Archive-name: apple2/part4 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: Jan 1 1997 Version: 5.1.1 This part 4 of 4 of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) posting of the comp.sys.apple2 newsgroup. Copyright (c) 1997 by Nathan Mates (nathan@visi.com) This document can be freely copied so long as 1) it is not sold, 2) any sections reposted elsewhere from it are credited back to this FAQ with the FAQ's copyright info and official WWW location left in place. This FAQ is posted on the WWW for 24 hour a day (barring system and/or internet malfunctions) availability from http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/csa2.html. Please do NOT make a copy of this FAQ and post it on the web; I'm continually updating and fixing sections of it. A html link is fine. --- Begin part 4 of 4 Some Common Questions (with answers!) 9/29/96 7.1 Can my Apple II connect to the Internet? A: Short answer: yes, any 80 (maybe even 40) column Apple II with a serial card (and almost always a modem) can connect to an Internet Service Provider that provides a shell account. (Please note that "connect to the internet" is the better term for it; avoid the media's popularizing of metaphors related to driving or surfing.) Longer answer: As of 9/14/96, the only available method is to have a serial (modem or null modem) connection to another computer which can translate and run stuff on it. Most of the time, this means that you will need to find an Internet Service Provider (ISP) which supports a plain "shell" connection. (Telling them you have an Apple II will likely confuse them; just tell them that a VT-100 shell is what you want). For a list of ISPs, try checking local newspaper advertisements, or drop by http://www.thelist.com. This will give you a straight text connection to the internet; no fancy graphics. Yes, it's a lot less eye candy, but the advantage is that files transfer faster. You can still download files, pictures, and the like, and deal with them later. Once you are signed up for a shell account, you will need to connect up, usually via modem and terminal program. 99% of shell accounts are in unix systems; you should talk to the tech support desk of wherever you get your connection from for information on how to do items such as email, usenet, and the like. The program 'lynx' runs on unix/vms/etc machines and lets people access the World Wide Web and display it on VT-100 terminals. It's not on every system by default; if not, ask your sysadmins to install it. The default ProTerm setup for VT100 is not too friendly to Lynx-- you will need to turn off inverse text for 'bold' and 'underlined' text if on. (Consult your manual for information on how to do so). Alternatively, when starting Lynx, you may want to start it with the "-show_cursor" option. As noted above; you can download graphics to your Apple II and view a number of formats-- see the section on dealing with graphics for more information. Connection types more fancy than straight serial, such as SLIP or PPP, require a fair amount of programming to do so. Only one package is near completion: GS/TCP for the GNO/ME unix-like environment for the IIGS. As of 9/14/96, it is NOT completed yet. This FAQ will be updated when it is released; please do not email me asking about its status. GNO/ME requires 1.5-2MB of RAM and a HD on your GS to use, so you may not be able to run it with your current setup. For more information from the author, Derek Taubert, see http://www.winternet.com/~taubert/gstcp.html 7.2 I don't have an OS for my Apple II. Where do I get it from? Without an operating system, you can't run a comm program to download the operating system, so you're in a bit of a quandry. One of the best bets is to call 1-800-SOS-APPL and try and find an Apple II user group in your area. They should be able copy things for you. If you are unable to find a local user group, one of the next best options is to contact Steve Cavanaugh (section 10.2), who is licensed to copy ProDOS 8 [runs on pretty much all Apple IIs with at least 64K of RAM], along with a 5.25" disk full of comm programs, etc. The comm program disk costs only $3, which is a great deal. Ask him for more details if interested. If you are looking for GS/OS [for GSs only; should have at least 1MB RAM total], please see this FAQ's section (9.1) on getting and installing System 6.0. 7.3 What is 8 bit and 16 bit? A: That indicates how big the chunks of data are that the CPU can manipulate at once. The Apple IIGS is a 16 bit machine and all other Apple ]['s are 8 bit machines. (It is possible to put a 65802 (extremely rare nowadays) as a replacement for a 6502 or 65C02, and get limited 16 bit functionality, but as the GS has a lot of extra chips to support what it does, you still would not be able to run 99.9% of GS software on such a machine) 7.4 How can I tell what version my computer is? A: Look at the case of the computer to determine which Apple II you have, then in the section on Apple II model information (sections 2.x) for that model. The methods of determining the versions of each model are integrated into the other information for that model. 7.5 How much RAM is in my Apple II? A:This is easiest to determine with an Apple IIGS. Go to the text control panel by pressing the control, open apple, and escape keys at once, then select the RAM Disk option under the Control Panel option. Note the 'Largest Selectable' entry, and add 256K to that-- that's how much RAM is available to GS programs. (The GS reserves a minumum of 256K for programs, though pretty much only older Apple II software will run in that space). Note that this does not count ram on cards in slots 1-7, though you're pretty much limited to only using RAM Disks or Appleworks addons in there. With earlier models of the Apple II, this is a much more difficult problem, because any software that wants to take advantage of extra RAM has to be written to recognize any RAM past the first 64K of memory. [Applesoft BASIC, for example, only cares about the lower 48K of RAM unless you use addon packages.] As noted in the sections on Apple II models above, the system has a default of anywhere from 4K-128K built in. The extremely common 'Extended 80-column card' for the //e added 64K to the //e's default 64K. Most Apple II RAM cards did come with a diagnostic disk and possibly patcher programs to allow them to determine how much RAM is in the system, as well as allowing programs like Appleworks access to the extra RAM. If you suspect you have more than the defaults, but can't be sure, asking on comp.sys.apple2 is probably the best