Apple II Csa2 FAQs: 1Main-Start, Part 1/25 - Answers and FAQ

Database Administrator · #1 07-05-2008, 01:07 AM

Archive-name: apple2/faq/part1
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/07/01
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

Apple II Frequently Asked Questions: Main Hall 1 ... Start Here!

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa21MAIN1.txt rev124 July 2008

The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs and Resource
files originate from the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2008.
Ground Apple II Administrator: Steve Nelson

ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Faqs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/

Note: FAQs files in the main folder on Ground are pure Text files
which have no Font, Color, etc. formatting and no set line length.
This makes them ideal for printing out or for viewing via an ftp
client which places the content in a text viewer such as WordPad.

Text in the "Formatted" folder is line-length formatted for
convenient on-line perusing via Netscape, etc..

Mirrors- GS WorldView (formatted Text) also maintains copies
of the FAQs Resource files.
http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/faqs/

Text and HTML-ized Text versions are maintained by FAQs mirrors
around the world-- ref. the news.answers pure Text MIT archive.
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.sys.apple2/

Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams in Text files, use
a fixed spacing Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced (IIgs)
or Roman 12cpi (PC).

The HTML version of the FAQs is maintained on the II Computing site.
http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

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Csa2 Apple II FAQs Main Hall

Revision 124 Update: 1 July 2008

Welcome to the comp.sys.apple2 newsgroup Frequently Asked Questions!
This file is called "Main Hall" because it's your starting-off point for
accessing the Apple II FAQs.

You can peruse a listing of all FAQs questions in Main Hall-2; OR,
you can check out some 'getting started' and 'what's where?'
Questions & Answers here.

There have been a few revisions since the June 1, 2008 release.
These include the usual updates to the various site listings and an
update of the Floppy Disk Drive FAQs.

Thanks to those who have suggested modifications and posted answers
or sent contributions which have been incorporated.

As always, feel free to send information pieces, diagrams, etc. for
both established and new FAQs Q&A or resources. Ideas, suggestions, and
FAQs content contributions can be emailed as Text or attached as .zip
files or they can be uploaded to Ground's Faqs/uploads folder (as soon
as it's back on-line).

Best wishes to all Apple II users!

Jeff Hurlburt, 1 July 2008
rubywand@swbell.net (Include "Apple" in the message title.)

General Apple II and Getting Started Q&A

001- What is a FAQ?
002- What is comp.sys.apple2 and how can I read/post messages there?
003- What software do I need to get started and how do I get it?
004- How and where do I download and upload Apple II files?
005- Where can I get Apple II information, software, books, and parts?
006- What is an Apple II: The KIM
007- What is an Apple II: The Apple I
008- What is an Apple II: The Apple ][ and Apple ][+
009- What is an Apple II: The "Black Apple"
010- What is an Apple II: The Apple //e
011- What is an Apple II: The Apple //c and IIc+
012- What is an Apple II: The Laser 128EX and 'EX/2
013- What is an Apple II: The Apple IIgs
014- What is an Apple II: The Apple IIe Emulation Card
015- What is an Apple II: The Trackstar Apple II Emulation Card
016- What is an Apple II: Emulators
017- Apple "][", "Apple II", "Apple //"-- which is correct?
018- What is "8 bit" and "16 bit"?
019- How can I tell what version my computer is?
020- Suppose I just want to start using my Apple II Now!?
021- Where do I find out about Apple II users' groups?
022- How can I find out more about using and programming my Apple II?
023- Where can I find out about Apple II developers?

001- What is a FAQ?

A "FAQ" is a "Frequently Asked Question". The Csa2 FAQs is a collection of topics files and resource files which seeks to supply answers to questions about the Apple II series of computers and Apple II computing. --Rubywand

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002- What is comp.sys.apple2 and how can I read/post messages there?

Comp.sys.apple2 (Csa2) is a USENET newsgroup. Messages posted to these newsgroups spread to many thousands of servers and millions of readers throughout the world.

Most Internet Service Providers support posting and reading newsgroup messages via popular browsers like Netscape and Internet Explorer. A few internet sites also provide free access to newsgroups and allow posting messages. Two are Google and Mailgate. Google also allows searching for information in an archive of newsgroup messages which goes back to 1981. (For links see Q&A 001 in MAINHALL4.txt.)

There are several newsgroups in the Csa2 and related families, all concerned with Apple II series affairs. They provide a forum for users to compare notes, ask questions, and share insights.

comp.sys.apple2 (Csa2) - Discussion plus questions & answers
relating to all Apple II computers

comp.sys.apple2.comm - Communications and networking related
issues

comp.sys.apple2.gno - Discussion of GNO/ME, a UNIX-like
multi-tasking environment for IIgs

comp.sys.apple2.marketplace - Buying, selling, and promoting
Apple II and related products

comp.sys.apple2.programmer - Discussion relating to any aspect of
programming the Apple II

comp.sys.apple2.usergroups - Discussion relating to Apple II
users' groups

comp.binaries.apple2 - Public Domain software, shareware, and
freeware for Apple II's in Text-encoded
(binscii) form.

comp.emulators.apple2 - The unofficial 'Apple II games stuff'
newsgroup features discussions of
Apple II games as well as of Apple II
emulation on PC, Mac, and other
platforms.

comp.sources.apple2 - A newsgroup for the posting of Apple II
source code

alt.emulators.ibmpc.apple2 - Discussion about the use of Apple II
emulation software/hardware on a PC.

--David Kopper, Dan DeMaggio, David Empson, Al Kalal, Rubywand

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003- I'm an Apple II beginner. What software does a newbie need
to get started and how do I get it?

If you bought an Apple II with no software at all, then, at the very least, you will need to get diskettes which boot DOS 3.3 and ProDOS (which pretty well means you need to have a disk drive). Here is a listing of basic stuff to get ...

o- DOS 3.3: DOS 3.3 is an old but a good operating system for software on 5.25" diskette. There is a _lot_ of Apple II software on DOS 3.3 diskettes. To write and save programs, etc. under DOS 3.3 you want a disk which boots DOS 3.3 and lets you get to a BASIC prompt. Once in BASIC after booting DOS you will be able to CATALOG the diskette, and LOAD, RUN, SAVE, ... programs. DOS 3.3 commands are described in more detail in the Csa2DOSMM Q&A.

Commercial game disks often do not allow you to get to a BASIC prompt. Disks with programs from other users, software from Apple user groups, and copies of Apple's System Master disks will, usually, let you get to BASIC either by exiting a program or by doing a Reset. (See Q&A 020 below for more about this.)

o- ProDOS: Practically all of the above applies to ProDOS. ProDOS is the newer Apple II DOS which allows having sub-directories. It works with 5.25" and 3.5" diskettes as well as hard disks and other large media. (See Csa2DOSMM Q&A for more about ProDOS.)

