Creating disk image larger than 2Gb

About SheepShaver, a PPC Mac emulator for Windows, MacOS X, and Linux that can run System 7.5.3 to MacOS 9.0.4.

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xyrx
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Creating disk image larger than 2Gb

Post by xyrx »

I'm attemping to use the Sheepshavergui.exe to create a disk image, but it's limited to 2000kb. What I've tried to do is create 5 2Gb disk images, and then using a file joining program called "MasterSplitter", combined all 5 into 1 image. This sorta works... when I boot from an OS9 CD into the emulator, it sees the 10Gb image file as a 3.9Gb hard drive. Anyone know of a simpler way of creating 10Gb or 20Gb images that the emulator will recognize?
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PPC_Digger
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Post by PPC_Digger »

If you are running Windows XP, you could type at the command line the following command:

Code: Select all

fsutil file createnew [image file] [size in megabytes * 1032192]
On Linux/*NIX:

Code: Select all

dd if=/dev/zero of=[image file] bs=1032192 count=[size in megabytes]
I hope it helps.
xyrx
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Post by xyrx »

I had never heard of that utility before.. thanks! I created the 10Gb image file using that utility, and when I boot off of an OS9 CD, it offered to initialize it right away, but only 1.8Gb. Something's wierd... if I combined those 5 image files into a 10Gb image, and OS9 saw 3.9 Gb of it, but only sees 1.8Gb using that DOS utility, it makes me wonder if there needs to be a special utility needed to tell the OS that hey... this drive is this big. It sounds similiar to the FAT16 filesystem limitation in Windows years ago....
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Ronald P. Regensburg
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Post by Ronald P. Regensburg »

MacOS9 does not have any problems seeing and using a 10GB disk (image) in SheepShaver for MacOSX. The disk image is seen by MacOS as a disk, but for SheepShaver it is a file. I suppose there is a file size limit for SheepShaver.exe. I know little about Windows and Windows applications, but if SheepShaver.exe is a 32-bit application, that would explain a 4GB limit.
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Post by PPC_Digger »

Ronald P. Regensburg wrote:MacOS9 does not have any problems seeing and using a 10GB disk (image) in SheepShaver for MacOSX. The disk image is seen by MacOS as a disk, but for SheepShaver it is a file. I suppose there is a file size limit for SheepShaver.exe. I know little about Windows and Windows applications, but if SheepShaver.exe is a 32-bit application, that would explain a 4GB limit.
No, that doesn't effect filesystem limits. However, if the filesystem is FAT32, it won't allow the creation of files larger than 4 GB.
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Ronald P. Regensburg
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Post by Ronald P. Regensburg »

I was not referring to filesystem limits. In this case the filesystem is evidently not FAT32 and it does allow files larger than 4GB (creating a 10GB disk image was no problem). I was referring to application limitations. Will not a 32-bit application be unable to see or use a file size larger than 4GB? And could it be that SheepShaver for Windows is, or does behave as, a 32-bit application?
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Post by xyrx »

Our filesystem we are using is strictly NTFS, however, I would agree with a 32-bit application having trouble with a file over 4Gb in size. The emulator would have to translate all disk activity within the emulator, so it needs to address that 4Gb file... not necessarily through the filesystem in Windows, but also it needs to address it internally through the application, as it translates all the read/write requests in the Mac to the file. If that's so... then I don't see a fix for this. Rats.. :|
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Ronald P. Regensburg
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Post by Ronald P. Regensburg »

If you need more disk space for use with MacOS in SheepShaver, you can add multiple disk images. Just make sure that the "disk" with the System Folder is the first one in the list.
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Post by Cat_7 »

I just tried to create a hard disk image of 4 Gb, using dd for windows.
dd can be downloaded from here: http://www.chrysocome.net/dd

Please take care to download the 0.4 beta version, as it supports the command line you need below

Use it like this to create a hard disk image:
dd if=/dev/random of=name_of_your_hard_disk_image bs=1048576 count=size_in_megabytes

(for a hard disk image with the name "4Gb_HD" and 4Gb size, use:
dd if=/dev/random of=4Gb_HD bs=1048576 count=4000)

After creating the image, add it to the sheepshaver configuration file using the GUI, and start SheepShaver. When Mac OS has started, a dialogue box appears, asking you if you want to format the new disk. I choose Mac OS extended format, and seconds later I had a 4 Gb disk available.

But that's as far as it goes. Bigger disks are not supported, not even using drive setup of drive first aid.

Best wishes,
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xyrx
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Post by xyrx »

Wow, that utility is very "unixy"... :lol: /dev/random is very much a unix thing, but hey.. it worked in Windows... that's all I care. Thanks for your help guys, it did work... much better than 2Gb hard disks x 10 to get 20 Gb of space.
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Post by haydent »

well first let me say thanks for the guide here:
http://www.emaculation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5325

secondly and why im in this thread is i was just able to make a 6Gb HFS+ Hybrid .iso image using "MacImage" with all my files on it i needed and was able to load it with sheepshaver and read delete and vrite to it just like a normal drive !!

(i imagine i could go bigger too if i needed)

http://www.macdisk.com/macimgen.php
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Post by Cat_7 »

Hi,

Thanks, for the report and link.