bet. 7.6 Can I use High Density disks on my double density Apple II drives? A: Only if you don't care about what's written to them. Basically, the magnetic properties of High Density disk media is different, and though you may be able to write to them and immediately read it back, after a few months, odds are pretty good that the disk is unreadable. In short, I strongly recommend not using anything other than Double Sided, Double Density (DSDD) disks in Apple II 140K 5.25" drives. Some people report that they have successfully used HD 3.5" disks in their 800K drives without problems, while others have had some problems. Use them with some caution; as with everything else, making sure that there are adequate backups of all files you care about is a good insurance plan in case of any problems. Of course, should you have a high density drive (1.2MB 5.25" or 1.44MB 3.5"), then use high density disks in it. Although the local computer store may not carry DSDD disks, many national mailorder places do carry them. Check them out. 7.7 Why do partitions have a maximum size of 32MB? A: ProDOS, the usual choice for Apple II disks (Hard Drives, CD-ROMs, etc), is limited to 32MB per partition. It would require rewriting large chunks to get it to work with larger partitions. Just use the partitioning tools (included with the SCSI card or the like) to make several 32MB partitions. If you have a GS with System 6.0, you can install the HFS FST (you must do a customized install, not the Easy Update), which lets you have partitions larger than 32MB. The System 6.0.1 HFS FST should have the patch applied to it before it is used with volumes larger than 96MB, but I (Nathan Mates) have had volumes smaller than 96MB corrupted and don't really trust the HFS FST. (See the System 6.0 Minifaq in this FAQ for details on where to download the patch. The differences between HFS and ProDOS are as follows: ProDOS partitions: Limited to 32MB, your boot (first) partition MUST be a ProDOS volume. Disk integrity checkers exist (ProSEL by Charlie's Appleseeds, Salvation by Vitesse) to make sure your disk remains uncorrupted as possible. HFS partitions: Requires GS/OS System 6.0 or higher, and therefore 1.5MB RAM. You can not boot a HFS disk on an Apple II. Maximum volume size is either 2 or 4 gigabytes (pretty darn big either way). System 6.0.1's default HFS FST has bugs that are know to corrupt disks >96MB; even with the Apple-approved patches it may not be stable. The only way to verify that a partition is uncorrupted is to take the HD to a Mac and run Apple's Disk First Aid or Norton Utilities on it-- no GS HFS disk verification programs exist. Keeping good backups of your files is a real lifesaver when problems happen, no matter what filesystem they're saved to. As a side note, DOS 3.3 volumes are limited to 400K each; my having multiple 400K volumes per disk (same theory as multiple 32MB partitions on a HD), patched DOS 3.3s can access up to approx 100MB (254 volumes * 400K each) at once. Such patches are not really available to the general public to my knowledge, however. There were a few DOS 3.3 patches that let them use 2 400K volumes on a 800K drive, though I've never used them. 7.8 How do I convert from an Appleworks file to a text file without formatting codes? Appleworks lets you 'Print' to a file on disk-- hit Open-Apple-P, and select "A file on disk." That should do a reasonable job of translating the Appleworks file into text without formatting such as boldface and italic, but leaves in the centering. Others have reported that setting up a special printer entry can yield slightly better results. (The exact procedure for that depends on the version (1-5) of Appleworks. Consult your manual for more information.) Make a new printer, which is identified as a 'Silentype' printer, but prints to disk. Make sure the printer interface code is empty. 7.9 What programming languages are available for the Apple ][? A: Larry W. Virden (lvirden@cas.org) maintains The Apple II Programmer's Catalog of Languages and Toolkits. It's archived on several FTP and HTTP sites. http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/langs.html 7.10 Can I install DOS 3.3 stuff on my hard drive? A: This mostly depends on what you're trying to do. As noted in the section on HD partitions above, DOS 3.3 volumes are limited to 400K each. Thus, they can be highly inconviencing trying to put those on a regular HD. (And no publically available software really exists to do that) A far better solution is to use DOS 3.3 Launcher. It lets you copy unprotected DOS 3.3 140K disks to your hard drive, and run DOS 3.3 under ProDOS. Such functionality does have some requirements, though: programs must only use 48K of RAM (the upper 16K is reserved for ProDOS, which is running at the same time), not do any copy protection or disk hackery, and generally behave themselves. DOS 3.3 Launcher is available from the normal Apple II ftp sites. 7.11 Can I connect my Apple II to an Appletalk or Ethernet network? A: Appletalk support is pretty much available for the //e and GS only; the functionality never made it into the //c or IIc+ models. There is no publically available Ethernet setup for any Apple II model. There are also rumors of an independently designed Ethernet board, but it's not released. To get Appletalk running on a //e, you will need a //e Workstation card, which provides an Appletalk port, and the associated software, which is bundled with it. That way, you can connect to an Appletalk network and use shared drives and/or printers. From a GS, Appletalk is slightly more complex in terms of deciding which slots you want to dedicate to it. In a ROM 01, Appletalk requires turning slot 7 to 'Appletalk' (use the control panel, accessible by pressing Control-Open Apple-Escape), and either one of slots 1 or 2 set to 'Your Card'. If you have something in slot 7 that you care about (usually a hard drive controller), what you can do is move that card to slot 1 or 2, and set the boot slot to 1 or 2. A ROM 3 is simpler-- set one of slots 1 or 2 to Appletalk. The Appletalk cable plus into the back of your GS in the printer port (ROM 1 if slot 1 is 'Your Card', ROM 3 if slot 1 is Appletalk) or the modem port (slot 2 is Your card/Appletalk). (Apple designed and made an ethernet card to be released at about the same time as GS/OS 6.0.1, but canned the project when they decided to try and write off Apple IIs as a bad memory, and shoved the cards produced in a warehouse or worse. Fewer than five of these cards are known to be owned by people outside of Apple. That's very stupid, considering Apple could have made a nice profit on those things. Don't ask me where to get one of those; I don't know, and if I did, I'd get one for myself before telling any of you-- Nathan :) There are a number of SCSI - Ethernet transcievers available for Macs and the like, but they are EXTEMELY unlikely to work at all on the GS. Essentially, the RamFAST SCSI card does not support interrupts or devices feeding it data. In addition, all of these transcievers use proprietary (and info is not publically available) protocols. Most PCs and newer macs connect via ethernet; there were a number of ethernet to appletalk router boxes made by various companies; with one of those between your GS and a Mac/PC/etc, you may be able to get much better connectivity. 