Mac OS 9 Discussion > Software

use Apple Disk Image format (.dmg .smi .img) packaging os9 files to move to osX

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supernova777:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Disk_Image

just a quick refresher on these fileformats
"for the purposes of getting mac os 9 install files to newbies with only X installed..."
we often see .img + .dmg + .smi
but maybe some of us are uneducated on that these formats are actually different versions of the same thing
which is "apple disk images"
these are not seperate standards.. they are the same thing!!

creating an .img file on mac os 9 is very easy and can be done with the application "Disk Copy" from within the utilities folder under applications folder
creating a .dmg file on mac os x is very easy and can be done with "disk utility" from within the utilities folder under applications folder

whats the difference between these two formats? NOTHING!
except that .dmg files have more support for different filesystem formatting options


--- Quote ---What's the difference between .img and .dmg disk images?

They are similar, and you can use either with Mac OS X.
One difference is .dmg disk images can be formatted in one of these formats:
-Mac OS Extended (HFS Plus) ***
-Mac OS Extended Journaled
-Mac OS Standard (HFS) ***
-UFS
-MS-DOS ***

While .img disk images can be formatted as:
-Mac OS Extended (HFS Plus) ***
-Mac OS Standard (HFS) ***
-MS-DOS ***
-ProDOS
-Universal Disk Format.

*** denotes fileformat that is in both .img + .dmg standards!
original article here -- http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1611
--- End quote ---


transfering files between x + 9 can be done MOST SAFELY + MOST EFFECTIVELY
by using this method.. creating .img on mac os 9 using disk copy and then transfering the .img file from mac os 9 to a mac os x disk
this encapsulates + retains all proper file meta data such as resource forks icons associations etc

going from 9 to X at least..
im not so sure this is possible to go backwards from .dmg on X to 9
i had made some post about a rare version of disk copy that was able to mount .dmg files on mac os 9
so i beleive it is possible to go backwards as well providing you have updated your disk copy version to this
rare + hard to find version
i think we found this file.... i will take a look and post a link to the other thread!
but i think it will work (mounting .dmg from X on mac os 9) as long as this .dmg file frm X is using a compatible file system (mac os standard or extended) (denoted above as ***)


but this would be the best and most safe way to transfer files NATIVELY between X + 9
this is the "apple version of stuffit"
this is why apple dropped stuffit from mac os x tiger because they wanted people to use disk images + not use stuffit anymore


--- Quote ---
types of disk image formats
read/writeChoose this if you want to continue adding files to the disk image after it’s created.sparse bundle disk imageChoose this if you want to continue adding files to the image and want to conserve space. The disk image is just large enough to hold the files in it and expands to its maximum size as you add files to it. For example, if you create a 100 MB sparse bundle disk image, its maximum size is 100 MB. (This format replaces sparse disk image.)read-onlyChoose this If you don’t need to add more files to the disk image.compressedChoose this if you don’t need to add more files to the image and want to conserve space. The data is compressed, so the disk image is smaller than the original data.CD/DVD masterChoose this if you want to use the disk image with a third-party application. The disk image contains a copy of all sectors of the disk, whether they’re used or not, and copies them to other CDs or DVDs exactly as they’re stored in the disk image.original article -- http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5866
--- End quote ---


--- Quote --- what is a .img file?
A Macintosh disk image file is a mirror copy of the Mac file system and can be mounted on a computer as a virtual hard disk drive. These Macintosh disk image files can also be used as virtual optical drives like DVD and CD drives. Mac OS 9 and older versions are integrated with support for using and mounting these Macintosh disk image files. These Macintosh disk image files are saved in the IMG format and are affixed with the .img extension. These IMG files are also stored with encoding specifications and implemented with file compression standards proprietary to Apple. Similar to ISO files, an IMG file can sometimes be changed to an ISO file by simply replacing the .img extension with the .iso extension, and doing this will allow a user to use the IMG file with an image mounting program developed for Microsoft Windows-based systems. Mac OS X is also implemented with support for opening and using these IMG files, though newer disk image file formats are now widely used by associated applications programmed for Mac platforms.

