
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO CONVERT FILES 
      FROM ZX SPECTRUM USING BETADISK

Variation 1:
1. Get files TAPEBETA.$B, EMPTYTRD.EXE, TRD2DISK.EXE, DISK2TRD.EXE, TRD2TAP.EXE
   from my web page (or later from NVG). Get ANADISK from any Simtel mirror
   (the one I know is version 2.07).
2. Take a DD diskette and format it on PC using ANADISK. The format
   specification is 16 sectors/track, 80 or 40 tracks (cylinders), sector 
   size 256 B, MFM.
   Format the diskette either as single or double side, what ever your 
   Betadisk drive supports.
3. Create a empty TR-DOS image file using EMPTYTRD tool, f.e. EMPTYTRD COPYDISK.
   If you have choosen while formatting something else than 80 tracks DS, 
   specify the apropriate switch for EMPTYTRD.
4. Copy the TAPEBETA.$B file in Hobeta format to the created disk image using
   HOB2TRD utility, f.e. HOB2TRD TAPEBETA.$B COPYDISK.
5. Copy the disk image with TAPEBETA to the previously formatted Betadisk 
   diskette using TRD2DISK utility, f.e. TRD2DISK COPYDISK.
6. Now turn on your Speccy and insert the diskette into your Betadisk drive.
   Run the TAPEBETA util using TR-DOS command LOAD "tapebeta" or LOAD 
   "drive:tapebeta".
7. After starting tapebeta try to respond smartly to starting questions. 
   The question HEADER DISCERNING? answer with N (no). You can choose up 
   to 45056 length for the longest block. Longer blocks you have to process 
   by other way, sorry. Then turn on the tape recorder and let the blocks 
   load. Beware of shorter gaps between tape blocks. Better pause the tape 
   recorder for a while when a block ends that there is enough time
   to write the read block to the diskette. If you write the tape files to
   another diskettes, don't forget to repeat the steps 2 and 3 for each
   diskette.
8. Now dump the contents of diskettes to .TRD image files on PC using 
   DISK2TRD utility.
9. The last phase is to convert the tape blocks on the .TRD file to .TAP 
   file(s). This is maintained by the TRD2TAP program. Issue it with the 
   correct parameters, depending on whether you want to write to separate 
   .TAP files or everything to a single .TAP file.
   
If you want only to copy some files from Betadisk to PC, you may skip the 
steps 4,6,7 and instead just  copy the desired files to diskettes formatted 
using ANADISK.

Variation 2:
Get files HOBETA.ZIP and TAPUTILS104.ZIP (or similar) from NVG.
Important files in these archives are:
HOBETA.EXE, HOFRMT.EXE, HOB2TAP.EXE. TAPEBETA.$B or something similar 
might be useful, too.
Other steps are similar as in variation 1, you have just to use HOFRMT 
instead of ANADISK and EMPTYTRD; HOBETA instead of HOB2TRD, TRD2DISK, DISK2TRD; 
HOB2TAP instead of TRD2TAP.
Something of this didnt work for me, thats why I created the variation 1.
But I heard, HOBETA is frequently used in Russia, so it has to work there.
May be they use another Betadisk format, I really dont know.
If you use HOFRMT with 3,5" DD diskettes, you HAVE TO change your drive 
type in BIOS setup to 5,25" before using it. My main problem was I was UNABLE
to read HOFRMT formatted diskettes on my Betadisk, nor with ANADISK, too.
HOB2TAP isn't compatible with my headerless standard used in TAPEBETA, 
WRITETRD, TRD2TAP!
So you'll have to do some changes in resulted files if you use variation 2...

Another variation is to use BDDE for TRD2TAP conversion. It can't handle 
my headerless standard, too. But it may have other advantages, possibly 
it can handle Betadisk snaps (well, I hate snaps... :) )
BDDE can be found at NVG, but there should be a newer version, try mailing 
to the author.

So try your way!
Happy converting!

If you have any comments, additions to these instructions, please e-mail 
me at <eged@decef.elf.stuba.sk>.
The same if you experience some bugs or something similar in my utilities.
If you want to use ANADISK or BDDE frequently and without restrictions 
(BDDE), you have to register them!
My TR-DOS utilities are freeware, but if you want to mail me some money 
or something, feel free to do so :)
TAPUTILS are cardware (you can send me a postcard, too, if you want... 
and you ask me for my snail mail).

Regards,
         Iggy