7.12 Ok, I'm on Appletalk. What can I do now? A: Share printers and files. While this is not intended to be a substitute for reading the manuals, it can be done. File sharing requires a Mac running either System 7's personal filesharing or a Appleshare running off a Macintosh; apparently Windows NT 4.0 can also do appletalked file/drive sharing. Unfortunately, IBM PC clone's serial ports are not capable of putting out Appletalk signals over their lines, you'd probably have to find one of the rare PC Appletalk boards that exist. Linux also can put out Appletalk packets, but I don't know if drive sharing functionality exists. See the section above for some info on the possibility of using an ethernet to appletalk bridge between them. Also, booting an Appletalked Apple II off a server requires a Mac running Appleshare 2.x or 3.x (very pricey, unless you could find a used version; 4.x removed Apple II boot support). Starting a GS with a minimal system disk and running all applications over Appletalk is much more doable. 7.13 Is there any form of Unix that I can use on my Apple II? A: Yes, a pretty good commercial variant exists, but only for the GS: Procyon's GNO/ME. See http://www.hypermall.com/companies/procyon/gnome.html for more info, including pricing. Since the GS (nor any other A2 model) doesn't have any forms of memory protection or virtual memory, and the 65816 is limited to a maximum of 64K of stack space, programs that assume they can use whatever amounts of ram they want (gcc, X Windows, etc) can't be run at all. 7.14 Can I generate Postscript from my Apple II? A: The GS most certainly can with the right software; certain packages like Publish-It (at least versions 3 and 4; maybe also earlier versions as well) for the //e or //c also have such functionality. [I believe that maybe the Springboard Publisher can do that also; more info would be appreciated] To print to a postscript file on the GS with any program that follows the GS's methods for printing (Print Shop GS and pretty much all non-GS programs won't work), install the Laserwriter driver to System 6.0 or 6.0.1. You do not need to have a Laserwriter; just install the driver. [This will install Appletalk as well; to avoid the annoying message about Appletalk not being available at boot, disable the 'SCC.Manager' file in the drivers folder inside the system folder on your boot disk.] Once this is done, select the Laserwriter as your printer driver. Select 'Print' from within a GS application, and at the standard dialog which appears, do not press return to print. Instead, hold down the Open Apple and 'f' keys while you click on the 'OK' button with the mouse. That will force a print to disk. The resulting postscript file is saved to the Drivers folder inside the system folder on your boot disk with the name 'Postscript.GSxx', with 'xx' being a 2-digit number that starts at 00. You can then take the postscript file to another system and view or print it. Note that this Laserwriter driver does not properly handle Truetype fonts in documents (which requires 'Pointless' from Westcode Software), so you may want to use only the fonts your postscript printer knows. [Those lists vary; everything knows Times, Courier and a few more, but check your printer's manual for info on what it supports.] 7.15 How do you copy from a 5.25" disk to 3.5" disk? A: ProDOS has no problems with this, as long as you copy by files. Note that ProDOS can only have 51 files in the main directory. If you try to exceed that, it will give you a cryptic 'Disk Full' error. If there really is space left on the disk, you can copy all the files into a subdirectory to get around the 51-file limit. In theory, you can put an unlimited number of files in a Subdirectory, but in practice, you should limit them to a few hundred. _________________________________________________________________ Strange problems: 8.1 How do I get out of Basic (that little "]" prompt and cursor? A: Type the word "BYE" and press return. For more information on Applesoft, see Nathan Mates's Applesoft FAQ at http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/asoft.html 8.2 What are the problems with GSCII? A: GSCII is a great program, but has two subtle problems: First, it won't work correctly if you extract to a HFS disk (so extract to a ProDOS disk). Also, it won't set the size correctly on S16 files. This should only be a problem when downloading Shrinkit GS. In that case, use BINSCII. The rest of the time you will be extracting .SHK files, which don't care about extra bytes at the end. 8.3 AppleWorks won't print to my printer. What gives? A: AppleWorks will refuse to print to a slot that has a disk device. In the past, this worked well because if you try to print to a slot that has a disk controller in it, you will re-boot. But now, this can cause problems when a disk device is 'mapped' into your printer slot (due to a limitation in ProDOS, you can only have 2 drives per slot. Extra partitions on your hard drive will be re-mapped to other slots). If you have a RamFast, you can re-map the drives to different slots. Otherwise, (for AW 3.0) use this patch: POKE 768,128: POKE 769,10 BSAVE APLWORKS.SYSTEM,TSYS,A$300,L2,B$AE3 If you didn't understand that, e-mail me, or look into John Link's SuperPatch program, which includes many more patches. 8.4 My GS control panel keeps resetting to the defaults and/or forgetting the date-- the battery is dead. A: It's probably your battery. If you have a ROM 03 GS, can you just pop it out an get another. On the ROM 01, you will need a Slide-On Battery Replacement Kit from Night Owl Productions. See address in 'Resources' section. 