Note: Diskettes used with an Apple II should be double-density (DD) diskettes. High-density (HD) diskettes sold for PC's will not work reliably in Apple II disk drives.

o- Copy II Plus: This is the standard general purpose disk/file management utility. Good versions for working with both DOS 3.3 and ProDOS disks are Version 7.1 and 7.2.

o- A telecom utility: an Apple II telecom utility (e.g. ZLink, ProTerm, ...) together with a serial interface board (or built-in serial port) lets you transfer the Apple II files you download on the net from your PC or Mac to your Apple II.

o- ShrinkIt: Most Apple II files are maintained on the net as shrinked files (.shk files) or on shrinked disks (.sdk files). ShrinkIt v3.4 is the standard utility for unshrinking these files; it requires a 128k Apple IIe or later Apple II. Earlier versions of ShrinkIt work on Apple II's with less than 128k memory.

Aside from Apple II user friends, there are many places you can get the above, as well as all sorts of other Apple II utility, game, etc. software:

1. Apple II Users' Groups maintain software libraries of utility and games diskettes you can copy. (See Csa2USERGRP.txt.)

2. Some schools and universities have Apple II areas where you can copy system and utility diskettes.

3. Many sellers of original and second-hand software advertise on the comp.sys.apple2.marketplace newsgroup and/or maintain web sites you can browse. Be sure to check the listing of vendors presented later on.

4. If requested via email, regular posters to Csa2 will often send one or more 'getting started' diskettes which will boot DOS 3.3 and/or ProDOS and which include some copy, telecom, etc. utilities plus games. (Expect to pay mailing and materials costs.)

5. The Apple II archive sites listed below maintain large collections of software which you can download via PC or Mac and transfer to your Apple II.

--Rubywand

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004- How and where do I download and upload Apple II files?

How: By far, the easiest and quickest way is to access software sites on the net using a PC or Mac. Files can be moved to and from your Apple II via a NULL modem connection with the net computer. If you use a Mac, you may have the option of transferring the files via a ProDOS or HFS diskette or an HFS Zip disk. (For details on hardware, file transfers, downloading, and uploading, see the Telecom-1 and Telecom-2 Q&A.)

Where: Today, most users upload software, info files, etc. to one or more of the major Apple II ftp software archive sites. Other options include comp.binaries.apple2 and BBS systems. The software archive sites are good places from which to download software. In addition, some software vendors, developers, and Apple Computer make software available for download at their sites.

--Rubywand

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005- Where can I get Apple II information, software, books,
magazines, and hardware?

A good place to look is Csa21MAIN3.txt ("Main Hall-3: Apple II Web Sites") ...

For places to buy systems, parts, boards, and software, see Q&A 005.
Or, see http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs3VENDORS.html

For places to get books and periodicals, see Q&A 006.
Or, see http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs3VENDORS.html#021

For places to get Apple II information and software on the net, see general and/or game-specific Q&A.
Or, see http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs4MAJORSITES.html
or http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs7GAMESITES.html

If you are looking for a specific piece of utility or system software, check Csa21MAIN4.txt ("Main Hall-4: Get It- Links to popular software packages") ...

For links to File handling utilities, see Q&A 001.
Or, see http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/Csa2FLUTILS.html

For links to Telecom wares, see Q&A 002.
Or, see http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/Csa2T1TCOM.html

For links to System software, see Q&A 003.
Or, see http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/Csa2DOSMM.html
or http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/Csa2APPLICS.html
or http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/csa2pfaq.html

For links to specific emulator packages, check Csa2APPLICS.txt ("Applications") Q&A 003; or, see http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/Csa2APPLICS.html#003 .

--Rubywand

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006- What is an Apple II: KIM and SYM

My Ex bought a KIM in ... had to be 1976, 'cause that's the year we
split. He played Hunt the Wumpus on it. I couldn't see the point of
messing with those red LEDs at the time.

Nancy Crawford, Csa2 post on 27 December, 1995

KIM (for "Keyboard Input Monitor") was a 6502 'development system' release in 1976 by MOS Technology. A single board with six 7-segment LED displays, it soon had a wide following of avid experimenters who wrote programs like Jim Butterfield's "Lunar Lander" and Stan Ockers's "Hunt the Wumpus" and published numerous articles in magazines like Byte and KiloBaud describing hardware add-ons.

Another 6502 based board was SYM from Synertek Systems. It arrived two years after KIM near the end of the 'computer experimenter' era. SYM offered a speaker and more extensive interfacing capability, including support for a CRT display.

KIM and, to a lesser extent, SYM, were the introductions to 6502 computing which would, in a few years, lead many to become Apple II users. -- Rubywand and Tim Aaronson

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Related FAQs Resources: R010APPLE1.GIF (gif picture file)

007- What is an Apple II: The Apple 1

The original Apple was not much more than a board. You had to supply your own keyboard, monitor and case. It sold for $666.66, but now they are worth much more as a collector's item.

For Apple 1 pics and more information, ...

Applefritter Apple 1 Owners Club
http://www.applefritter.com/apple1/index.html

Dr. Tom's Apple 1 Pics and Info
http://apple2.org.za/gswv/gsezine/GS...APPLE.HISTORY/
Faqs Resource File R010APPLE1.GIF at ...
http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/faqs/R010APPLE1.GIF

--Dan DeMaggio, Charles T. Turley

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008- What is an Apple II: The Apple ][ and Apple ][+

The II and II+ are the computers that launched the Apple II line. They have the 6502 microprocessor, ability to do Hires and Lores color graphics, sound, joystick input, and cassette tape I/O. They have a total of eight expansion Slots for adding peripherals such as the Disk ][ controller, MockingBoard, serial I/O, and printer interface. Clock speed is 1MHz and, with Apple's Language Card installed, standard memory size is 64kB.

The distinction between the ][ and ][+ is the installed ROMs. The ][ starts you in the Monitor program and includes in-ROM Integer BASIC. The ][+ has the AutoStart ROM which tries to locate and boot a diskette upon startup and defaults to Applesoft BASIC which is included in-ROM. Many ][ owners upgraded to the ][+ ROMs.

Apple ][ and ][+ computers can run thousands of games, utilities, and other programs created to run under Apple DOS-- chiefly, DOS 3.3. Both machines can, also, run under ProDOS through v1.9 so long as the software does not require features of an "enhanced" 128k IIe. For instance, you can run Appleworks if you have more than 128K RAM installed and a program called PlusWorks. However, the ][ can not run BASIC programs under ProDOS since Applesoft must be in ROM.

Recommended configuration: 16K "language card" (in Slot 0), an 80-column video card (not the same as a //e Extended 80-column card), shift key modification (a wire running from shift key to game port), modified character ROMs to display lower case, composite color monitor, Disk ][ controller card, two 5.25" Disk ][ or compatible drives, parallel printer interface card, and parallel-interface printer. You can add memory beyond 64k in various ways, but many programs that "require 128K" probably will not work
, no matter how much RAM you have. You can also add accelerators like the SpeeDemon or Rocket/Zip. --Dan DeMaggio, David Empson, Rubywand

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009- What is an Apple II: The "Black Apple"

Bell & Howell marketed the "Black Apple" made by Apple. It is an Apple II+ done in black with some extra audio/video connections to fit with projectors, etc. made by B&H-- mainly for use in the classroom. A nice feature is the "handle" attached to the back. It contains a few power outlets, allowing the CPU, Monitor, etc., to be controlled with one switch. Evidently, 5000-10,000 units were produced. --Coaxial, Mike McGovern, Rubywand

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010- What is an Apple II: The Apple //e

The //e comes in two flavors: Enhanced and unenhanced. When you start your computer, the unenhanced IIe displays "Apple ][" at the top of screen; the Enhanced IIe displays "Apple //e".

