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Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!dudek
From: dudek@utcsrgv.UUCP (Gregory Dudek)
Newsgroups: net.micro.apple
Subject: Re: copy protected backup wanted
Message-ID: <3242@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 7-Feb-84 13:14:52 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.3242
Posted: Tue Feb  7 13:14:52 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 7-Feb-84 21:47:58 EST
References: <607@druky.UUCP>
Organization: CSRG, University of Toronto
Lines: 30

  There seems to be a lot of software around for backing up
"copy protected" software.  As far as I know, no single 
systems works with everything, at least not easily.  Locksmith
seems to be the oldest and does indeed work, but entails the
setting of obscure parameters (I haven't seen the new v5.1 yet,
so maybe it is better).  Unless you have the correct parameter
setting for what you want to copy, or a LOT of time, forget it.
[It tries a bunch of defaults automatically, but they rarely work
with the "newer" software.  Maybe this is simply because locksmith
has been around so long that implementors have learned to circumvent
it.]
  Super copy (v4.7 or so) seems to do very well without any manual
intervention.  I am not sure if it allows special settings
for the real nasties.
  I have found "nibbles away (II)" to be very good.  I have even
seen special formatting disks which allow you to load the
copy parameters for various programs.  In addition, one
can set the backup parameters via a menu.  In all, this seems
to be the most flexible and easy-to-use single program.  On the
other hand, if you don't have p-rameters for it, it too
is not certain to work.
  It the software you want to backup uses nibble counts, it may
prove very difficult to backup effectively regardless of what system
you use.  [This is a protection systems which determines the speed
of the floppy drive used to make the recording and "knows" what the
speed for the original was.]
   Greg Dudek
P.S.: why bother anymore; don't most distributors provide a
free replacement copy if the original fails anyhow?
PPS: This stuff works with pascal diskettes too.