8.5 I'm getting Error XXXX or YY. What's it mean? A: Some common errors and their cause: A larger list of all error messages, but not always the best description of the cause is at http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/gserrors.html. ProDOS Errors: UNABLE TO LOAD PRODOS - You can't boot a disk unless it has ProDOS and a something.SYSTEM file on it (Pre-1.9 ProDOS) $27 I/O Error. Possibly a bad disk? Verify it with Prosel or Copy II Plus $44 Path not found (You gave an invalid directory name) $45 Volume not found (you didn't type in the right disk name) $46 File not found (you didn't type a valid filename) GS/OS errors: 0201 Out of memory 0911 Either your GS is overheating, or the ADB port is having problems 0301 Bad TransWarp 0308 (Also see 8021) Something has trashed critical parts of memory 11xx GS/OS could not successfully load an application or program 8020 Either random TransWarp, or SCSI (try using different SCSI connector) 8021 If you get this at random times and you have a HS Apple SCSI, it's probably a version conflict. Install the SCSI drivers from your GS/OS disk, not your HS Apple SCSI disk. 8.6 Why does my Apple II lose characters when I'm using the modem? A: Check the following: 1) Your software may need interrupts enabled. Examine DIP Switch 2-6 on your Super Serial Card. 2) If you have an unenhanced //e, you need to enhance your //e. 3) If you have a //c, it may be one of the ones that had a serial port problem. Talk to your dealer about upgrading it for 2400 baud support. Also, to use a modem faster than 9600 on a GS pretty much requires a 'Hardware Handshaking' cable, not a cheap one. 8.7 Where do I get support for AE boards now that they are closed? A: Bruce BABB, ex-AE bench tech, is offering support out of his home for customer support of AE's boards. He also hints that another company is opening that will sell many of the Apple II products the AE made. You can reach Bruce via Email at 76004.1575@compuserve.com 8.8 Is there a QWK reader for the Apple //e? A: Yes, it's called 2qwk!. To use 2qwk! you must patch ProDOS to allow filenames sent by MS-DOS machines. The Apple II version is now available via ftp from ground and caltech. 8.9 I've got a problem. How do I troubleshoot it? * Asking others for help is fine, but if you do, please provide the following information. (And the act of finding out this information may help you find the cause on your own) 1. Is it reproducible? One system crash that happened out of the blue and never reoccurred is almost impossible to track down and fix. 2. When did the fault appear? During boot? After a fixed amount of time? Whenever you do X in program Y? 3. Any and ALL error messages reported by the system. Copy them down and repeat them exactly; saying "it gave an error" is not useful. 4. How dead the system is. Does the mouse still work, but clicks do nothing? Does it do anything at all? 5. System configuration. What cards in what slots, how much RAM, which SCSI controller and rom version (if applicable), what size HD, etc. * If you have just purchased a bunch of new hardware and/or software, resist the temptation to install all your new toys at once. Take it one step at a time and test everything after adding each item. (i.e. Run the diagnostics and try your old programs.) * If you have an enhanced //e, //c, IIc+, or GS, try the system self-test: hold down the Control key, the Open Apple key, and the Option (or Solid Apple) key. Then press and release Reset. Lastly, let up on the other keys. Sit back and 'Watchen Der Blinken Lighten.' If you run into a problem, please see the next section on self test errors and what they mean. * Leave the computer plugged in, but turned off when installing cards. Touch the top of power supply before and often during your work. Better yet, use a wrist strap tied to ground through a 1 Megaohm resistor. * Make sure you have the required components for the program. Does it require an Enhanced //e? More RAM? A separate boot disk? * Never use your original disks. Make a backup and store the write-protected original in a safe place. * Be sure to keep your disks away from stray magnetic fields, such as those emanating from phones, monitors and speakers. * If you have an accelerator, try to disable it or take it out entirely. It may not be compatible with the new item. (This is actually rare; the one consistent thing accelerators have problems is the GS's self test) * Check all your cable connections. Do not disconnect or connect any cables with the computer on-- this includes disk/hard drives, keyboards, mice, etc. * Try pulling out other cards and disconnect your joystick. If you have a lot of cards, you might consider a Heavy-Duty Power Supply from A.E. It supplies 6 Amps instead of a measly 2.5 Amps. Test the power supply with a voltmeter while the computer is on. * Call the manufacturer to see if there is an upgrade or a fix with the program. * Most RAM cards come with a memory tester. Try running it in continuous mode for several hours, even if your RAM seems to be working. * Verify your disk(s) with Copy ][+ or the Finder to see if you have any bad blocks. A better choice is ProSEL, which provides a comprensive set of disk verification and fixing errors. * On a GS, check your control panel (control-open-apple-escape) settings: What is the startup slot set to? Is the slot set to "Your Card"? Check your RAM disk setting. Is it taking up all your memory? Try setting the speed to normal if it's a non-GS program. * On a GS, try take out or disable your INITS, CDAs, NDAs, and CDEVS. (With System 6, just hold down the shift key while booting). If the system is fine when shiftbooted, then there is probably a conflict between some of them. Try manually disabling a few at a time, and seeing if the problem disappears. You can narrow down a problem to an init or few that way. * If you have a hard disk, try booting from a System Disk and/or reinstalling the latest system software. Using the installer that came with the system software the the best and safest way to install system software; hand installing parts can cause problems. * AppleWorks GS 1.1 comes with a memory tester (try it). * The TransWarp GS has a continuous test on the CDA (try it too). 8.10 My GS reported a problem with the Self Test. What do the numbers mean? The full list with explanations of these codes are available from Apple at ftp://ftp.apple.com/dts/aii/tn/iigs/tn-iigs-095. In short, the error code should be an 8-digit number in the form AABBCCDD. Look at the AA number, and check the following table: 01: Failed checksum in motherboard RAM/ROM. 02: Failed ram on motherboard. 