Using a Mac to diskwrite drv1440.bin and resc1440.bin
I am sending this note to this address because I don't know where else to send it. I believe I have a solution to a problem in the FAQ for Mac 68K installation of Debian 2.1, which might be useful enough to be included in future versions of the FAQ.
(I understand I've sent this to a mailing list. Since I don't know what list exactly, I can't subscribe and won't see any responses sent only to the list.)
I am in the early stages of attempting to get Debian running on a Mac IIci which presently has 16MB RAM, a 250MB HD (of which 55MB presently holds the system folder - OS 7.6 - and the rest is empty), and a PowerPC 601/66 upgrade card which can apparently be ignored if necessary. I am a very casual and occasional UNIX user at work and do not know what I am doing. I am considering installing Debian on a 1GB Jaz cartridge. I have downloaded the files mac/install.sit.hqx, mac/Debian-m68k-2.1-Mac.img.hqx, mac/resc1440.bin, mac/drv1440.bin and common/base2_1.tgz. I understand one of these files is superfluous.
The FAQ at ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/disks-m68k/2.1.8-1999-03-01/mac/install.txt advises me to find a Linux PC to dump the files resc1440.bin and drv1440.bin to floppies because the floppies are useful and the author doesn't know of any MacOS apps that will expand MS-DOS disk images. It turns out to be fairly easy to do on a Mac.
You need:
Disk images of resc1440.bin and drv1440.bin
A working Mac with a HD floppy drive and prob. the ability to read PC disks
A copy of ResEdit (available from Apple, download.com, etc.)
A copy of ShrinkWrap? 3.0 (15-day demo available at download.com)
Two floppies to write the disk images on
ShrinkWrap, it turns out, will quite happily read PC-DOS floppy images if it can be snookered into thinking it created them:
Launch ResEdit. It may ask you to open a file or a copy of a file. Ignore it (hit 'cancel' if necessary).
From the File menu choose Get File/Folder Info...
Select either resc1440.bin or drv1440.bin in the dialog box.
In the window that opens up, change the file type to 'hdrv' and the creator to 'Wrap' (note: notice the capital 'W' and do not type the single quotes).
Close the window and save your changes.
Repeat the previous four steps for the other file.
Quit ResEdit.
Launch ShrinkWrap. Under the Image menu, choose "Write Image back to Disk..." and then select either resc1440.bin or drv1440.bin, get the floppy ready, and when you're done following the instructions for that disk image do the same for the other one.
While I'm of course consumed with my own cleverness, I have no idea if the disks I've created actually run properly under Debian, since I haven't actually gotten as far as the 'partition your disk' step. I'd like to know if
anyone else gets this to work
anyone finds this useful at all.
Thanks.
-Thomas Donaghey
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