a floppy (physical) <- and if yes under which OS (NT is picky)
• making an "exact" floppy image <- and if yes under which OS (NT is picky)
• duplicating this "exact" floppy image <-NO problem on *any* OS
• writing this "exact" floppy image to a physical floppy <- and if yes under which OS (NT is picky)
• booting this floppy (physical) in a virtual machine <- and if yes under which OS (NT is picky)
• booting this floppy (image) in a virtual machine<- normally NO problem in Qemu, but mileage may and will vary

Seemingly unrelated - but as always not much - topics, check:
http://www.serverele...t=64&p=220#p220
http://www.winimage.....php?f=3&t=2415
http://www.winimage....php?f=14&t=3437


Wonko

Wonko,

this is maybe OT, but you should remember about Venus (a very old tool, dated 1990).

I think that was one of the most powerful Dos tool for cloning floppies, maybe even if hardware protected......public/style_emoticons/default/smiling9.gif


ambralivio

Wonko,

this is maybe OT, but you should remember about Venus (a very old tool, dated 1990).

I think that was one of the most powerful Dos tool for cloning floppies, maybe even if hardware protected......public/style_emoticons/default/smiling9.gif


ambralivio

Are you joking or what ?

Try READing on the given thread:
http://reboot.pro/7833/page__st__4
also beyond the single post :
http://reboot.pro/7833/page__st__5
http://retro.icequake.net/dob/

I did what I could to preserve the little nice thingy from extinction

But no, it could not work for "hardware protected" floppies, and if I remember rightly it only worked for "normally" formatted (in the sense of standard tracks/sectors) floppies.


Wonko

Are you joking or what ?

Try READing on the given thread:
http://reboot.pro/7833/page__st__4
also beyond the single post :
http://reboot.pro/7833/page__st__5
http://retro.icequake.net/dob/

Wonko

That's why I wrote remember http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/remember

Anyway, even if too much time passed now, I can say that Venus was the only tool capable of duplicate "resistant" (with the meaning of "hardly protected") floppy.

Cannot say if "hardware" protected, though.

ambralivio

Well, just mount an image file in virtual XP, let your old application write to it, dismount it there and mount the same image file in Windows 7. Or is there something I am missing here?

Sorry, but I am still a little lost. Here is what I normally do.
1) Open CopyQM, select Copy An Image File, select a drive, then type in the name of the image (e.g. 5000 [note there is no file extension]).
2) Create 1 copy, which makes a sector for sector copy of the image file, which was created with the actual activation floppy disk years ago.
3) Open the control software's activation module, point it to the physical floppy drive, and it pulls up the activation license and moves it from the floppy to the HD.

What I have done so far in Win 7's XP Mode:
1)Installed IM Disk in both 7 and XP.
2)In XP Mode, I have used CopyQM to copy an image file to the virtual floppy (B: in this case since XP Mode has an A: dive by default).
3)In XP Mode, I have used the control software's activation software to successfully move the activation from the virtual floppy to the XP Mode's C: drive.

Here's the trick I'm missing. Since I can only run CopyQM in XP Mode, it won't run in Win 7's 64bit environment, I need to created the image on the XP Mode's virtual floppy and them some how get that virtual floppy's 'disk contents' into the Win 7's virtual floppy. How do I do this, and make it step by step for short bus crowd here ;-)

How do I do this, and make it step by step for short bus crowd here ;-)

First, in virtual XP mode:
1. Create a new ImDisk virtual drive with drive letter A and size 1440 KB and an easy-to-remember path and filename for image file.
2. Use your old DOS tools to write to this virtual floppy drive A:.
3. Dismount virtual drive A: in virtual XP mode.
4. Move or copy image file selected in step 1 (which now contains data written by old DOS tool) into physical Win7 x64.
5. Use ImDisk in Win7 x64 to mount image file you moved or copied in step 4 and select the drive letter you need it to have.

...or something like that.