Apple made an Enhancement kit to upgrade an unenhanced to Enhanced by replacing 4 chips: CPU 65C02, Video ROM includes MouseText, and new Monitor/Applesoft ROMs. Some places used to sell a IIe Enhancement kit for $20.00.

The current IIe operating system is ProDOS-8. (The IIe can also run DOS 3.3, earlier DOS's, and Pascal.) A lot of ProDOS software requires an Enhanced //e, and sometimes 128K, too.

A IIe Enhancement Kit does not include any extra RAM. You can expand a 64k IIe to the standard 128k required for a fully Enhanced IIe via an Extended 80-column card. It plugs into the Aux Connector on the motherboard. Alltech ($19.00), and MC Price Breakers ($14.95) sell such cards.

Except for being able to type and display lower-case characters, the unenhanced IIe is very similar to the II+. A 128k Enhanced IIe adds a number of features including 80-column firmware and 16-color double-lores and double-hires display capability.

The Apple //e remains useful for four major reasons:

1) It runs AppleWorks, a simple to use, yet sophisticated Spreadsheet/Word Processor/Database.

2) It can run many games and other entertainment software products.

3) There were many Apple II's in schools and a ton of Apple II educational software is available.

4) It is was and will always be a _Personal_ computer. You can learn as little or as much as you want, and nothing stops you from learning about every nook and cranny in it. Ask any big name programmer in MS/DOS or Mac where they learned to program. Most of them taught themselves on a good ol' Apple II.

Recommended configuration: Extended 80 Column card (gives you 128K) or RamWorks (512K to 1MB RAM), Enhancement kit (for unenhanced IIe), and a composite color monitor which can display decent 80-column text, Super Serial card, Disk ][ controller card, two 5.25" Disk ][ or compatible drives, parallel printer interface card, and parallel-interface printer. A Hard Drive is recommended if you use a lot of different programs. Heavy Appleworks users should add the hard disk, extra RAM, and a 4MHz or better accel
erator (like the Rocket Chip, Zip Chip or TransWarp). --Dan DeMaggio, Rubywand

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011- What is an Apple II: The Apple //c and IIc+

The //c and IIc+ are compact 'luggable' versions of an Enhanced //e, with many built-in 'cards'. Included are 2 serial ports, a mouse port, a disk port and 128K of RAM. Support for the original Apple cassette tape I/O is gone. The //c has a built-in 5.25" drive while the IIc+ has a built-in 3.5" drive.

The IIc+ has a built-in accelerator that runs at 4MHz (vs. the //c's 1MHz) making it the fastest Apple II as well as faster than any of the A2 clones. (To boot your IIc+ at 'regular', 1MHz, speed, include the Escape key in the usual boot keypresses-- i.e. OpenApple-CTRL-ESC-RESET.) The IIc+, which was introduced after the IIgs, also allows daisey chaining the GS Apple 3.5" drive along with 5.25" drives.

The //c and IIc+ run just about all of the DOS 3.3, ProDOS, "128k" software, etc. that an Enhanced //e runs plus the few //c-only software releases. However, the use of certain locations for storing system variables and ROM differences means that //c series machines will not run a number of old games designed for the ][ and ][+ which the IIe and IIgs will run.

Even though //c machines don't have slots, you can still add extra memory (there's room under the keyboard) and a hard drive (through the disk port-- a bit slow by ordinary standards, but usable. Hard to find though.. Was made by Chinook). There is also a for-//c "D" version of MockingBoard you can plug in to get much improved sound and music from software supporting the board, and a module you can attach to convert output to RF for using a TV as a monitor.

Recommended configuration: A composite color monitor which can display decent 80-column text, 1 MB RAM, and, maybe, a hard drive. For the //c, add a second 5.25" drive; for the IIc+, add a second 3.5" drive and two 5.25" drives. --Dan DeMaggio, Rubywand

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012- What is an Apple II: The Laser 128EX and 'EX/2

While not made by Apple, these Lasers can run just about anything that an Enhanced //e can run. They are as luggable as a //c and include built-in 'cards'. They are also fast; the entire motherboard runs at 3.6MHz. If you want to use a card in the single expansion Slot, you may have to disable the internal UDC (for 3.5" drives) or the internal 1MB memory expansion.

Unlike the EX model, which supports one additional disk drive, the EX/2 supports as many daisy chained drives as a IIgs and has a built in BRAM control panel for saving settings. The EX/2 also has a built in 3.5" disk drive, a MIDI port, and a video port which can support analog RGB and digital CGA monitors as well as an LCD display. --Supertimer, Dan DeMaggio

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Related FAQs Resources: R024GSSPECS.txt (text file)
Related FAQs Resources: R002WOZGS.GIF (gif picture file)

013- What is an Apple II: The Apple IIgs

The IIgs (or "GS") represents a giant leap in the Apple II line. It's 65C816 microprocessor can switch to 6502-emulation mode for running 8-bit Apple II software favorites, while, in native mode, it runs 16-bit GS applications. GS delivers new super-hires graphics modes, a toolbox in ROM, a 32-oscillator Ensoniq sound chip, and a max base speed of 2.8MHz. Base RAM memory is 256kB (ROM-01) or 1MB (ROM 3) expandable up to 8MB.

GS built-ins include modem and printer serial ports good for up to 230k baud, Disk Port supporting two 5.25" and two 3.5" (800k) drives, RGB and composite video outputs, enhanced and 'old Apple' sound, ADB bus for keyboard and mouse, game port supporting two two-button joysticks, clock/calendar, and battery RAM to retain user settings accessible via the Control Panel. (To get to the Control Panel press OpenApple-Control-Escape and select "Control Panel".) There is more about Apple IIgs specifications
in the FAQs resource file R024GSSPECS.txt.

The IIgs can run DOS 3.3, ProDOS, Pascal, and any other OS the earlier 8- bit models can run. In 8-bit or "emulation" mode, it works much like an enhanced //e, even down to supporting nearly all of the old monitor routines and softswitches. One notable difference is that users must go to 64k Bank $FF (e.g. FF/F800 - FF/FFFF) to view monitor ROM contents. In the default (Bank $00) area, an F800L etc. monitor command shows code in the "Language Card" RAM. Like the //c series, it does not support the ori
ginal Apple cassette tape I/O.

GS is the only Apple II machine which can run GS System (sometimes called "GS/OS"). GS System and Toolbox routines make it possible for the System Finder program to deliver a sophisticated 'mouse and windows' environment which looks very much like PC's Windows. The current version of System is System 6.0.1.

