This is a grey zone. And thus why those who are doing this, do have a website, yet never ever makes anything avaliable for download.

i would pay for the images!

dr.zeissler wrote:

i would pay for the images!

Try paying for the disks instead, then you ask for help if you can't make an image or get it to work in real hardware.

there is a big risk, spending lots of money for disks that do not work anymore because they are 20 years old 🙁

dr.zeissler wrote:

there is a big risk, spending lots of money for disks that do not work anymore because they are 20 years old 🙁

I'm a big fan of original disks and disk images. I'd prefer to go through the installation process of each program for each DOS computer build I do. Its just part of the original experience. That and sometimes the installation files are needed to change settings, etc.

I've spent well over $400 on my collection of vintage computer games and software. Some disks don't work at all, a lot do (and I've made disk images). I wish games bought on GoG that would have the original DOS disk images supplied. I'm sure no one will sneeze if you bought Ultima V off of GoG (you have a legal copy) and also find the installation disk images somewhere, but then I could be extremely wrong. Lawyers and snakes, etc.

You can buy a copy of the game, and being resourceful, find any corrupt/missing parts of it. I've collected and found missing/corrupted files/disks from other collectors, so the games that I do actually own have working disk images as backups.

Its a pain-in-the-arse and costs money, but I'm legal. 😎

A number of years ago, someone developed a project that stored a database of files that weren't exactly disk images, but could be used to recover disk images of specific game floppies that had been corrupted. The details of the process escape me and unfortunately I can recall nothing about what the project was called, but I think someone posted about it here.

Age hasn't stopped me from imaging my legit dos game floppies.

Jorpho wrote:

A number of years ago, someone developed a project that stored a database of files that weren't exactly disk images, but could be used to recover disk images of specific game floppies that had been corrupted. The details of the process escape me and unfortunately I can recall nothing about what the project was called, but I think someone posted about it here.

GameRez.ORG is Live.

leileilol wrote:

Age hasn't stopped me from imaging my legit dos game floppies.

yes but maybe the thread starter is older than you 😁

The problem is that every game is packed differently. And some games don't
install some of the files that are on the original disks.

I would go out on a whim and say there is no standard or reliable way to automatically
convert a game to back to installation disks.

Flux imaging is probably the best way to go at this point.. I've been archiving my giant collection for awhile now (on and off) using http://www.cbmstuff.com/proddetail.php?prod=SCP

Works good and replicates crazy copy protection schemes no problem. I first verify the floppy has no errors on a real DOS machine, then I move the floppy to my converted Shuttle PC case and image it on my PC. I do random checks on images created with the software to see if they work correctly on the DOS machine again. I haven't had any problems. Now I'll never have to worry about disks going bad (if I can get through my entire collection)