Hi, I have a BIG batch of 5.25 floppies with files formatted in the ancient Motorola Versados format ("popular" in the late 70's/early 80's). These floppies are starting to degrade and our old Versados systems sometimes fails to read off the floppies.

What I want to do is to backup the contents of these floppies via any posible means.

I have tried reading the 5.25 disks from MS-DOS but the format is not recognised. I managed to copy a 5.25 floppy to 3.5 floppy in a very time consuming way (copying the 5.25 floppy to a Versados system, copying off the system onto an ancient type of tape storage - of which we have only ONE tape left, transferring the tape contents to another Versados system with 3.5 floppy access and then finally off this system to 3.5 floppy - not what I want to do for over 1000 5.25 floppies that we have!). I tried to mount my new 3.5 floppy in Linux and Linux rejected it as an unknown format.

So my question is this: does anyone know how I can read these 5.25 Versados floppies into Linux (or Windows, but I think Linux is my best bet!)? Once I can read the Versados files into Linux I can store them and retrieve them as and when I need them. I'd also be very thankful if anyone could tell me how to connect a 5.25 floppy drive to Linux and get it to work.

Any help VERY appreciated as I have been trying to do this in the past few days.

I did come across the GNU Binary File Descriptor library, but I think this only reads Versados object files uinless someone tells me otherwise? I have also tried a very old utility (c1985) by Sydex called 22disk (under Windows) but this didn't work either.

Doing the usual search under Google and Google Groups, I found a lot of people asking the same thing, but converting Versados in MS-DOS. All these requests went unanswered. Can Linux help?

Hi Saintt,
I have almost the same question,
I have same 3.5 floppies, with VersaDos files in there,
and I would like find a way to create a Image of these floppies into a Hard Disk, in order to , recreate back to a floppies in the same Versados format to use them as the original floppies.
I tried Copyqm, that works for other files types formats in blind mode, but I really, really, really need get a similar solution to VersaDos format,
thanks

If this theme is still interesting to somebody, I can tell, how I could have made it. On usual PC under DOS/Windows. Excuse, what not under Linux...

Can you please explain how to image / clone Versados floppy and harddisk in anyway possible.i am stuck.
thanks in advance
bala

As my decision has no direct relation to Linux, I will try to answer your questions on e-mail.

Hi,

I'm very interest on your solution. I have to copy an harddisk.

Andy

Guys - this thread is 7 years old. By now the OP is likely to have solved or abandoned the issue. As well, all questions and answers are kept on the forum so we can help as many people as possible - please do not offer solicit off-board advice.

I have closed this thread, if you are still having a problem with Versados formatted disks, please create a new thread in the General forum.