03: Failed softswitch and register test. 04: Failed RAM address test 05: Failed Speed test 06: Failed serial port test 07: Failed clock test 08: Failed Battery RAM test 09: Failed Apple Desktop Bus (ADB- usually keyboards & mice) test 0A: Failed shadow register test 0B: Failed interrupts test 0C: Failed Sound test Please note that with a Zip GS in the system, the system will always report an error, even if none exists. You will get an 05xxxxxx if DIP switch 1-4 is ON, but if that's off, you're likely to get 0Bxxxxxx (not on all Zips) or 0Cxxxxxx errors. If you suspect a real problem, then you can either switch off the Zip (1-6 off), or remove the Zip from the system and try with the normal processor. Do all modifications to DIP switches or cards in general with the computer off, as usual. 8.11 My Apple II goes into a self test or reboots when I turn it on. Try unplugging any joysticks, paddles, or anything else plugged into the back joystick port or the internal game port. Since the primary and secondary joystick buttons appear the same to the system as the open and closed (option on the GS) apple buttons, if your joystick's buttons are misreported as down, the system can assume you're trying to continually do a self test. If your system works without the joystick plugged in, your joystick is defective. This is a general rule of thumb for troubleshooting, as noted above. Pull out EVERYTHING not needed for the problem (go down to computer, monitor, and optionally the keyboard for the base problems), and slowly add components until the problem reappears. When it does, you've isolated the problem. [As usual, only plug or unplug devices with the power off.] 8.12 My Hard Drive (or other disk) crashed! What do I do? If you have adequate backups, reformat it, and copy the data back. If you don't have backups, this would be a good time to start praying. Dead disk recovery is a delicate art at best; be forewarned that there is a good chance that some to all data will be lost. Reminder: Keep good backups of any files you care about! There are two commercial programs that can do a decent job at recovering as much as possible from a ProDOS disk: ProSEL (8 and 16 bit versions published by Charlie's Appleseeds) and Salvation: Deliverance (published by Vitesse). ProSEL-8 is the only package that runs on non-GS Apple IIs, so it may be your only choice. ProSEL-16 and Salvation both require GSs. Refer to their manuals for the specifics on how to attempt volume restoration with them, though from what I've heard, they have a much better chance of restoring files in subdirectories, not the top-level directory. Thus, it may be prudent to store important files in subdirectories so that they can restored later. [With a limit of 51 files in the top directory, you'll be forced into using subdirectories sooner or later on hard drives.] If you managed to repartition or erase your drive, at least with ProSEL (and possibly also Salvation, though I have not used that or heard from any owners), you have a decent chance of restoring most files if you repartitioned it EXACTLY as it used to be partitioned: same partition sizes in the same order. Do NOT reformat the drive or partitions-- that'll write to all disk blocks, which will make recovery essentially impossible. Then, run ProSEL on it and tell it not to assume a valid volume bitmap for each partition. You'll probably lose files in the root directory, but it's a better than nothing. _________________________________________________________________ GS System 6.0 mini-FAQ 9.1 Where can I get System 6, and what fixes are there for the known bugs in it? First off, if you don't have it on your GS, you may want to consider upgrading to System 6.0.1. Although you may be able to get it to boot in less RAM, 1.25MB of RAM is pretty much a minimum; 1.5-2MB RAM is recommended if you want to run a lot of the fun addons. Secondly, an 800K floppy is rather cramped for space as a boot disk; a Hard Drive helps immensely. (If you're looking to strip a boot disk down to get as much space as possible, please see http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/mini.601.html.) System 6.0.1 has a number of bugfixes and small addons from System 6.0; they both have similar RAM requirements, so you should consider moving to System 6.0.1 if at all possible. Also, many problems that existed in System 6.0 and 6.0.1 have only been fixed in patches to System 6.0.1, such as the HFS FST and programs that GUPP fixes. (See below) Next, you'll want to download them. On the internet, they're available from Apple's FTP site at ftp://ftp.apple.com/dts/aii/sys.soft. There are 6 disks to either System 6.0 or System 6.0.1; you should download and unpack them (with Binscii and Shrinkit. Then, boot the Install disk. When unpacking the .BSQ files from Apple's FTP site without a hard drive, you'll notice that some of the disks can be larger than 800K, even when partially unpacked. Creating a Ramdisk from the control panel greater than 800K will let you unpack these big disks without any problems. (Remember to kill off that ramdisk before trying to run GS/OS if you have less than 1.5MB of RAM) 9.2 Common Problems If you are still using System 6.0, it is recommended that you upgrade to the latest and greatest version, 6.0.1. It is available at Apple's FTP site (see section for the address). The HFS (Macintosh) FST (File system translator) included with System 6.0.1 does contain at least one bug. If you have a HFS volume of 96MB or larger, it is strongly encouraged that you download and install the patch. (You'll need to copy all the files off to non-HFS volumes, install, and copy back for safety). The patch is available from ftp://apple2.caltech.edu/pub/apple2/addons/patches/patchhfs.shk I (Nathan Mates) have had HFS volumes If you care about your files, make sure you have backups! Despite the hard work of the Apple Computer programmers, some bugs slipped through in System 6.0.1. Both as a recommendation for system stability, and as a plug for a program of his, Nathan Mates (maintainer of this FAQ) has found and fixed a number of them. Get the free program 'GUPP' (Grand Unified Patch Program) from a major Apple II FTP site, or directly from Nathan's ftp site for his programs: ftp://ftp.ucgs.caltech.edu/pub/nathan Copy ][+ may be a great program for making the one personal backup copy of a piece of software that you are legally entitled to, but its file copy, delete, and directory sorting functions will corrupt a disk when used on a directory with GS/OS 'forked' files. (Pretty much all of the system software is forked, as are most GS applications). Do NOT use it on disks or HD partitions with such files. ProSEL 8 or 16 can repair some of the damage done, and provide safe disk and file utilities. If the mouse cursor wipes out everything it moves over, you may have a software conflict with Closeview. To deactivate it, from within the Finder, open the 'System' folder on your boot disk, then the 'System.Setup' folder. Find the icon named 'Closeview', and click once on it. Then, from the 'Special' menu, choose 'Icon Info...'