original article -- http://www.reviversoft.com/file-extensions/img
--- End quote ---

^^ from the above article.. has anyone ever tried to make a disk copy .img file and actually move the file to another pc and change file to .iso + burn it?? it seems that .img .dmg .iso are all similar formats!!!!!!?? or has anyone tried to change a .toast file to a .img file (from 9) and click to mount  (on x) ?

supernova777:
this is why i was trying hard to discover how to create these .smi files under mac os 9
remember this post?

http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=798.0

never got the applescript to work.. ;(
but i just noticed that under diskcopy file menu, (in mac os 9) theres an option for file->execute diskScript.. maybe this is related? maybe not?
but shrinkwrap is basically a ui for doing the exact same thing..
but the whole reason for this thread is to restate that,
for the purposes of macos9lives
.smi (with compression) seems to be the best absolute format to use
even moreso then .sea or .sit.bin
(doesnt need to be stuffed or binary encoded because its already encapsulated + compressed!!!!!!!!)
because of the native support in BOTH X + 9
for the apple disk images format
either in .img, .dmg, or .smi types

so for getting setup files + utilities to new userrs coming to our site
that only have X installed... we can avoid all the complicated steps
of needing extra utilities such as stuffit etc simply by using
shrinkwrap to create .smi.bin files the technote i referenced says that .smi should work fine in osx
 
the .sea.bin files are not natively supported by mac os x
and in some cases (as just proved in my experience today)
they do not extract properly under X...
(such as with the dragInstall922.sea.bin that is posted currently)

the best way to use disk copy to create these img files is to
run disk copy
select Image -> create image from folder
choose the folder
"Estimating size requirement" (this bypasses having to guestimate how much space u will need)
selecting read/write will allow u to continue to add files + grow the size of the .img file im pretty sure?
but the default read-only/compressed
and just hit save and let disk copy do its thing!

this file will be immediately mountable under X with just one click requiring no additional 3rd party software

now it may be better "COMPRESSION WISE" to use stuffit under X to compress this .img file created in 9
creating .img.sitx

im comparing now the 2 different approaches:
1)the compression with diskcopys 'readonly/compressed' setting (natively in 9)
2)the uncompressed .img stuffed to .sitx (on X)
will update with results..!


--- Quote ---
--- Quote ---**** updated findings
testing this on the freshdraginstall diskcopy readonly/compressed (under 9) yielded a file with the size: 504mb
and using stuffit to create a .sitx (under x)
so while using stuffit under x to create .sitx gave a faster compression time + a slightly smaller size
this file will always require stuffit (and X) to expand whereas the diskcopy compression is natively supported and only slightly larger
but it did take alot longer to compress!! but this file is also natively compatible within both 9 + X and like i said only slightly larger
--- End quote ---

--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---heres a quick link to a thread talking about self extracting "sitX" files.. (or the lack therof!)

q: Why doesn't Stuffit support the creation of self-extracting SITX files? Surely this isn't that hard to implement? (I could be wrong of course!)

a:  this functionality is coming, but I can't give you a definite ETA of when it will be in the product.

this communication is from june 2003...
original article -- http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:aiREgPS_9s0J:archive.macfixitforums.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/101236/Self_extracting_SITX_files+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca&client=firefox-a
--- End quote ---

supernova777:
also if you open 'disk utility' under mac os x ... and drag a '.img' file into the left pane,
i noticed from the "file" menu there is an option that says "fix os 9 permissions"
so that shows u right there. that this is indeed the 'conduit' between the two operating systems
that it was meant to be!

supernova777:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_mounting_image

so basically what im looking into doing is creating a dvd sized install (around 3-4gb) based on the freshdrag install that also includes installed cubase / logic / protools / ableton
and also many of the core VST's that everyone would want..  PREINSTALLED so that people like myself could use this install to instantly install using disk utility to a new partition on any g3 or g4
in a few moments time and having a full working install...litrally in a few minutes!! maybe even under 1 min if u have an ssd;) saving time in the event of hard drive failure.. or any other sort of troubleshooting to be able to instantly revert back to a fresh install rather then having to go thru the process of installing everything again which can take a few days in an of itself!!!!!!!

