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Which version of DSK image should I prefer?
Applies to: RIDE 1.2 and later
A DSK image is intended to store a logical (without precise timing) copy of a floppy disk, incl. "hidden" sectors, inter-sector gap data, and i/o errors, all usually part of a copy-protection – e.g. for the purpose of game emulation. When creating or reformatting a DSK image, the application queries about which version of DSK to use.
Unless you have a special reason, you should keep the recommended selection and confirm the dialog with the OK button. The following explains the options in more detail.
- Standard (Alt+S) – the original DSK version is best used to store tracks with the same layout of sectors, i.e. same number of sectors per track and same size of each sector. It can contain individual sector errors and custom sector IDs. If the track layout varies, the size of the resulting image can grow quite significantly. The other drawback is that standard DSK images with variable track layouts may not be correctly supported in some emulators (e.g. FUSE in version 1.3.4).
- Revision 5 (Alt+R) – addresses the problem of storing variable number of sectors per track and variable sizes of sectors in a single track without increasing the size of the resulting image. Otherwise it has the same capabilities as the Standard version. Usually no emulator has problems with handling the this version of DSK, hence should be the first choice for any new images.
- Patch (Alt+P; discontinued in RIDE 1.7.9 and later) – is intended to store minimal updates of a disk, e.g. for the purpose of creating a functional image from two partially functional disks (see why). A disk patch is currently implemented as a Revision 5 image, however this specification may change in the future, so you should make no assumptions on this type of DSK image.
See also