CP/M - the final disk format frontier ...

How to get the old software back to a real computer ?

There are several programs to transfer disk image files back to a real floppy disk, or to copy (single) files back to a real floppy disk.

To get a bootable floppy disk, you have to use an imaging tool.
To add a single/multiple file(s), try the file system extension programs.

Most of the programs have to get direct access to the hardware (floppy controller), so they usually have to run under DOS (not Windows!).

It would be a good idea to have an older PC for this purpose, PCs above an Intel 486 will have problems with old DOS software. Also, it would be mandatory to have the appropriate floppy disk drives build in, HD (high density) drives like TEAC FD-55GFR (1.2 MB capacity) are less useful if you want to write DS/DD (double sided, double density), if you like TEAC drives, choose a TEAC FD-55B (40 tracks) or TEAC FD-55F (80 tracks) drive.

I tried to divide the software overview by operating system:

DOS - may be the best OS for disk transfer

Floppy disk images

What program should be used, depends on what image files you get.
Very common are Teledisk and David Dunfield's ImageDisk image files.
Less common are CopyQM image files.
Unsual are Anadisk, 22Disk or OmniDisk, but can be the last chance.
Teledisk, 22Disk , CopyQM and Anadisk are still commercial supported from Sydex (see also here), but there are several shareware (fully functional) program versions still available.
I would recommend ImageDisk from David Dunfield as 'the' successor of the other expensive, commercial programs listed above, included are also programs to convert the Teledisk images (e.g. TD02IMD).
If you want to read Teledisk image files with your own programs, look at this page.
BTW: Sometimes floppy disk images were already offered in an emulator format (e.g. Altair/SIMH, Z80PACK or MyZ80).

Single/Multiple file transfer

You will have the choice.
Uniform, Supercopy and PC Alien to access floppy disks directly.
There is also Xenocopy, but unfortunately it's not possible to get it anymore.
22Disk is another option for copying single files, but you have use CTOD or DTOC (additional programs included in the package).

(If you are interested in Supercopy, try to reach someone from comfood.de, or send me an email to ask for further details. A german article about it can be read at li-pro.net.)

If you own the target CP/M computer, and this CP/M capable computer has a serial port (V24 aka RS232), try to use a file transfer program like KERMIT via serial port communication (typically slow, above 9600 baud difficult).
You need a PC with a serial port also, if your PC is too new, try an USB Serial adapter - this should work flawlessly also.

Linux - only a few tools...

If you are using Linux, you can search for cpmtools from Michael Haardt, may be also here.
To access floppy drives directly, use fdutils.
If you are interested to write your own program for accessing CP/M disks, try LibDsk (which is related with fdrawcmd, see below).

Windows - also only a few tools

The Linux cpmtools toolset was ported also to Windows (32bit), see here!
Also, there is OmniFlop, but it has to be licensed.
Interested in writing your own tool ? See here for a floppy filter driver (fdrawcmd.sys) for all Windows versions.

Other

If you own a Kaypro portable computer, UNIFORM was one of the supplied tools, which can read a few foreign disk formats.
Also, if you own a Commodore 128, you can be lucky. There is a program called Juggler which supports over 140 types of CP/M disks.

If you have no success with your own tries, or if you do not have the equipment nor the knowledge, I am offering a service for that. I will do my very best to read or write any disk format (but sometimes miracles take a bit time).