The first GS's were released in the Fall of 1986. The batches produced until mid-late 1987 became known as "ROM 00" machines after release of the "ROM 01" models. Many ROM-00 owners took advantage of Apple's offer to convert their machines to ROM-01 via swapping in chips. By 1989 the ROM 3 GS was released. It is essentially a ROM-01 with 1MB base memory and several minor enhancements. Few ROM-01 owners moved to the ROM 3.

The first GS's were released in the Fall of 1986. The batches produced until mid-late 1987 became known as "ROM 00" machines after release of the "ROM 01" models. When you turn ON or force restart* a ROM-01 GS, the startup screen shows "ROM Version 01"; on a ROM-00 GS the startup screen says nothing about ROM version. *(Press OpenApple-Control-Reset to do a forced restart.)

The original GS's came in cases marked "Limited Edition" with Steve Wozniak's signature. Often, these are referred to as "Woz GS's". (See FAQs resource file R002WOZGS.GIF for a picture.) Only about 50,000 ROM-00 IIgs's had the "Woz" signature. A relatively small number of users chose Apple's option to upgrade their //e's with a motherboard swap. Introduced in early 1987, the upgrade included "IIgs" labels which users could substitute for "//e" in the case insert.

At the time of the ROM-01 change-over in 1987, Apple supplied a ROM-00- to-ROM-01 upgrade service free. It consists of swapping in a new ROM and a new Video Graphics Controller ("VGC") IC. ROM-00 machines which have not had the upgrade can not run modern GS software-- the ROM must be upgraded. Alltech (760-724-2404; http://allelec.com ) is a good place to check for a ROM-01 'upgrade kit' consisting of the 01 ROM. (Price: around $30.00)

The VGC upgrade is not required for software compatibility, and is not needed for all machines anyway. It is supposed to fix cosmetic problems in monochrome double-hires graphics mode (pink flickering or fringing on what is supposed to be a black and white screen). On some machines the VGC swap also fixes some color combination problems in 80-column text mode.

Note: ROM-00 machines can boot disks which start System up through Version 3. (Booting these disks typically starts by displaying some version of "ProDOS 16".) The downside, of course, is being unable to boot modern versions of System and use software which needs to run under the later versions. On the other hand, a number of very early products run under versions of System which have no patches for ROM-01 or ROM 3. Original diskettes for these products will boot correctly only on a ROM-00 GS.

Whether via the upgrade or original purchase of a newer GS, by late 1987 nearly all GS users were 'on the same page'. That is, we had the ROM-01 platform with its base 256kB RAM plus the official Apple 1MB Expansion Memory Board plugged into the Memory Expansion Slot for a total of 1.25MB of fully- accessible system RAM. For the next couple of years, practically all GS software was designed to launch from 3.5" diskette under "ProDOS-16" and to fit within the 1.25MB of RAM everyone was assumed to have
installed.

In 1989 Apple introduced the "ROM 3" GS-- the startup screen shows "ROM Version 3". (No ROM-02 GS was ever released). The only major improvement over ROM-01 is more base RAM-- you get 1MB instead of 256kB. This is a very nice benefit. It means that a ROM 3 with a 4MB Mem Exp Board will have 5MB of fully accessible RAM whereas a ROM-01 can have 4.25MB of fully-accessible RAM. In effect, the ROM 3 owner gets a 'free' 800kB RAM disk.

As Mitch Spector notes in his listing of ROM 3 features (in the "Hardware Hacking" FAQs), the newer GS offers a number of other nice pluses with the only significant minus being incompatibility with a few older GS programs and pre-System 5 versions of GS System. Chiefly, ROM 3 is a 1989 re- do of ROM-01 featuring more streamlined hardware and more built-in firmware.

Since System 5, booting GS System applies in-RAM patches matched to ROM version 1 or 3. The patches, located in System/System.Setup/, are TS2 for ROM- 01 and TS3 for ROM 3. This achieves nearly identical operation.

Very few ROM-01 owners felt any urge to move to ROM 3. Even today, the vast majority of installed GS's are ROM-01 machines.

The 1990's saw wide adoption of four major GS enhancements:

OS- After years of foot dragging, Apple finally produced a decent 16-bit GS operating system with release of System 5.0. Within a few years this evolved into today's System 6 (System 6.0.1). System 6 has won wide acceptance as a relatively stable OS which, at last, allows GS users to access many of the features of GS computing promised back in 1986. Although any ROM-01 or ROM 3 IIgs with at least the 1MB Apple Expansion Memory card installed can boot a fairly decent install of System 6 from diskette, the f
act that it is likely to use at least 800kB of RAM somewhat limits the applications which can be run, especially on the ROM-01 GS.

Memory- Driven, in part, by the need for more memory to run System 6, 4MB became the standard size of installed Memory Expansions. Except for school GS's and GS's taken out of circulation and tucked away in closets, the old Apple 1MB Expansion Boards have long ago been replaced with boards adding 4MB- 8MB.

Hard Disk- As with memory, the size of newer versions of System supplied a strong push toward adding a hard disk. Software was becoming larger, too, and there was so much of it that making everything work from diskette became impossibly cumbersome. Lower HD prices, attractive SCSI interfaces such as RamFAST, and low-cost, easy single-card IDE solutions such as the Focus "Hard Card" and SHH Systeme "Turbo" cards have helped make the hard disk a standard, expected peripheral on today's GS.

Acceleration- Few commercial software offerings actually sought to push GS users to higher speeds; and, as a result, users went for years feeling no great need for Applied Engineering's expensive Transwarp accelerator. The arrival of Zip Technology's lower cost ZipGS board together with a clear need for more speed to handle System 6 sparked a nearly overnight 'acceleration revolution'. Today, an accelerator running at 8MHz or better is considered, very nearly, to be a necessary IIgs enhancement.

Recommended configuration: ROM-01 or ROM 3 with 4MB or 8MB Memory Expansion board-- i.e. at least 4.25MB (ROM-01) or 5MB (ROM 3) of total system RAM, RamFAST SCSI + 120MB or larger SCSI hard disk OR 120MB or larger HD-on-a-card IDE drive (e.g. Alltech's Focus Hard Card or SHH's Turbo IDE series) with System 6.0.1 installed, 8MHz/32k TransWarp or 9MHz/32k ZipGS or better accelerator board, Stereo Card, Imagewriter II printer, two 3.5" and two 5.25" diskette drives.

A minimum GS system that will run many older wares and still deliver a decent operating system is a ROM-01 GS with the Apple 1MB Memory Expansion board, two 3.5" drives, at least one 5.25" drive, and Imagewriter II printer, which boots System 5.0.4 or System 6.0.1 from 3.5" diskette. --Dan DeMaggio, Rubywand, David Empson, Supertimer, Randy Shackelford, Hal Bouma

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Related FAQs Resources: R028LCA2CARD.TXT (text file)

014- What is an Apple II: The Apple IIe Emulation Card

This is a '//e on a card' plug-in which lets you run Apple II software. The card fits into Mac LC and some subsequent machines that have the LC Processor Direct Slot (PDS) and which support 24-bit memory addressing.