 i believe this is totally possible to send to someone with osx installed.. even if they have 1 disk with a seperate partition for 9...
or a seperate disk entirely... to use disk utility to restore to the partition using a 4-5gb .img file as the source.. effectively trasnplanting the mac os 9 os instantly

supernova777:

--- Quote ---Disk Images, DiskCopy, and ShrinkWrap

Years ago, Apple had a problem. It wanted to distribute software via the
Internet. But some of the software it wanted to distribute, such as its
PlainTalk Speech kit, wasn’t just a single control panel; it was a suite of files
— extensions, control panels, and so on — that had to be placed into the right
spots in your System folder. To ensure that all these pieces would go into the
right places, Apple also needed an Installer program. How on earth could
Apple distribute all of these pieces electronically — while still keeping them
together, with an installer, in an arrangement the installer understood?

The solution: Apple created disk images. A disk image (a file whose name
generally ends with the suffix .img) is an increasingly common file format for
downloaded software, especially from Apple. But once you’ve downloaded an
.img file to your hard drive, you can’t do a thing with it — unless you have a
program that can open it.

In this case, the program you need is DiskDup + (shareware), Disk Copy or
Disk Image Mounter (from Apple, available from its Web site) — or the much
superior ShrinkWrap (from Aladdin, and included with this book).

Here’s how you work ShrinkWrap: Whenever you encounter an
.img file — including the Disk Tools floppy-disk “images” that come on the Mac OS 8.5
CD-ROMs — double-click it (if you have Disk Copy) or drag it onto
ShrinkWrap’s icon. That’s it; a “virtual floppy-disk” icon appears on your
screen, exactly as though it’s a real floppy disk (the lower-right icon in Figure
22-7). Double-click it to see what Apple has in store for you — an installer, a
Disk Tools floppy’s contents, or whatever. When you’re finished using the
mounted disk image, drag its icon (not the original .img file!) to the Trash

You can also create a disk image. Why would you want to do so? Maybe you,
like Apple, want to distribute something (a little presentation, for example)
to friends, confident that all pieces will remain in their original folder
configurations. Maybe you haven’t switched to the HFS Plus hard drive-
formatting scheme (see Chapter 8), and you realize that a lot of small files
won’t waste their usual 64K apiece if they’re all stored together on a much
smaller “virtual disk.” (That last sentence will make a lot more sense once
you’ve read Chapter 8.)
Anyway, to create a disk image of your own, just drag a disk or folder onto
ShrinkWrap’s icon. The new .img file is created automatically. (You’re not
limited to creating disk images of floppies, by the way. ShrinkWrap is perfectly
happy to create disk images of entire hard drives, Zip disks, Jaz cartridges, or
whatever; it even offers to compress the contents in the process. As thousands
of teenage software pirates have discovered, that feature makes ShrinkWrap
ideal for creating easily uploaded duplicates of entire CD-ROMs.) LOL!

No ShrinkWrap needed — and passwords
ShrinkWrap’s Preferences are worth checking out. Among our favorite features,
for example, is a self-mounting option. It lets you create disk-image files that your friends can open even
 if they don’t have Disk Copy, ShrinkWrap, or a similar
program. A self-mounting disk image is just as user-friendly as, say, a self-
extracting archive, as described earlier in this chapter — just double-click to
mount the “virtual disk” on the screen.

Another great preference: You can opt to protect an archive with a password.
Yes, all you Mac fans who’ve e-mailed us with this question — now you can
protect specific folders on your hard drive from prying eyes. (Remember the
password, though. There’s no “back door” to ShrinkWrap.

--- End quote ---

--- http://macos9lives.com/downloads/manuals/MacOs/Mac%20Secrets%205th%20Edit.pdf

"As thousands of teenage software pirates have discovered, that feature makes ShrinkWrap
ideal for creating easily uploaded duplicates of entire CD-ROMs "

^^ yet here we are using .toast images as a standard instead of .img..
when .img is native to both X + 9... and Toast. well.. requires Toast!!
maybe it would have been more convenient for all,
if we were all using diskcopy or skrinkwrap from the start!

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