. A window will open up, with a check box for 'Inactive' in the top right. After setting it to inactive, reboot. You can do the same thing for any other Desk Accessory, Control Panel (CDev), or Init (in the System.Setup folder, should you decide not to want to run it. Easy Access also can and does cause lockups with programs, especially on the ROM 01. Deactivate it just like you did with the Closeview program-- it's in the same folder. If you are getting an annoying message about Appletalk not being available at boot, but you're not using Appletalk in general, disable the 'SCC.Manager' file in the drivers folder inside the system folder on your boot disk. Missing features of system 6? Perhaps you just used easy install, which doesn't install all the bells and whistles. Try clicking on the 'Custom' install (versus the easy install) in the Sys 6.0 installer and add the nifty things like Calculator, Find File, HFS FST, etc. You can also read the Shortcuts file on the 'SystemTools2' disk for some great keyboard shortcuts. Finder 6.0 icons that match by name and have a leading wildcard require uppercase letters. For example, a name like "*.txt" never matches, but "*.TXT" works fine (it matches regardless of a file's actual capitalization). (This was accidental; the 5.0.4 Finder did not care about capitalization in icon files.) Two misconceptions about System 6: The A2.RAMCARD is not for the GS's /RAM5. It only works with "slinky" (i.e. standard slot) cards. Also, the DOS 3.3 FST has nothing to do with MS-DOS. 9.3 Tips & Hints The AppleShare logon programs have always looked for a folder named "Mail" inside your user folder whenever you log onto a user volume. If there's any items in there, they present a dialog that says "You have mail." With the Sounds control panel, you can make it play a sound of your choice then. If you don't want to see your icons on boot, set bit 1 (i.e. the 2nd LSB) of BRAM Location $5F. Be sure not to mess with the other bits. Use the toolbox calls! The FinderExtras folder goes in the same folder as the Finder (generally the System folder). If you don't like yellow folders in the Finder you can change the byte at offset +65 in the Finder resource with type $C001 and ID 1. Change the $E0 to whatever you want (the first digit is the default folder foreground color, and the low nibble is for the outline color). Only folders that do not already have a color recorded in a Finder.Data file get the default color. 9.4 If you have a RamFAST The RamFast and ProDOS 2.0.1 both try to do re-mapping of drives to unused slots. This can cause problems, mostly when launching and returning from ProDOS 8 applications (crashes or wants you to insert disk). Solution: Configure the RamFast not to re-map. If you have a RamFAST with a ROM revision less than 2.01a, you need to get a newer ROM from Sequential Systems. Otherwise, V2.01c allows setting Slot Priority Allocations to 0 which will let ProDOS deal with them. V3.0 allows you to choose between RamFast mapping (works now) and ProDOS 8 mapping. If you can't wait, you can Patch ProDOS 2.0 not to re-map slots. Look for "10 BF C9 A5 D0 07" and change the $A5 to $00 (should be byte $1A3 in the 5th block of the file). Hack at your own risk. 9.5 If you have a Vulcan or AE High Density disk Due to problems with the Vulcan, when booting, it asks for your System Disk. Just put the Vulcan driver on your boot disk, boot it, and then launch the installer. Alternately, put the driver on the installer disk and boot it. (but you have to delete some of the installer scripts first) For the AE High Density Drive, be sure to remove Apple's 3.5" driver when putting on AE's. 9.6 If you have ProSel as your program launcher Rename start to something else before running the installer, or else the Finder won't be installed. Also, ProSEL as a launcher will cause a bogus $0040 error on some programs such as the first DOTW release. 9.7 If you have an AMR 3.5" drive If the computer hangs (mostly at the Standard File Save/Open dialog box) with no disk in the drive, try putting one in. What's happening is that GS is reading the status from the drive, and the drive won't return anything unless there is a disk in the drive. Just stick a disk in and all will be fine. If it really annoys you, either deactivate the 3.5" driver (get IR so you can double-click to re-activate it) or simply keep a disk in the drive at all times. This is not a problem under ProDOS 8. 9.8 GSCII+ & HFS Note There is a problem with the HFS FST, but only GSCII seems to be affected. When de-binscii-ing files, put the output onto a ProDOS volume, not an HFS one. [ Mega-thanks to Dave Lyons & friends for these. ] 9.9 Finder 6.0.1 is displaying garbage in the windows! System 6.0.1's Finder occasionally gets some of its files corrupted, and then fills a window (or the screen) with multicolor garbage when a window is opened. This is extremely annoying, but there are ways to fix it. First, try installing Grand Unified Patcher Program (see the section above (9.1) on system 6.x patches). If that doesn't work, go to the 'Preferences...' menu item under the Finder's 'Special' menu, and turn off the hiding of invisible files. Inside the 'Icons' folder on each disk/partition, there's a file called 'Desktop'. Trash it, and reboot. [This file contains window sizes and custom icon placements, as well as duplicate copies of icons from System 6-savvy applications with 'rBundles' attached. No real harm other than losing the window placements is done by trashing it.] Lastly, you can look for bad icon files-- make a new folder (such as 'Icons2') on each hard drive, and move all files except 'Ftype.Apple' out of the Icons folder on each disk/partition to the new folder. Reboot and see if the problem still occurs. If not, move a few files back at a time, reboot, and see if you have the problem. When you've isolated the problem file, don't use it anymore. _________________________________________________________________ Resources for the Apple II 8/31/96 Listed below are some places to get information about the Apple II. You should also try your local user group (and the user group library), friends, relatives, library, school, FTP sites, books, and etc. One good book is "The Whole Internet Users