Many of these cards are sold today without documentation. In case you've just plugged one into your Mac Color Classic, etc., it will help to know that pressing Command-Control-Escape gets you to the Preferences panel.

The Apple IIe Emulation Card is actually more like a //c because the card is not an expandable machine like a //e. There is a place on the back of the card to plug in a Y-cable to which you can attach a Unidisk 3.5" disk drive (white, A2M2053) and/or an Apple 5.25" disk drive (platinum, A9M0107) and a joystick.

Because the graphics are handled by the Mac, animation may be slow if you don't have a decent Mac. For more information, see FAQs resource file R028LCA2CARD.TXT. --Dan DeMaggio, David Empson, Owen Aaland, Edward Floden, Liam Busey, Phil Beesley, Joan Sander

____________________________

Related FAQs Resources: R022TRKSTAR.TXT (text file)

015- What is an Apple II: The Trackstar Apple II Emulation Card

A TrackStar is a single board Apple 2 computer that plugs into a PC Clone with at least one ISA slot or into an IBM PS/2 computer. The most advanced models, Trackstar E and Trackstar Plus, work like an enhanced 128k //e.

Trackstar can run Apple II software from virtual "trackstore" disk images, virtual hard disk, and, with Apple II disk drive plugged, Apple II diskettes. (With the correct cables, it can use some Apple II diskettes in compatible PC 5.25" drives.)

For more about Trackstar boards, software, and setup, see FAQs Resource file R022TRKSTAR.TXT.) --Bill Whitson, Michael Kelsey, Mike "Moose" O'Malley, Rubywand, Wayne Stewart

____________________________

016- What is an Apple II: Emulators

An Apple II emulator-- also called an "emu"-- is a program which lets a PC, Mac, etc. work like an Apple II and run Apple II software. Usually, the Apple II software is in the form of a "disk image" file-- a kind of virtual diskette. For more about Apple II emulators and where to get them see Q&A 003 in Csa2APPLICS. --Rubywand

____________________________

017- Apple "][", "Apple II", "Apple //"-- which is correct?

"][", "II", and "//" tend to be used pretty much interchangeably for any model of Apple II computer, although, practically speaking, there are a few usages which may provoke a correction.

"][" is the original Apple II symbol. It appears on all early II's and II+'s as well as on the Disk ][ drive. It is, easily, the most attractive and distinctive II symbol; but, it is also associated with _old_ Apple II 's. The "//" usage is associated with the c and newer e models.

"II" is widely accepted as 'okay' for all Apple II models. (And "II" and "A2" are commonly used for referring to series-wide products, etc. as in "II software", "A2 programmers", ... .)

The generally preferred machine designations are ...

Apple ][ or Apple II for pre-II+ models
Apple ][+ or Apple II+
Apple IIe for non-enhanced IIe computers
Apple //e for 128k enhanced //e computers
Apple //c
Apple IIc+
Apple IIgs or GS or best (if you have the fonts for a small "GS") IIGS

--Rubywand

____________________________

018- What is "8 bit" and "16 bit"?

Number of bits usually indicates how big a chunk of data a computer's main microprocessor can manipulate. The Apple IIgs is based on the 65C816 microprocessor and is considered to be a 16-bit machine. Previous Apple ]['s are based upon pure 8-bit microprocessors such as the 6502 and 65C02. These are considered to be 8-bit machines. Sometimes II+ or IIe or IIc software is called "8-bit software".

The 65C816 is a member of the 6502 family which includes expanded registers and adds many new commands while retaining the ability to go into 8- bit mode. So; the GS can run most 8-bit wares designed for older Apple II machines as well as newer 16-bit wares. Meanwhile, 8-bit machines are pretty well limited to 8-bit wares. --Rubywand

____________________________

019- How can I tell what version my computer is?

Apple II

Upon Reset, the original Apple II starts you in the system monitor looking at the "*" prompt. It allows step execution of machine code and has Integer BASIC in ROM. The major division between kinds of Apple II is Revision 0 and Revision 1. The Revision 1 motherboard adds a number of features including a few which are easily observed:

Power-On Reset: The computer automatically does a Reset when turned On.

More hires colors: To the Black, White, Violet, and Green available on a Rev0 machine, Rev1 adds Blue and Orange.

Color Killer added: Full-text displays are black&white without the color fringing and tinting you see on Rev0 machines.

Apple II+

All Apple II+ machines have the Revision 1 or higher motherboard and the Autostart ROM. On power-up the Apple II+ does a Reset and displays "APPLE ][" at the top of the screen. If a disk drive is connected, the II+ will try to boot a diskette. The Apple II+ loses some monitor features (like instruction stepping) and in-ROM Integer BASIC found in the earlier Apple II; but, it gains the more powerful Applesoft BASIC in ROM. A II+ Reset normally leaves you in BASIC looking at the "]" Applesoft BASIC prom
pt.

Apple IIe

You can usually tell a IIe from a II or II+ by the nameplate. On models with the classic Apple II case but no nameplate, you can check the keyboard. IIe models include a key embossed with the outline of an apple called the "OpenApple" key located near the bottom left corner of the keyboard. (All later Apple II's have this key, too; but, they do not look anything like a II, II+, or IIe). A few IIe models produced for third parties may have some other special-logo key in place of OpenApple.

Within the IIe series, the major division is between Enhanced and unenhanced IIe models. Look at your computer while booting. If it says "Apple ][", it is not enhanced. The enhanced computers will say "Apple //e".

Today, "Enhanced IIe", "//e", and "128k Apple IIe" are used interchangeably because nearly every Enhanced IIe has an Extended 80-Column Card plugged into the 60-pin Aux Slot (which adds 64kB of RAM). Technically, an Enhanced IIe is defined by the presence of three or four IC's: the 65C02 microprocessor (replaces the 6502), new Character (or "Video") ROM which includes MouseText characters, and new monitor firmware in ROM.

If a IIe has the 65C02 microprocessor, it is probably an Enhanced IIe. If your IIe is not enhanced, you can do the enhancement yourself with an "enhancement kit" consisting of the four chips you need to swap in.

The last significant upgrade to the IIe series came in 1987 with the release of the Extended Keyboard //e. This model is a 128k Enhanced IIe-- it comes with an Extended 80-Column Card plugged into the Aux Slot-- which adds an 18-key 'numeric keypad'. It also replaces the eight on-motherboard RAM chips with two 64kx4 IC's; and, it replaces the two BASIC/monitor ROMs with a single large ROM.

Quite a lot of later 80's 8-bit software, including all double-hires software, requires a 128k Enhanced IIe. (If you have a //c, IIc+, IIgs, Laser 128, or Franklin Ace 2000-2200, you have good to at least decent Enhanced IIe compatibility.) Unfortunately, a small number of early-release IIe's can not be upgraded to handle double-hires. Check the serial number on the motherboard (in the back, by the power-on led). If it is 820-0064-A, you must change the motherboard to upgrade (unless you have the PAL
video output version).

