Pasti

Pasti Imaging Tool for ST Version 0.4 beta Copyright (c)2004, 2005 by Jorge Cwik

Pasti website [1]

Pasti ST is an imaging tool that produces disk file images of any ST disk, including non-standard, exotic formats and copy protections. It runs on any ST computer, with the only requirement of one double-sided drive.

Pasti ST needs a standard 8Mhz ST CPU. Any CPU accelerator or cache, if present, must be disabled. This includes the built-in one in the Mega STe. It doesn't run on TT or Falcon computers.

Pasti images can be used on ST emulators using Pasti.Dll. Pasti.Dll is currently supported by latest versions of Steem and Saint.

The built-in defaults are suitable for most cases, and only advanced users would want to override them.

Please Write Protect your original disks. The imaging tool rejects source disks that are not write protected. But just in case and as a general rule, never ever write to an original disk. Keep them always write protected.

Pasti ST has two different modes of operation, transfer or file mode.

Transfer mode works in cooperation with a Windows program. It will automatically transfer the file image to a PC. File mode leaves a file on an ST drive, normally a hard disk.

Transfer mode.

This is the mode that most users will want to use. This mode wholly automates the creation and transfer of the image to a PC. No hard disk or ram disk is needed at the ST; only a blank floppy is required. The transfer is performed in cooperation with a Windows program, PastiTools. A detailed description of Transfer Mode is included with PastiTools.

File mode.

This mode is usually for advanced users that have an ST hard disk. In file mode the whole image must fit on the destination drive. There is no swap of floppies or user intervention. The destination drive will normally be a hard disk. But a ram disk, if big enough, can be used instead.

After the file image is created, the user is on its own to transfer the image to a PC. This could be done with a null-modem cable, a special crossed parallel cable or with floppies.

Preservation

Pasti ST is an imaging tool. Standalone by itself it can't be considered a preservation tool. Preservation tools are provided separately, normally to preservation teams. The Pasti preservation tools are required to validate and verify the integrity of the image.

The separation between imaging and preservation is intentional, and it gives the user the maximum flexibility. Any disk can be imaged and used immediately. However, if you own an important collection or rare software you are encouraged to contact a Pasti preservation team. Contacts for Pasti preservation teams are provided in our web site.

Preservation teams mark, and optionally sign, the image. The standard Pasti tools inform the user if a Pasti image undergone a verification process by a preservation team or not.

Write back Images to physical disk

Pasti ST is read only software. It doesn't write back Pasti images to floppies. There are other Pasti tools for writing back images, but they require special hardware. The Discovery Cartridge for the ST and the Catweasel for the PC are currently supported. Write back on a plain PC or ST is not supported.

Beta warning

This is a beta version. All precautions associated with a preliminary release should be taken. It is possible that the file format will be changed, and beta images might be incompatible with the final (non-beta) Pasti release. A converter will be provided in that case.

What is a disk image?

A disk image is a file that contains all the data from a physical disk. Most emulators cannot access physical floppies directly. They use disk images instead. You can consider a disk image, if you want, as an archive of the floppy as you could do with archives/compressor as ARC, ZIP, etc. But the disk image contains more detailed data, and at a lower level, than a normal archive. Many ST games disks do not have files at all, they have just raw data on the disk's sectors.

A disk image also has all the advantages that any other file has. It can be easily stored on a hard disk, burned to CD, archived, compressed, sent over the Internet, etc. Additionally there are tools to convert from a physical disk to a disk image and vice versa.

For many years ST users used a couple of disk images formats. The more popular were ST and MSA ones. They are both very similar and describe the disk at the standard sector level. So these formats works fine for disks that have more data than just the disk's files.

Pasti introduces a new disk image format that describes the disk at an even lower level. This way exotic and copy-protected formats can be handled as well.

Legal disclaimer.

Pasti Imaging Tools are Copyright c 2004, 2005 by Jorge Cwik. All rights reserved.

THE SOFTWARE HERE DESCRIBED IS PROVIDED "AS IS". NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS GIVEN OR IMPLIED.

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