Guide & Catalog" by Ed Kroll, published by O'Reilly & Associates Inc. Nathan Mates has a set of WWW pages with all sorts of online resources, more Apple II FAQs and more; visit http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/index.html 10.1 Apple II Groups You can become an associate in the Apple Developer Program for $350 (for Mac and Apple II) or a mere $150 (for Apple II only) by calling 1-408-974-4897. That gets you Develop magazine, Apple Technical notes, the Apple Developer CD, discounts on Apple products, and more! If you want to license Apple Software for distribution with your product you can get information by calling 1-408-974-4667. (Note: You need a license to distribute Apple System Software, including ProDOS, and the Installer.) USUS (Keith Frederick (Secretary), P.O. Box 1148, La Jolla, CA 92038) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and influencing software standards to aid in the development of portable software. They have a large software library including a lot of source code (for almost every language or computer). NAUG, the National AppleWorks Users Group used to be a group devoted to that wonder program, AppleWorks. Joe Kohn and SSII have taken over distribution of their materials; see http://www.crl.com/~joko/naug.html 10.2 Getting Parts & Software There is a larger set of lists with more WWW links available at Nathan Mates's set of Apple II Companies pages at http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/com/index.html. The following list is in alphabetical order by company name; no guarantees are made about the suitability of products listed. Alltech Electronics (http://www.allelec.com/, 619-724-2404 orders, 619-721-2823 FAX, 619-721-7733 Technical Support/inquiries) sells all kinds of replacement parts for Apple II's. They are also pretty knowledgeable about the II. The Apple User Group Connection (800-538-9696 ext 500) can tell you the closest Apple II (or Macintosh) User Group. The ARC (Apple Resource Center, http://www.thearc.com, (209) 832-4300, FAX (209) 832-3270, Orders (800) 753-0114, thearc@thearc.com, 1014 Central Avenue Tracy, CA 95376, U.S.A.) has a number of replacement parts for Apple II items as well as some repair facilities. Atlaz Computer Supply (516-239-1854) is reported to sell cables for connecting //cs to other devices like printers and modems. The Byte Works (http://www.hypermall.com/byteworks/index.html, email mikew50@aol.com) is still selling Apple IIGS assemblers, compilers, and utility programs such as a spreadsheet and a morphing program. They are also one of the few sources for Apple II books full of technical and programming information. Steve Cavanaugh (stevec1021@aol.com) has now taken over the distribution of a 5.25" disk with modem utilities, a terminal program (Comm.System 2.5), Shrinkit 3.4, BinSCII 1.0.3, UU 1.1, Sneeze 2.2 and UnShrink 2.1 in ready to run format. Also included are all the docs for the above programs, plus Zlink (in archived format). this service. Send $3 to cover postage and materials to Steve Cavanaugh, 8 Ardsley Street, Brockton, MA 02402. [Chuck Orem used to provide this.] He is also licensed to copy ProDOS 8; contact him for details. Charlie's Appleseeds (619) 566-1297, sells ProSEL-8 and ProSEL-16, which includes disk fixing utilities for ProDOS disks. Compu-Teach Educational Software (http://www.wolfenet.com/~cmpteach), 1-800-448-3224, still sells various Apple II educational software titles. The Cynosure BBS (410-549-2584 Settings: 8 data bits, No parity 1 stop bit, up to 14400 bps) has a license to distribute system Apple software (ProDOS and GS/OS). Contact Doug Granzow at dig@pro-cynosure.cts.com. Digisoft Innovations (digisoft@hypermall.com) has a CD called Golden Orchard that is full of Apple II-specific programs. 18MB is accessable from 8-bit //e's, the rest is in HFS partitions that can be accessed with GS/OS System 6. Cost is around $60. They also have published Twilight II, a screen saver for the IIGS. The 'Duncan Institute' has a large library of educational software for Apple IIs; their web site is http://www.gate.net/~duncanin. Edlie Electronics (800-645-4722 or 516-735-3330) is selling "The ProDOS User's Kit". It seems to be your basic ProDOS operating system and a manual. I doubt that it's a current version, but it's worth a look if you need ProDOS on 5.25". Educational Resources (800-624-2926) sells educational programs for the II. EGO Systems (http://www.hypermall.com/ego, (423-843-1775), our Fax line (423-843-0661) or via e-mail to diz@chattanooga.net), which has discontinued their GS+ Magazine, is still in business selling various Apple II hardware and software items. Intrec Software (http://www.intrec.com) is still selling ProTERM 3.1, the best text comm software for 8 and 16 bit Apple IIs. LYBEN Computer Systems at (800) 493-5777 is reported to sell cables for connecting //cs to other devices like printers and modems. Marin Macroworks, 1675 Grand Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901-2211. MECC (http://www.mecc.com, 800-685-MECC) is a well-known educational software shop. M&M Software has a large collection of mainly educational software for the Apple II, Macintosh, DOS and Windows. Their web site is at http://www.mm-soft.com; 800-642-6162, M&M Software, P.O. Box 15769, Long Beach, CA 90815. National Communications Inc. (http://www.thomasregister.com:8000/olc/natcomm/apple.htm) sells a number of cables such as modems that they claim to be compatible with Apple IIs, //cs, Laser 128s, and the like. Parkhurst Micro Products (510-837-9098) sells ANSITerm, a GS-only communications program that supports X/Y/Z-Modem (plus variants), Kermit, VT-100, Color ANSI, and offers features like a text editor, a large scrollback buffer, and macros. Redmond cable (206-882-2009) makes and sells all sorts of custom cables. Roger Wagner Publishing, Inc (1050 Pioneer Way, Suite P, El Cajon, California 92020, 619/442-0522) is still publishing Hyperstudio for the GS, and Merlin (assembler/disassembler) packages for the Apple II family. Scantron Quality Computers, http://www.sqc.net, (800-777-3642 or 810-774-7200, 810-774-7740 Tech Support, 810-774-2698 FAX) not only sells Apple II products, but maintains a list of user groups and publishes an informative newsletter geared towards educators (called Enhance). They also published AppleWorks 5.0. To get a QC catalog and a free subscription to Enhance, just call! Contact QC (on GEnie), QualityCom (on AOL) or sales@sqc.net. Sequential Systems (http://www.sequential.com, 800-759-4549 or 303-666-4549, 800-999-1717 tech, 303-666-7797 