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2022-08-26
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u
G E O B E A P 1 . 5
Bo's Excellent Archival Program
Disk Image Archival Program
Program and Text by Bo Zimmerman
[NEW FEATURES]
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These are new powers added to
geoBEAP v1.5:
* Can create .BEP image archives of
CMD native mode partitions, including
FD-2000 and FD-4000 disks.
* Will work with Wheels disk
drivers.
* Now has 4-drive support.
* Can change native partitions under
Wheels.
* Now runs in Geos 2.0 in 40 [or]
80 columns.
[FENDER'S NOTE:] On LS #155 I named
the update of geoBEAP Version 2.0. I
should have called it v1.2. In other
words, this version, geoBEAP 1.5, is
the latest best version. Use this
instead of "v2" on LS #155.
[INTRODUCTION]
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geoBEAP is an archival program
which packs and unpacks images of
whole disks (tracks and sectors)
instead of collections of files. It
will create and dissolve single-sided
5.25-inch disks into the famous
.D64 format used by the popular
"C64S" and other Commodore 64
emulators used by PC owners (and C64
software collectors these days). It
will also create and unpack a native
.BEP format off a disk in any GEOS-
supported drive, using compression.
geoBEAP allows you to create
archives in the .d64 format and
unpack these files back onto 5.25"
disks readable by our trusty 1541/71
drives.
With geoBEAP you can create and
dissolve archives (.BEP format)
containing a truly compressed disk
image of a disk in any GEOS-supported
drive. The disks you archive need not
be GEOS disks, or even in GEOS
format, but need only be in 1541,
1571, or 1581 format.
[SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS]
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geoBEAP requires the following
hardware and software to execute:
[1.] Commodore 64 or 128 (in 64
mode)
[2.] GEOS 64 operating system.
[3.] At least two GEOS compatible
drives, including the 1541 (and
compatibles), 1571, 1581, CMD devices
partitioned as one of the above, or
RAM drives in one of the above
formats. The drives numbered 8 and 9
must be the same type of drive.
[4.] An REU.
[5.] The geoBEAP application.
[USING GEOBEAP]
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geoBEAP is executed by double-
clicking on its icon. This will bring
up the main selection screen. On the
screen you will see two large file
windows, one of which is for the
source drive, which indicates the disk
to be packed or the disk on which an
archive to be unpacked is found. The
other is the destination file window,
which will show files on the disk
where an archive will be created or
where an archive will be unpacked to.
Within the file windows, at the
bottom, are two arrows for viewing
different pages of file names. The up
arrow will go back a page toward the
beginning of the disk, while the down
arrow will show files further down in
the directory.
Below each file window is a button
for selecting which drive and disk is
to be recognized as the source and
destination. Clicking the drive button
will cycle through your GEOS active
drives from A to B to C back to A. The
disk button will prompt you to insert
a new disk into the active drive for
that file window.
In the middle of the screen are
selection boxes for choosing whether
you wish to pack or unpack, and
whether you are using the .D64 or .BEP
format. A darkened square next to your
selection will indicate which options
are active. This may be changed by
clicking in an unselected box.
The launch button will begin the
packing or unpacking process as
designated by your selections.
At the top right of the screen is
the exit box, which will take the user
back to the deskTop when clicked.
[LAUNCHING]
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When the launch button is clicked,
the system will examine your
selections on the main screen to
determine if the process can begin.
For starters, although the main screen
allows you to make the source and
destination drives the same for the
purposes of selection, they are not
allowed to be the same when the
packing/unpacking process is launched;
thus the requirement that you have two
or more drives. If the drives are the
same number, an error message will
result.
You must also make sure that all
of the disks in your selected drives
are properly formatted and the correct
disks are in each drive.
[PACKING]
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When packing a disk into an
archive, you must ensure that your
destination disk has enough free space
to hold the archive image file. For
.D64 images, this is exactly 689
blocks. This rules out a 1541 as a
destination drive.
[JEFF'S EXPLANATION:] How do we end
up with a 1541 disk image that's more
than 664 blocks? Well, you have 664
blocks [free] on a 1541 disk, but
there is actually room for 689 blocks.
The 1541 uses the extra 25 blocks for
the BAM and directory, all of which
must be included in the .D64 image.
The system will then prompt the
user for the filename of the archive
file you wish to create. You need not
add any extension to your filename, as
the system will automatically add the
correct extension (either ".D64" or
".BEP") to your filename before
creating the file on the destination
drive. The archive files created will
be standard Commodore format PRG files
for easy uploading, downloading,
copying, storing, or whatever.
After a confirmation to begin is
received from the user, the system
will present a progress window and
begin packing each individual track
and sector from the source drive into
the destination file. When completed,
the archive file will be present on
the destination disk, ready for
unpacking in the future.
If a "source disk error" should
occur during the packing process, it
will most likely be due to some disk
error present on the source disk, the
removal of the source disk from the
drive before the archiving process was
complete, or the improper selection of
the source disk from the main screen.
geoBEAP will not pack disks with read
errors.
A "destination disk error" most
likely occurs when the destination
disk does not have enough disk space
to hold the disk image. Remember that
.D64 images require 689 blocks to hold
their images, while .BEP files are
variable in size and [might] fit on a
1541 disk dependent upon the
compression possible from the source
disk.
Since every block of a disk is
packed, the "blocks free" reported in
a directory may not correspond to the
size of a .BEP image. A recently
formatted 1571 disk (330k free) may
produce a 3k .BEP image, while a
heavily used disk (with 330k free) may
produce a 200k .BEP file. The number
of text files vs. binary files, and
the number of sectors never used will
all play a role in the size of a .BEP
image. Making .BEP archives will be
most useful on commercial disks which
store their data in strange ways --
which many do. Don't worry if a
created image will not fit on your
destination disk, simply retry your
archive on a disk with more free
space. The system will erase the
uncompleted file so as not to leave a
"splat" file.
To create a .D64 image, the source
disk must be a single-sided 5.25"
disk. geoBEAP will create .D64 images
from double-sided 1571 disks, but they
will not contain all of the data from
the disk. The .D64 image, once
created, can then be ported to a PC
using Big Blue Reader, or LI'L RED
READER and used with the C64S
emulator. Regardless of the format of
the 5.25" disk in the drive, the
system will ask for a confirmation if
the source drive is a 1571.
[DAVE'S INJECTION:] Big Blue Reader
by SOGWAP is available from Centsible
Software (800-640-6211) for $40. LI'L
RED READER, a public domain program by
Craig Bruce, has been LOADSTARized for
the 80-column, 128-mode by yours
truly, and appears on LOADSTAR 128
#32. Call 800-594-3370 to order LS 128
#32 as a back issue for $8.
[UNPACKING]
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When unpacking an archive, you
must first select an archive file from
the files in the source file window.
This is done by finding the file in
the file window and highlighting it by
clicking on its name. geoBEAP will
unpack image archives in the .D64 and
.BEP formats only, and requires that
the proper format be designated on the
main screen.
You must ensure that the
destination disk is the same type as