History of Disk2FDI versions


2004/07/19      Version 0.99à3 registered.
                - /CV is now /C, and /C is now /CH.
                - Pentium-optimized cable reading code.
                - New P and R parameters to the /C switch, to enable alternate
                  cable reading routines. /CR corresponds to an optimized
                  version of the /C routine from earlier Disk2FDI versions.
                - Minor improvements and bugfixes.

2004/07/19      Version 0.99à3. Released to the public as a trial version.
                - Added support for 8" floppy disk drives (untested).
                  Thanks to Hans Pufal for finding manuals at the ACONIT.
                - Drives can now be fully specified using an extended form of
                  the /A and /B switches.

2004/06/18      Version 0.99à2 registered.
                - Better switch to side 1 with some Floppy Disk Controllers
                  when using the Disk2FDI cable.
                  Thanks to Charlie for helping fix this!
                - The program is now split into 2 files.

2004/06/18      Version 0.99à2. Released to the public as a trial version.
                - Added the /F switch to specify the density of a floppy disk,
                  which was previously a parameter of the /C switch, so that
                  it can be used more generally.
                - Some other minor bugfixes and features.

2004/06/11      Version 0.99à1 registered.
                - Cable-part improvements:
                    - Now works on more machines, especially older ones.
                      Thanks to Gi@nts for reporting the problem and testing.
                    - Better image quality when the data clock is downgraded.
                    - Improved parts of the data-processing algorithms.
                    - General fine tuning of the algorithms.
                    - Merged LPTTEST.COM into DISK2FDI.COM.
                    - Tests the LPT port interrupt speed ("delayed pulses").
                    - More stable "pulses slide value".
                    - A few other minor bugfixes and features.

2004/06/11      Version 0.99à1. Released to the public as a trial version.
                - Added new parameters to the /S switch to specify the disk
                  format and the sector size.

2004/04/24      Version 0.99à registered.
                - Improved sector extraction using the Disk2FDI cable.
                - Proper switch to side 1 with some Floppy Disk Controllers
                  when using the Disk2FDI cable.
                  Thanks to Gi@nts for reporting the bug and helping fix it.
                - Added the L/H parameter to the /C switch to specify the
                  density of a floppy disk.

2004/04/24      Version 0.99à. Released to the public as a trial version.
                - Fixed a bug that prevented IBM MFM bad sectors to be
                  reported. Please do not use any earlier version for IMG and
                  ST imaging.
                - Generally improved the IBM MFM sector-dump part.

2004/03/16      Version 0.98à registered.
                - Complete rewrite of steps 2 and 3 of the FDI track
                  processing. They are now working fully correctly. They are
                  also generally faster and more stable. The main improvement
                  is that they can correctly image any kind of partially
                  unformatted track.
                  Please DO NOT use any earlier version of Disk2FDI for
                  serious FDI imaging.

2004/01/29      Version 0.97à2 registered.
                - Displays LPT port information.

2004/01/29      Version 0.97à2. Released to the public as a trial version.
                - Highest reachable track bug fix.

2004/01/24      Version 0.97à1 registered.
                - Better retry strategy for sector dumps using the Disk2FDI
                  cable.

2004/01/24      Version 0.97à1. Released to the public as a trial version.
                - Supports Single and Double Head 3" floppy disk drives.
                  Thanks to Gi@nts for providing a 3" floppy drive for testing!
                - Some minor fixes.

2004/01/11      Version 0.97 registered.
                - Supports log file creation using the /L switch.
                - Supports reading retries using the /R switch.
                - Supports the Disk2FDI cable using the /C switch.
                  Using the /C switch, supports sector-dumped image creation,
                  including Apple 3.5" GCR disks, as well as FDI 2.0 creation.

