Quickstart guide for making Pasti-images

[Marakatti]

This is the first version of a small quickstard guide for Pasti-imaging. I hope this helps a bit. If there are errors / additions, let's fix them for the next version... I'm quite tired at the moment but wanted to make the first version out as soon as possible as there seems to be a lot of demand for it

Here we go...

Most important thing first. ALWAYS write-protect your original games disks before you start imaging them.
This quickstart guide was written either for Transfer Disk (standard ST) or for Direct Imaging (ST with hard disk or similar) and Steem-emulator (http://steem.atari.st/).

Apart from Steem you will need the following files:
http://pasti.fxatari.com/downloads/PastiImgKit.zip for Atari ST and PC tools
http://pasti.fxatari.com/downloads/PastiDll_02h.zip for Steem to support Pasti

You also need:
Atari ST/STe/Mega computer running at 8Mhz without modifications. Mega STe is also fine but you need to use 8MHz / no cache mode to make it work.
Windows-machine with floppydisk drive and Steem emulator installed.

A) Transfer Disk
1. Transferdisk initialize
For the first time you need to prepare a Transfer Disk. This is the disk that will be swapped from ST to PC drive to produce a complete Pasti-image. There's good instructions how to do it on PastiImgKit.zip documentation, but here's the short version.
a) Format standard 720Kb disk that works on both machines. Do not use any extended formats, they won't be readable by Windows.
b) Check that the disk is readable by both machines.
c) Run Pastitools.exe on Windows machine to initialize Trasfer Disk. (Transfer -> Initialize Transfer Disk)

Now the disk is ready so the real work can start

2. Making Pasti-image using transfer disk
a) Select Transfer -> Start Transfer... from Pastitools.exe (Windows)
b) Run PASTI.PRG on Atari ST
c) Check that the Xfer is selected from the Mode-box.
d) Put the original ST gamedisk in drive A and click Start.
e) Pasti-program starts reading the gamedisk and asks for Transfer Disk after a while. Remove the gamedisk and insert Transfer Disk in Drive A. It now writes the first part of the image-file.
f) When the first part is written to the Transfer Disk, put it to the PC disk drive and select OK. To save some time put the ST gamedisk back to ST drive so it continues reading the next segment while PC is working for the first part of Pasti-image.
g) Repeat this as many times as the programs asks for disk change. Some games require more swapping than others, this is because they use bigger disks format (double sided for example)
h) When the final round of swapping transfer disk is done, you can save the image to Windows hard drive and test it with Steem.

3. Testing the Pasti-image
a) Unpack PastiDll_02h.zip to the same folder where your Steem.exe is.
b) Run Steem and you should see an info box about the Pasti extension.
c) Pasti support can be activated from Disk Manager -> Use Pasti and configured from Disk Manager -> Pasti Configuration.
d) From Pasti-configuration select Max Accuracy

When testing the image, please do not use fast forward and make sure Steem has the original 8Mhz ST configuration. Loading Pasti-image is slower than on real ST so don't worry, this is normal. If everything went fine, you should now see your game running on Steem.
If it didn't, retry doing the image again. In some cases the original can't be imaged at all, or your disk might be damaged.
If you're sure there's no copyprotection, you can try other tools like MSA (http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/software/atar ... a_2_32.zip ) to make usable file for emulation use.

B) Direct Imaging
If you have a hard disk, making Pasti-images is much more joy. I use MegaSTe / TOS 2.06 / 1.44Mb disk drive / hard disk combination.

1. Making the image
a) If you have MegaSTe, make sure that the machine is set to 8Mhz with cache OFF. This can be done for example with XCONTROL.ACC.
b) Transfer the contect of PastiImgKit.zip on your ST hard disk.
c) Run PASTI.PRG
d) Select FILE from the Mode-box, then click on FSEL ... from Destination-box. Insert filename for the pasti-image with STX-extension.
e) Put your original ST gamedisk to Drive A and click START. If you want you can select the VERBOSE to see information from every track.
f) When imaging is ready, repeat from d).

2. Transfering image to PC
Double sided image-files can have size close to 2Mb. This is normal, so transfering them with floppy can be tricky.
- If you have 1.44Mb floppy drive in your Atari, you can pack the STX-files for example with ST-ZIP ( http://jfhaslam.atari.org/downloads/stzip.tos ) and transfer them using floppy disk to Windows.
- If you only have 720Kb floppy drive in your Atari, you will have some difficulties to fit the double sided pasti-images on the disk even after packing. In this case you can use an ST program called SPLITTER.PRG to cut the file half ( http://jfhaslam.atari.org/downloads/splitter.zip ). Remember to install the same program on your Steem hard disk too to join the file back again.