There is a very interesting remark on the manufacturer' site: there is still a board available for reading Macintosh 720K, 800K, 1440K (DD, GCR, HD) disks in a PC:
http://www.jschoenfeld.com/home/indexe.htm (check the End-of-life products and find the Catweasel board)

Best,
Cat_7
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Post by haydent »

np, the software also has iso and partition modes. which im looking into as after editing my hybrid in os9 then opening the same iso in windows with winrar it dont show changes.

but in magiciso is does.
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Post by haydent »

this torrent here http://torrentz.eu/d16d461ed518af1641ee ... d74465338e is the one i used , im only posting it as it doesnt totally crack it. i could make big hybrid but in partition mode it limits me to 50mb still and iso mode gives a dll error.
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Post by haydent »

i may have spoken a bit soon on the write/delete side of things... as it seems to be just crashing me out of the emulator now when i access my program on that disk image

SheepShaver V2.3 by Christian Bauer and Mar"c" Hellwig
Reading ROM file...
Using SDL/waveout audio output
Detected CPU features: MMX SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3
PowerPC CPU emulator by Gwenole Beauchesne
WARNING: Unknown DiskStatus(6)
WARNING: Unknown DiskStatus(6)
WARNING: Unknown DiskStatus(6)

[edit] there's nothing wrong with this log. it happens everytime i boot. even if i dont open my app. and my app is crashing not necessarily from the drive as i dont use that image prog and it still crash
Last edited by haydent on Wed Apr 20, 2011 9:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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24bit
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Post by 24bit »

Hello,
some time ago I posted a link to a 14GB image here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?cbhck09beyqa19m
With Windows you will need WinRar and a little patience to decompress it.
Here is a 38GB dmg for the curious: http://www.mediafire.com/?33em332p4pulipi

As Cat7 posted some time ago, with GNU-Linux image files are only limited by your HHD´s empty space.
To be on the safe side, I would recommend Ronald´s proposal of creating several 2GB images.
If you would still like to try an image of some special size, just let me know.
I can create one and deflate and upload it.

Best wishes!
Last edited by 24bit on Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Silent Flamer »

I thought they don't recommend using SheepShaver's built in disk image creator?
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Ronald P. Regensburg
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Post by Ronald P. Regensburg »

Silent Flamer wrote:I thought they don't recommend using SheepShaver's built in disk image creator?
Where did you read that? There are several ways you can create a disk image for SheepShaver, but I do recommend using SheepShaver's built in disk image creator.
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Post by haydent »

it all sounds good to me but no matter what i try now i cant run my app anymore. it just crashes. ive tried reinstalling everything several times. tried it on two pcs, two OS 9 versions and re-got the original program from a good achive plenty of times too. im ready to give up...

it just returns this in sterr

Code: Select all

SIGSEGV
  pc 05D4236D
  ea 441D3A80
 r0 00000000   r1 1ef94d10   r2 198e8650   r3 18de1b7c
 r4 00000009   r5 198e2cb8   r6 00000000   r7 1982f416
 r8 1982f298   r9 1982f278  r10 198624f0  r11 1987324f
r12 18dde768  r13 198e9d50  r14 198e9e00  r15 00000000
r16 198e9e20  r17 198e9d60  r18 198e9e10  r19 198e9d80
r20 198e9d40  r21 198e9d30  r22 198e9d20  r23 198e9d00
r24 198e9cf0  r25 198e9cc0  r26 198e9d90  r27 1982f280
r28 1982f280  r29 198e2cb8  r30 198e2ca4  r31 198eafcc
 f0 0.00000   f1 0.00000   f2 0.00000   f3 0.00000
 f4 0.00000   f5 -0.33262   f6 -0.01172   f7 0.99998
 f8 0.05265   f9 68719476736.00000  f10 0.00000  f11 0.00000
f12 0.02500  f13 16625104.00000  f14 0.00000  f15 0.00000
f16 0.00000  f17 0.00000  f18 0.00000  f19 0.00000
f20 0.00000  f21 0.00000  f22 0.00000  f23 0.00000
f24 0.00000  f25 0.00000  f26 0.00000  f27 0.00000
f28 0.00000  f29 0.00000  f30 0.00000  f31 0.00000
 lr 198834fc  ctr 18c48d08   cr 2a000048  xer 00000000
 pc 198834fc fpscr 00000000
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Post by haydent »

its working ok again now. yay im happy. i used your 13gb image and copied the app sit in through the mounted 'my computer' then unpacked it. then ran it. yay.

could you please make me a 6.5~7gb image. thanks
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Post by haydent »

now im confused.... it booted once and the app ran and navigated fine. but now i cant run it again. it just crashes as usual..
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Ronald P. Regensburg
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Post by Ronald P. Regensburg »

If this were SheepShaver for MacOSX, I would advise to enable the option "Ignore Illegal Memory Accesses" in settings. Doesn't that option also exist in Memory/Misc tab in SheepShaver settings (SheepShaverGUI.exe) for Windows? You could try it.
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Post by 24bit »

Can you use this one?
http://www.mediafire.com/?62i069hltb8hy6m
It is a bit larger than 7GB. If you prefer a 6GB image,
there is already one in the PearPC forum that will work with SS as well.

What kind of data are you going to store on such big volumes?
My largest SCSI Mac hard disks had about 7GB and I never needed so much.

Ronald, as far as I know "Ignore Illegal Memory Access" is available with all recent builds
and needs to be checked with many 64bit hosts.
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Post by haydent »

thanks for the help with the drive images. the 13gb is working fine for now. my problem is the crashing. ive tried in win 7 32 and 64 bit and winxp 32 with same effect.

in main os winn7 64 ive tried ignore illegal memory access option too

what other things can i try ?
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Post by haydent »

btw the big files are vob's loaded by a macromedia director 7 projector. talk about excessive.
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