"Steve" wrote in message
...
OK, OK. I've bit the hook. I've got a 1650B right here. Paid all
of
of
$50 US for mine. Please tell me how to read the disk on my Linux
RH
7.3,
running a plain 2.4.27 Kernel, (as if it makes a difference) and
I'll
be happy to send you the image. Also have a Fedora box sitting
here,
too.
Respectfully, I don't think it can be done. Don't have the url
references, but I've read some discussion about this is the
distant
past,
and the conclusion was a PC drive can not be used. Please prove
that
info wrong; it would certainly be a useful tidbit for one/us to
know.
Floppy drives are cheap, worth the risk, I guess.... ;^)
I am looking for a disk for a 1650A.
Have no clue if the 1650B diskette I have makes any difference.
Google found references to a program called LIFUTIL for accessing
LIF
disks on a DOS PC. I also found links to downloads for the 1650
from
Agilent's FTP server but the files seem to have disappeared in a
reorganization. I emailed Tech Support and they said they aren't
there
since it is obsolete.
I have seen test equipment dealers selling the disks, but don't
want
to
spend much since I have no cables or probes either (Got the 1650
cheap
and figured I would try to make some probes after I got the s/w.
Yes,
I
know the probe has a terminator in it.).
Martin & Shawn,
Grabbed LIFUTIL off the 'net. Ran it on a spare Pentium II machine
that boots DOS ver 5.0. The utility does not allow one to make a
perfect
disk image, but it can be used to make an apparently functional HP
diskette!
Oddly, the utility allows one to dump the contents of the HP diskette
to
an ASCII hex dump file, yet doesn't allow use of said dump file to
create
a new diskette. Therefore, it's a bit of work to manually do each
file
at a time, but it works. Comparing ASCII dumps of original and the
newly generated diskette, there are blocks of FF's verses zeroes,
(in apparently the directory or "FAT" areas of the diskette) but it
doesn't seem to matter.
After midnight here now -- I'm off to bed. Hopefully can get a
zip file together tomorrow & will email.
Thanks, Steve
Steve
I tried automounting the disk on my Linux box (Mandrake 9.1 with
customised
kernel) but it wouldn't recognise the disk; I don't know the format
used
so
I couldn't try manually mounting it. Glad to see that LIFUTIL works,
I'll
try to download it.
I tried the same disk on a 1650A today (FW rev 1.0a, my 1650B is FW rev
2.3b) and it booted correctly, but I'm still not sure if it's a version
incompatibility or a fault on the analyser.
Thanks for the advice, looking forward to receiving mail :-)
Martin.
Steve
I've downloaded lifutil; can you tell me what sector size the original
disk
is formatted for (256 or 1024 bytes)?
Thanks,
Martin
Martin,
Sounds like you don't need my files anymore, as you got your hands
on a disk. Good. But perhaps I've got a version difference for the
system that can still be of use. Don't know what my versions are,
so I'll look. Indeed, I'd like to get my hands on your versions of
what ever 1650 system files you have, just to have different versions
on hand myself.
Parameters are, 3 1/3 double sided (770KB size)
Sector size 1024
Interleave 1
144 files in root dir
vol label A165X not sure if it makes any difference
When you copy files from DOS to the LIF format, pick the
binary user defined file type selection. Enter C001 for 1650
system file(s), with 53 4F 54 4F for that other byte field I can't
remember what it is called. Press F3 to get that pop up window
to go away, or F5 to start the file transfer... when doing
1650 non-system file (i.e. "1650 config" files), they are C120
file type... with the same 53 4F 54 4F for the other byte field --
I think. Yet to test that myself.
Took a bit of time to figure that out, comparing the disk
created by LIFUTIL that didn't work with a disk created on
the 1650.
BTW, 1.44 DOS floppies with tape over the 1.44 indicator seem
to work fine for me.
Sorry haven't emailed the files I have yet, but been busy making
a living. Later tonight, I hope.
Thanks, Steve
Steve
Thanks for the files. The 1650 is now working, it seems that the V2.03 ROM
in my machine needs theV2.x system files to boot up, the V1.0 file on the
previous disk I tried was obviously the reason for it not booting. If you
still want to try the V1.0 system file, I'll get hold of the disk again and
copy the files.
Thanks for all your assistance and to Shawn for the pointer to Lifutil :-)
Martin
--
martindot herewhybrowat herentlworlddot herecom
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