BBS) has many products, including GS software that reads some (but not all) multimedia CD-ROMs, VGA display, Memory, SCSI, and other boards for Apple IIs. Contact inquiries@sequential.com. Seven Hills Solution Specialist (email: shss@nettally.com, 904-575-0566 phone, 904-575-2015 FAX, 1254 Ocala Road, Tallahassee, FL 32304) publishes Graphic Writer III (GS Desktop Publishing), Independence (Black and White printer drivers for several printers from the GS) and Spectrum (GS Desktop Telecom program), among other programs. Shreve Systems (http://www.shrevesystems.com/ has some Apple II parts, reconditioned, and other stuff. Sun Remarketing, http://www.sunrem.com (800-821-3221) also sells used Apples parts and books. Vitesse, authors of the Harmonie series of printer drivers, can be reached at 248 North Orange Ave. West Covina, CA 91790-2018 (818)813-1270 (818)813-1273 (FAX). Washington Apple Pi (http://www.wap.org, 301/984-0300, BBS (301/984-4070 [12 lines, 9600 and up] and 984-4066 for the 2 line at 2400), info@tcs.wap.org) has an extremely active Apple /// Special Interest Group. They have 250 PD disks and have funded a new revision of the OS. Contact Dave Ottalini at 72457.2401@Compuserve.com or at the email address above. 10.3 Fun hardware add-ons SSH Systems, http://users.ids.net/~kerwood/shh.html (Write to: SHH SYSTEME, Dipl. Ing. Joachim Lange, Bergstrasse 95, 82131 Stockdorf, Germany) is selling a card, the Bluedisk, for your Apple that will allow you to use cheap IBM drives for storage. Price is around $100. Contact jlange@tasha.muc.de. Night Owl (913-362-9898) makes a slide-on battery for ROM 01 GS's. You need a replacement if the time and system settings go back to their defaults whenever you turn the computer off. Lightning Systems, (414) 363-4282 BBS, P.O. Box 4, Mukwonago, WI 53149-0004 sells a 'Turbo ASP' addon to the Super Serial Card which lets it communicate at up to 230,400bps. Various companies sell cables for the Apple //c; check out Atlaz Computer Supply (516-239-1854) or LYBEN Computer Systems at (800) 493-5777 Conversion Technology (801-364-4171) sells a drive that allows you to hook up cheap IBM 3.5" and 5.25" disk drives to you Apple II. Silicon Systems (714-731-7110) makes that 22 pin DIP DTMF decoder chip that Apple-Cat modem owners are always looking for. Part #: SSI 75T201 - Integrated DTMF Receiver. 10.4 Periodicals & Books Steve Cavanaugh, ( http://users.aol.com/newblossom/, 8 Ardley Street, Brockton, MA 02402), publishes The Apple Blossom, "bimonthly newsletter reviewing new hardware and software for the Apple II computer as well as presenting original how-to articles and interviews." Howard Katz publishes the 'Appleworks Gazette'. 1104 Lorlyn Circle # 2D Batavia, IL 60510. Adam Barr ( barr@railnet.nshore.org) and Cindy Field (former InCider/A+ editor) thought about starting a new (email) Apple II newsletter, but nothing apparently ever came of that. The Byte Works ( http://www.hypermall.com/byteworks/index.html, email mikew50@aol.com) is one of the few sources for Apple II books full of technical and programming information. Computist (P.O. Box 110846, Tacoma, WA 98411) is a publication devoted to gathering and distributing information on removing copy protection from Apple II software. Syndicomm, a group of Apple II enthusiasts on the GEnie network puts together a free monthly archive of postings, full of tips, tidbits, etc., called GenieLamp. Back archives of it are available at http://ground.isca.uiowa.edu/apple2/gelamp. For a while, they also had an edition for programmers (the 'a2pro.*' files in the directory mentioned) as well. Hyperstudio Network (609-446-3196) is a quarterly newsletter about HyperStudio. They put out an annual 'Best of HyperStudio' disk of stacks, and have discounts on HyperStudio accessories. They even do some teacher-oriented stuff. Juiced.GS is another Apple II newsletter started by Max Jones. As of 9/4/96, a 1-year's subscription is $14. For more information, email Max at m.jones145@genie.com, or write to him at Max Jones, Juiced.GS, 2217 Lakeview Drive, Sullivan IN 47882. Scantron Quality Computers (previously mentioned above) also publishes periodicals, such as II Alive Shareware Solutions II (166 Alpine Street, San Rafael, CA 94901) is a new Apple II magazine with the latest scoops, written by long time Apple II writer Joe Kohn. Mail joko@crl.com for details. You can also check out his WWW homepage at http://www.crl.com/~joko/ssii.html Softdisk and Softdisk GS (800-831-2694 or 318-221-8718) are monthly disk magazines containing a variety of software (PD/SW, clip art, reviews, etc). Softdisk is no longer published, but you may still be able to purchase back issues on 5.25" or 3.5" disks. Softdisk GS is available only on 3.5" disks. See http://www.softdisk.com Kingwood Micro Software publishes Texas II, a newsletter and disk for users of AppleWorks. 2503 Sherbrook Lane McKinney, Texas 75075. 10.5 Misc Resources If you need a IIc upgrade, it used to be free, but that has expired. Try a few Apple dealers or call Apple to seek help. The number is 1-800-767-2775 (SOS-APPL). Sequential Systems ( http://www.sequential.com, 800-759-4549 or 303-666-4549, 800-999-1717 tech, 303-666-7797 BBS) have taken over CVTech's products. Larry Beyer (312-735-9010) likes to fix InnerDrive hard drives. Apple has a toll-free customer assistance line for handling sales questions and user concerns. This toll-free line is not designed to be a technical support hotline, but instead is an extension to the comprehensive Apple customer relations effort. The Customer Assistance Center is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time by dialing 1-800-776-2333. A new ShareWare-Fee payment service has been established for info, write to: Some Assembly Required shareware@uwo.ca OR 1132 Adelaide St. N. #719 mhackett@alpha.vaxxine.com London, Ontario N5Y 2N8 Canada _________________________________________________________________ Email suggestions to nathan@visi.com. As always, let me know of any mistakes, updates, corrections, additions, etc. There are a lot more questions with answers not included directly in this FAQ; please see http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq for more of them. Copyright 1997 by Nathan Mates ( Nathan Mates) --- End Part 4 of 4 -- <*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/ <*> # What are the facts? Again and again and again-- what are the _facts_? # Shun wishful thinking, avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors # think-- what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? -R.A. Heinlein