If you're running Windows and still using WinImage for handling basic floppy disk images, it is time to retire it. It served us well, but there is now a replacement called DiskImageTool that is superior in every conceivable way and is completely free and open source.
The latest version adds a small drag & drop feature I requested, and it's just the final touch that makes it a perfect replacement for me.
Speaking of WinImage, if you've used a few emulators (or probably even if you've just used floppies on a PC at all) you've probably seen this message.
Gilles is the author of WinImage of course, but you ever wonder who C.H. Hochstatter was?
The origins of this bootsector come from a tool called FDFORMAT, by Christopher H. Hockstätter.
Here's the manual:
https://retrocmp.de/software/fdformat/fdformat.pdf
And the program:
https://retrocmp.de/dwnld/fdform18.zip
Here's the interesting part:
This program must not be sold for profit. An adaequate<sic> fee may be
requested for copying, shipping and handling when redistributing this
program.
Now, the boot sector used by FDFORMAT was included as "FDBOOT.ASM". It's not, technically, part of the "FDFORMAT" program, but I'm not sure how well that argument would have held up legally...
The boot sector shows up in other products too, like UltraISO. I just hope that he got proper compensation for it.
At least his name has become more famous than his original program ever was...
Oh hey, would you look at that, Christopher has a Github and it's all up there now.
This is like going on a little journey that takes you through the countryside and then ends at a Walmart. But there you go.
@gloriouscow I used to use FDFORMAT! Getting 1.72 MB out of 1.44 MB floppies was magical.
I remember it getting a boost in popularity when people were surprised that Windows 95 floppies had 1.72 MB of data. That made those who didn't know that could be done start looking for ways to do it themselves and finding FDFORMAT.
gloriouscow
RetroVideoGames