The IIe was produced in very large numbers and sold around the world in countries with different power systems using different video standards. So, it is not all that unlikely that you may need to check a bargain IIe to make sure it will work in your home using your monitor. The two major video output formats you may run into are NTSC (used in the US, Canada, Japan, and most countries with 60Hz power, except Brazil) and PAL (used in Australia, most of Europe, and most countries with 50Hz power). One w
ay to tell which video standard a IIe uses is the location of the Aux Slot. If it is on the side of the motherboard near the power supply, you have an NTSC model. If it is in line with Slot 3, you have a PAL model.

Apple //c and Apple IIc+

Go into Basic and type "PRINT PEEK (64447)" and press return. If it says 255, you have a very old //c. This model is known to have problems producing accurate baud rates for serial communications. It's been many years since the //c was released; but, some long-time Apple dealers may still perform the upgrade for a nominal fee. (Tell the dealer that the Apple authorization number is ODL660.)

If PRINT PEEK (64447) displays 0, you can use 3.5" drives, but you don't have the memory expansion connector. If it says 3, you have the memory expansion connector and can plug in extra memory. If it says 4, you have the latest model of the //c with the memory expansion connector and other upgrades.

If PRINT PEEK (64447) displays 5, you have an Apple IIc+. The IIc+ also has "IIc Plus" silk-screened in dark gray onto the upper right corner of the case.

Apple IIgs

There are 3 major versions of the GS: Check the initial power-up screen. It will probably say ROM-01 or ROM 3. If it does not say either, you have a ROM-00 model. You must upgrade a ROM-00 machine in order to run current system software. The ROM-01 has 256K on the motherboard, while the ROM 3 has 1 MB on the motherboard. Most of the enhancements of the ROM 3 are added to the ROM-01 simply by booting up with current system software. --Dan DeMaggio, CreatSltn, Steve Leahy, Nathan Mates, Bevis King, Davi
d Empson, Jeff Blakeney, David Wilson, Rubywand

____________________________

020- Suppose I just want to start using my Apple II Now!?

Okay; suppose you have zilch info, do not feel like looking through the FAQs, and want to start Now. The following _may_ be all you need to get going with some game or utility from diskette:

o The Disk Controller Card for Apple ][, ][+, and IIe goes into Slot 6 (next to last Slot on the right when viewed from the front). Drive 1 plugs into the top connector with the ribbon side of the cable plug facing out. Plug in the cable(s) before plugging in the card so that you are sure the connector and plug line up correctly.

o On the IIgs, the 3.5" drive(s) plug in first, then, the 5.25" drive(s).

o Unless a hard disk is installed, most Apple II's try to boot a diskette and start DOS 3.3, ProDOS, or GS/OS when turned ON. (On the old Apple ][ you can type in 6 Control-P RETURN to boot from the Monitor, assuming your Controller Card is in Slot 6. To press Control-P, press and hold Control, then P, then release both keys.)

o Most, but not all, diskettes are bootable. If one diskette doesn't boot, try another. If no diskettes boot, use a Radio Shack Head Cleaner diskette to clean the drive head(s).

o If the prompt you see is ], you are in Applesoft BASIC; > indicates Integer BASIC; and * indicates the Monitor. If both Integer BASIC and Applesoft are in memory, you can enter FP to switch from Integer to Applesoft and INT to switch from Applesoft to Integer. To go from either BASIC to the Monitor, enter CALL- 151. To start the current BASIC from the Monitor, enter Control-B. To go back to BASIC with program and variables in tact from the Monitor, enter Control-C.

o Except for the ][ and most ][+'s, you must press Control-RESET to do a Reset.

o To boot a diskette when viewing a BASIC prompt, you can enter PR#6 to boot a drive associated with Slot 6-- usually a 5.25" drive-- and PR#5 to boot a drive associated with Slot 5-- usually a 3.5" drive. --Rubywand, David Empson

____________________________

021- Where do I find out about Apple II Users' Groups?

Especially for beginners, a user group is an absolute golden of software, information, and bargain hardware.

Several Apple II users groups continue to meet, especially in major cities and on university campi. If a local group listing is 'missing' from your phone book, check for a Mac users group-- a number of Apple II groups have merged with their Mac counterparts.

For more info and links, see Csa2USERGRP.txt or see the links at http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs9USERGROUPS.html .

____________________________

022- How can I find out more about using and programming my Apple II?

You can peruse the newsgroup FAQs Q&A Contents page. You can also check out the Apple II Major Sites page (Csa21MAIN3.txt).

All Apple II's come with some version of BASIC installed in-ROM on the motherboard. The original Apple II's have Integer BASIC. Starting with the II+ model, all Apple II's have floating-point Applesoft BASIC in ROM. Owners of early Apple II's can load in Applesoft or plug in a card with Applesoft ROMs.

There are several good places to find out about Apple II BASIC programming:

Apple II Textfiles
http://www.textfiles.com/apple/

Byte Works (new IIgs GSoft BASIC)
http://www.byteworks.org

Ground
http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...nfo/Applesoft/
http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...o/Programming/
http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...Beagle.Oldies/

The comp.sys.apple2.programmer newsgroup and Csa2P FAQs
for programming Q&A plus more links
http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/csa2pfaq.html

Besides BASIC, you can load and use many languages including Fortran, Pascal, Modula, C, Logo, Forth, Assembly, and others. The Apple II "Monitor" included in-ROM lets you enter 6502 and (on a IIgs) 65816 machine language programs. IIgs owners can also create Hyperstudio and HyperCard stacks. For more information and links go to the comp.sys.apple2.programmer FAQs (see URL above).

There is really no substitute for having the technical manual for your particular Apple II or clone. The manual for the ][ and ][+ is the Apple ][ Reference Manual. For the IIe and IIc you want Apple's Technical Reference Manual for your machine. For the IIgs you will want, at least, the IIgs Hardware Reference and IIgs Firmware Reference.

Naturally, you will want to get manuals and materials covering DOS, ProDOS, BASIC, and many other areas relating to your Apple II. Below is a decent 'getting started' sampling:

General Apple II

Apple II Reference Manual from Apple
Apple II User's Guide by Poole, Martin, and Cook
Note: Third Edition, 1985 (Apple II User's Guide for APPLE II Plus
and APPLE IIe) is completely revised to include ProDOS coverage
Beagle Bros "Peeks, Pokes, and Pointers" (poster) by Beagle Bros
The Apple II Circuit Description by Winston D. Gayler
Understanding the Apple ][ by Jim Sather
What's Where in the Apple II? by William F. Luebbert

Applesoft BASIC and Assembly Language

Assembly Lines: The Book by Roger Wagner
BASIC Programming Reference Manual from Apple
Programming the 65816 Including the 6502, 65C02, and 65802
by David Eyes and Ron Lichty
65816/65802 Assembly Language Programming by Michael Fischer

DOS, ProDOS, and GS/OS

Apple IIgs GS/OS Technical Reference (Apple/ Addison-Wesley)
Beneath Apple DOS by Worth & Lechner
Beneath Apple ProDOS by Worth & Lechner
Exploring Apple GS/OS and ProDOS 8 by Little
ProDOS Inside and Out by Doms and Weishaar
ProDOS Technical Reference Manual (Apple/ Addison-Wesley)
The DOS Manual from Apple

Some technical manuals and other materials can be obtained in original or reprint form from Byte Works and Kula Soft. Major book sellers, such as Amazon list many Apple II books. For current Kula Soft, Byte Works, and other seller links, see Vendors Q&A in Csa21MAIN2.txt or go to ...

http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs3VENDORS.html#020 .