2004/01/01      Version 0.97. Released to the public as a stand-alone trial
                version.
                - Commodore 1541 disk imaging now possible with a modified
                  High-Density 5.25" floppy disk drive.
                  Thanks to Womo for the idea, research, testings,
                  modification documentation and general support!
                - Improved support for IBM MFM sector-dumped images (".IMG"
                  and ".ST").
                - New /A and /B switches to override BIOS disk drives
                  configuration.
                - New FDI 2.0 specification included. FDI 2.0 images can be
                  created with the upcoming registered version, and will be
                  supported by the next WinUAE version.
                - The usual round of bugfixes and small improvements.

2003/11/04      Version 0.96. Released to the public as a stand-alone trial
                version.
                - Apple 2 DOS 3.3+ disk images now really have the standard
                  DOS order. They used to have a physical ordering.
                  Thanks to Charlie for the bug report!

2003/10/31      Version 0.95. Released to the public as a stand-alone
                shareware version.
                - Becomes shareware, with an improved registered version.
                - Adds support for Apple disk ][, Commodore 1541 and IBM
                  single density disks.
                - FDI creation is temporarily removed because the routines
                  are no more in a usable form.
                - Adds many small features and improvements.
                - All known bugs are fixed.

2001/11/04      Version 0.9. Released to the public as a stand-alone version.
                - Adds the /Tnn and /Hn command-line switches.
                - Adds the nn option to the /S command-line switch.
                - Adds detection of maximum tracks reachable by disk drives.
                - Some minor fixes.

2001/10/31      Version 0.8. Released to some beta testers.
                - Adds support for ".IMG" and ".ST" disks extraction.
                - Adds support for 3.5" high-density IBM disks extraction.
                - Corrects some minor bugs.

2001/07/14      Version 0.7. Released to the public as a stand-alone version.
                - Includes yet another version of the software synchronization
                  technique for IBM-formatted disks. It works quite well in
                  many cases but not for all disks. So a hardware
                  synchronization appears to be necessary.
                - Adds the ability to extract standard IBM-formatted tracks
                  created with an IBM PC or an Atari ST.

2000/12/31      Version 0.6 "Special Millenium Edition".
                Released to some beta testers.
                - Includes a new version of the software synchronization
                  technique for IBM-formatted disks. Although this version
                  works a lot better, it is still far from being satisfying.

2000/05/17      Version 0.6. Released to some beta testers.
                - Adds a software synchronization technique to allow the
                  extraction of IBM-formatted disks. Unfortunately, this
                  technique is not working too well.
                - All known bugs are corrected.

2000/02/05      Version 0.55. Internal release.
                - First attempt to support the extraction of IBM-formatted
                  disks. The result is practically non-working.

2000/01/25      Version 0.5. Released to some beta testers.
                - Adds support for ".ADF" disks extraction.
                - Adds support for high-density Amiga disks extraction.
                - Most bugs are corrected.
                It is quickly followed by the internal release of version 0.51
                which fixes some more bugs.

2000/01/22      Version 0.4. Internal release.
                Now able to extract quite correct FDI files, mostly from
                Amiga disks. Most of the final release is already developed,
                but still with many bugs.

1999/12         Development is resumed. The technique to read Amiga disks using
                two disk drives is discovered. Version 0.2 and 0.3 are only
                internal steps along the development.

1999/02         The technique to read raw data from a disk with one disk
                drive was discovered in 1998 and now works quite well, but
                unfortunately not with Amiga disks.

1998/03/23      Version 0.16, included in Tand-Em version 0.5 (released
                1998/11/03) and Tand-Em version 0.55 (released 1999/03/19).
                - Adds the option to dump from either A: or B:.

1998/03/07      Version 0.15, included in Tandem version 0.25 (released
                1998/03/08), Tandem version 0.3 (released 1998/03/14) and
                Tandem version 0.4 (released 1998/03/21).
                - Adds the option to input a destination filename as a
                  parameter on the command line.

1998/03/02      Version 0.1. Initial release included in Tandem version 0.2.
                (released 1998/03/03). The ".FDI" extension is chosen.
                It is just a simple sector dumper for 5.25" 360KB disks to a
                DISK.FDI file using BIOS functions.