3) Activating Steem hard disk emulation:
a) Go to Disk Manager -> Hard Drive -> New Hard Drive -> Browse, select folder you want to act as an ST hard drive.
b) Make sure Disable All Hard Drives has no checkbox.
c) Reset Steem and wait for the GEM Desktop to appear.
d) Click once on Disk A icon.
e) Select Options -> Install Disk Drive.
f) Replace Drive Identifier letter A with C and click Install.
g) Go to Options -> Save Desktop -> OK.
h) Depack files using your favourite Windows unzipper into the folder you selected earlier.
i) Go back to Steem GEM Desktop.
j) Open Drive C and run the ST program.

That's it. Any suggestions?

[SofiST]

Very useful - finally someone started with it.

I have some notices, though: Floppy drive in PC is not mandatory - if file transfer Atari-PC is solved without it, what is actually the better and more advanced way.
I don't see why to use imaging on hard disk of Atari and then split files - better to use then transfer disk, supported by pasti self. Except maybe in case of HD floppy, if Pasti supports not HD floppies as transfer disks.

Transfer to PC without floppies: in case of some Flash card it should be pretty simple: attaching it on PC via card reader.
If it is TOS/DOS or DOS compatible can read without any special SW under DOS, Windows, Linux.
If disk (card) is TOS partitioned then have couple ways:
1. Making image of drive and accessing files with Steem : Steem together with latest Pasti can work with harddisk image files. There are some limitations: only ACSI attached drives (images) up to 1GB. If using IDE disk may try with Hatari - then limit is 2GB (with ACSI emulation on hatari 1GB too).
For imaging hard disk or some card may use Drive Imager - and with it may extract files directly from hard disk, TOS partitioned. Limit is 2GB again.

I would like if someone could write about advanced settings in Pasti - I don't see anything about on officail site.

[ijor]

I have some notices, though: Floppy drive in PC is not mandatory - if file transfer Atari-PC is solved without it, what is actually the better and more advanced way...
Transfer to PC without floppies: in case of some Flash card it should be pretty simple: attaching it on PC via card reader.

I agree. Best way, assuming you have the hardware and knowledge, is to image to a "modern" (flash based) hard disk. Then read (somehow) the file on the PC.

I would like if someone could write about advanced settings in Pasti - I don't see anything about on officail site.

That was intentionally for implementing some undocumented options. AFAIR (I'm afraid I don't remember exactly, would need to check it), there was a single option implemented for ... hmm, may be configuring the number of retries ... sorry, not sure (guess I'm getting old ), but nothing that most people would miss.

[morcar]

awesome guide for preserving the disks.

[Cogweasel]

A bit of a necro post this, but since the PASTI software is still relevant, I thought what the hell . Is there a way to have PastiTools.exe write to an image file on the PC HD instead of to a floppy transfer disk?

[ijor]

A bit of a necro post this, but since the PASTI software is still relevant, I thought what the hell . Is there a way to have PastiTools.exe write to an image file on the PC HD instead of to a floppy transfer disk?

I'm not sure what you mean. PastiTools precisely creates and writes to an image file on the PC. PastiTools reads from the transfer disk. The data on the transfer disk is written at the ST.

What exactly you want to do?

[Cogweasel]

I'm not sure what you mean. PastiTools precisely creates and writes to an image file on the PC. PastiTools reads from the transfer disk. The data on the transfer disk is written at the ST.

What exactly you want to do?

Is it possible to have the image file saved onto the PCs hard-drive instead of to the transfer floppy drive? I got the feeling it only worked when writing to a transfer floppy when checking the read me file. The thing is that the PC with an FDC is at my mums place and my ST is at my place. So I would like to not have to bring the ST with me when attempting to imaging the disks...

[ijor]

Is it possible to have the image file saved onto the PCs hard-drive instead of to the transfer floppy drive? I got the feeling it only worked when writing to a transfer floppy when checking the read me file. The thing is that the PC with an FDC is at my mums place and my ST is at my place. So I would like to not have to bring the ST with me when attempting to imaging the disks...

If you want to actually image the ST disk directly on the PC, no, Pasti doesn't work like that. The imaging tool works only on the ST. But you don't need a PC with a FDC, you can use an USB floppy for the purpose of accessing the transfer disk.

Otherwise, if you have some kind of ST hard disk emulator, such as CosmoEx, you don't need to use a transfer disk. You can save the image on the hard disk and then read the SD (that was used as the hard disk emulator) on the PC.

[Cogweasel]

If you want to actually image the ST disk directly on the PC, no, Pasti doesn't work like that. The imaging tool works only on the ST. But you don't need a PC with a FDC, you can use an USB floppy for the purpose of accessing the transfer disk.

Otherwise, if you have some kind of ST hard disk emulator, such as CosmoEx, you don't need to use a transfer disk. You can save the image on the hard disk and then read the SD (that was used as the hard disk emulator) on the PC.

Thanks for the info Ijor! I have actually made an PASTI image of the disk I am trying to transfer on my ST already. But I am having problems accessing it, keep getting"the data on the disk maybe damaged" when opening. Was thinking maybe could be worth trying to make an PASTI image of it using a PC floppy drive instead. But I guess that might not make much difference, but I am no expert and I am starting to get a bit desperate