Though most Apple II books are out of print, many sellers will search for and, with luck, locate the book you want.

Apple II manuals and other books also turn up for sale on Csa2 newsgroups like comp.sys.apple2.marketplace, at used book shops, and at local Users Group swap meets. Some manuals and other items, such as Reference Cards and posters (usually in Text or HTML form) are available for downloading at the major Apple II archives and other support sites. (See Q&A 005 above.)

You may be able to find a local Apple II users' group or a group on-line that you like. Besides knowledgeable users, you will often find a software library stocked with useful software. (See Csa2USERGRP.txt.)

Another good resource is a subscription to an Apple II newsletter or magazine; and, don't overlook collections of major Apple II magazines published through the 1980's (e.g. inCider, Nibble, Computist, etc.). They are virtual encyclopedias covering many areas of II computing. For current publishers and net sites which offer on-line copies of back issues see Q&A 005 above.

Often, the easiest, quickest way to an answer for some Apple II question is to 'just ask it' on comp.sys.apple2 and/or another Csa2 family newsgroup. There are no Csa2 rules about posting to just a newsgroup which deals with a particular topic or making sure your question is hard enough or reading the FAQs first. Supplying information is the main purpose of the newsgroups. -- Rubywand, David Wilson, Tony Cianfaglione, Steve Sanders, Terence J. Boldt, Wayne Stewart

____________________________

023- Where can I find out about developers of Apple II and II-related products?

For current information on developers and software/hardware products see ...

GS WorldView's "Developers at Work" pages
http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Sel...persAtWork.htm

Postings on Csa2 newsgroups
news:comp.sys.apple2

A.P.P.L.E. 'zine news
http://www.callapple.org/

A2Central.com, including "A2 News and Notes" 'zine
http://www.a2central.com/
http://lamp.a2central.com/

For information on classic A2 game developers see ...

The Giant List
http://www.dadgum.com/giantlist/list.html

--Rubywand

Database Administrator · #2 07-05-2008, 01:07 AM

Archive-name: apple2/faq/part2
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/07/01
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2008. Administrator: Steve Nelson

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa21MAIN2.txt rev124 July 2008

Main Hall-2: Contents

001- Where does FAQs content come from?
002- How and where do I locate information in the FAQs?

001- Where does FAQs content come from?

Content comes chiefly from USENET postings, emails and other submissions, Apple II archive sites, and the FAQs maintainer (past and present). As in the original rev001 release, credit is given for answers and materials used in the Csa2 Apple II FAQs. --Rubywand

____________________________

002- How and where do I locate information in the FAQs?

The main FAQs files consist of Questions with Answers centering on some specific Apple II topic. For these, the questions are listed here as well as at the start of each FAQs file and inside the body of the file. (Whenever questions are listed together, they are shortened as necessary so that each fits on a single line.)

To find an answer, peruse the Contents below for the FAQs file title-- e.g. "Csa2FDRIVE Floppy drives"-- which fits your question best and read through the questions answered in that file. If a question looks like a good match, go to the file and read the answer.

Sometimes, the best match to your question may be in some file only partly related to your topic. For instance, to find out about converting .dsk game files to diskette, you should check "Csa2FLUTILS ShrinkIt, disk image, and other file utilities" instead of the Games FAQs. Doing a 'Find' for a key word in this document is another way to zero-in on relevant material.

An expanded listing of topics linked to FAQs content is available in the "Quick Find" page at http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs8QUICKFIND.html .

Another way to use the FAQs is to peruse the site listings in Csa21MAIN3. The site descriptions and links may lead to a treasure trove of information covering your topic.

There are, also, FAQs Resource files. These are pics, diagrams, mini- manuals, programs, etc. which are referenced in one or more FAQs answers. Resource files have names like R004STEREO.GIF and R007BATRAMM.zip. They are maintained on the Ground archive and a few other sites:

ref. http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/faqs/

The main html version of the FAQs includes a linked listing at ...

http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs2CONTENT.html#res .

The Resource files are listed and briefly described near the end of this file. --Rubywand

Contents

Csa21MAIN1 General Apple II and Getting Started Q&A (part1)

001- What is a FAQ?
002- What is comp.sys.apple2 and how can I read/post messages there?
003- What software do I need to get started and how do I get it?
004- How and where do I download and upload Apple II files?
005- Where can I get Apple II information, software, books, and parts?
006- What is an Apple II: The KIM
007- What is an Apple II: The Apple I
008- What is an Apple II: The Apple ][ and Apple ][+
009- What is an Apple II: The "Black Apple"
010- What is an Apple II: The Apple //e
011- What is an Apple II: The Apple //c and IIc+
012- What is an Apple II: The Laser 128EX and 'EX/2
013- What is an Apple II: The Apple IIgs
014- What is an Apple II: The Apple IIe Emulation Card
015- What is an Apple II: The Trackstar Apple II Emulation Card
016- What is an Apple II: Emulators
017- Apple "][", "Apple II", "Apple //"-- which is correct?
018- What is "8 bit" and "16 bit"?
019- How can I tell what version my computer is?
020- Suppose I just want to start using my Apple II Now!?
021- Where do I find out about Apple II users' groups?
022- How can I find out more about using and programming my Apple II?
023- Where can I find out about Apple II developers?

Csa21MAIN2 FAQs Contents (part2)

001- Where does FAQs content come from?
002- How and where do I locate information in the FAQs?

Csa21MAIN3 Apple II Web Sites (part24)

001- Where can I get Apple II information and software on the net?
002- Where can I get games for my Apple II on the net?
003- Where can I find hints, docs, pics, and other game information?
004- Where can I get game creation programs and information?
005- Where can I buy Apple II systems, parts, boards, and software?
006- Where can I get Apple II books and periodicals?
007- How do I get my Apple II site listed in the FAQs?
008- What determines whether or not a site is listed?

Csa21MAIN4 Get It- Links to popular software packages (part25)

001- Where can I get ShrinkIt, binscii, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV, etc.?
002- Where can I get ADT, ADTgs, Agate, Modem MGR, Spectrum ...?
003- Where can I get DOS 3.3 and ProDOS?
004- Where and how do I get GS System 6.0.1?
005- Where can I get AmDOS, OzDOS, DOS 3.3 Launcher, ProSel 8, SpeedGS?
006- Where can I get Program Writer, GPLE, Merlin, Orca, ... ?
007- Where can I get Appleworks, ScreenWriter, WordPerfect, ...?
008- Where can I get Platinum Paint, PaintWorks Gold, DeluxePaint II?
009- Where can I get 816 Paint, Blazing Paddles, Dazzle Draw, ...?

Csa2ACCEL ZipGS, TransWarp, etc. accelerators (part3)

001- What are the correct settings for a ZipGS?
002- Why should Appletalk Delay be disabled with a ZipGS?
003- How do I set up a Transwarp on my IIe?
004- Is there a way of disabling Transwarp for games?
005- What are specs & jumper settings for a vintage SpeeDemon?
006- How does the SpeeDemon rate as an accelerator?
007- My SpeeDemon accelerator board seems to run hot. A fix?
008- How should the DIP switches be set on a v3.03 SpeeDemon?
009- How can I get a 'Cache Hit' indicator for my ZipGS?
010- How can I program the ZipGS registers?
011- How can I set up a ProDOS sys file to turn my ZipGS OFF/ON?
012- Is there some ZipGS mod that will improve performance?
013- I have a 7MHz ZipGS. How fast can the board be pushed?
014- What Oscillator freq corresponds to what upgrade speed?
015- How do I experiment with different oscillator frequencies?
016- How do I modify my ZipGS to accept the new "skinny" RAM chips?
017- Is it really necessary to increase board voltage
018- What kind of performance increase can I expect?
019- How can I modify my ZipGS for more cache and more speed?
020- Do I need new GALs to speed up my TransWarpGS?
021- How does a TWGS cache upgrade compare with a speed upgrade?
022- How can I upgrade my TWGS to 32k cache?
023- How can I upgrade TWGS speed?
024- What kind of RAMs do I need for a TWGS or ZipGS speedup?
025- How can I tell the firmware version of my TWGS?
026- For my TWGS, do I need the 2B GAL to use a SCSI interface card?
027- Why are my ZipGS settings via the Zip CDA forgotten?
028- What do the check-marks mean in the ZipGS CDA?
029- Why don't my ZipGS settings match DIP switch settings!?
030- I have a ZipGS. Sometimes my GS 'hangs' on power-up. Why?
031- The speedup has led to system crashes. What's the problem?
032- A new accelerator board has led to crashes. What's the problem?

Csa2APPLICS Applications information (part4)

001- What Operating System environments does the GS support?
002- What GS programs are there for viewing/converting graphics?
003- What Apple II emulators are available and where can I get them?
004- What is a good file copier program for the IIgs?
005- Where can I find PEEKs & POKEs and monitor routine info?
006- How can I boot a good GS System with no hard disk?
007- Can I do Reverse Speech on my IIgs?
008- Is it possible to run PaintWorks from hard disk?
009- How can I read a single ProDOS block into memory under BASIC?
010- Is there an Apple II program for ham radio CW code practice?
011- Can my GS do file sharing with a Mac's hard drive?
012- How can I use a Mac as a network server with my GS?
013- How can I set up an Appletalk network for 30 IIgs's
014- How can I capture a GS super-res screen to disk?
015- What programming languages are available for the Apple ][?
016- How can I see and edit what's in a Text file?
017- How do I save a BASIC program in ASCII text form?
018- Where and how do I get GS System 6.0.1?
019- Is a graphical user interface (GUI) available for 8-bit A2's?
020- Where can I get Applesoft shape table info and programs?
021- How can I get a Postscript file from a GS document?
022- Where can I get Appleworks and Appleworks info?
023- Where can I get Apple II languages and programming info?
024- How can I boot DOS 3.3 images on the Bernie IIgs emulator?
025- Is there a way to convert two-column Text to one column?
026- Where can I find an Apple II memory map?
027- How can I move A2 programs to Quick BASIC on my PC?

Csa2CDROM CD-ROM drives and interfaces (part5)

001- What do I need to get/do to use Music and Data CD's on my GS?
002- What do I need discQuest for?
003- How can I back up my files on write-able CD-ROM?
004- Is a special driver needed for a Toshiba External 2X CD-ROM?
005- How can I get sound from my Apple HSS card + CD300 CD-ROM?
006- Where can I buy CD-ROM discs for the Apple II?
007- Where can I find more info on CD-ROM drives, products, etc.?
008- Where can I find out more about CD-ROM recording?

Csa2DOSMM DOS and ProDOS (part6)

001- What is a "DOS"?
002- What DOS's are available on Apple II computers?
003- Are there any faster better versions of DOS 3.3?
004- What commands are available in DOS 3.3?
005- How do I use DOS commands from the keyboard? a program?
006- How do I use variables in a DOS command?
007- How do I create new DOS 3.3 diskettes?
008- How much storage space is on a 5.25" diskette?
009- Can I format a DOS 3.3 diskette for just data storage?
010- What is the "Volume Table of Contents" or "VTOC"?
011- Can I assign names to my DOS 3.3 diskettes?
012- What does it mean to "Boot" a disk?
013- What file types does DOS 3.3 have
014- What do the entries in a DOS 3.3 Catalog display mean?
015- Re. DOS 3.3 file names: How long? What characters are legal?
016- How can I use DOS 3.3 to read/write sectors from machine code?
017- How many 'official' versions of DOS 3.3 are there?
018- How can I find out the address and size of a BLOADed file?
019- What information is included in the VTOC and Catalog sectors?
020- How does DOS 3.3 remember which sectors are used?
021- What are the formats of DOS 3.3's main file types?
022- How can I run DOS 3.3 programs from 3.5" disks and hard disk?
023- How can I get DOS 3.3 from the net without an A2 tcom utility?
024- What is ProDOS?
025- What are ProDOS's major features?
026- Which Apple II's can run which versions of ProDOS?
027- How can I create bootable ProDOS diskettes?
028- How do I make a ProDOS disk that will boot and start a BASIC program?
029- What is the maximum size of a ProDOS volume?
030- How do I LOAD, SAVE, etc. files under ProDOS?
031- What is a "pathname"?
032- What is the default volume and folder when ProDOS boots?
033- How can I set default volume and folder under ProDOS?
034- How can I discover the volume name of a just booted disk?
035- How do I create a folder?
036- How can I access ProDOS routines from machine language?
037- How can I convert DOS 3.3 wares to run under ProDOS?
038- How can I modify ProDOS to do BLOADs to Text Page 1?
039- How can I boot ProDOS on my Franklin computer?
040- What are some good DOS 3.3 and ProDOS references?
041- How can a BASIC program tell which DOS it's running under?

Csa2DSKETTE Diskettes (part7)

001- How many tracks can I use on a 5.25" diskette?
002- Can I use high-density 3.5" and 5.25" diskettes on my A2?
003- How can I tell DD from HD diskettes if they are not labeled?
004- Some old 5.25" disks with splotches don't boot. What gives?
005- How can I defragment a diskette and what is the speed gain?
006- Why aren't my old diskettes recognized by GS/OS?
007- Can I read Apple II diskettes on my PC?
008- Where the heck can I buy double density 3.5" & 5.25" diskettes?
009- Where can I find out about different floppy disk formats?
010- How can I copy disks?
011- How can I read Apple II 5.25" floppies on a Mac?
012- Can I create standard 3.5" IIgs diskettes on a Mac?
013- Can I transfer files on MS-DOS disks to my IIgs?

Csa2ERRLIST Apple II series ERROR codes (part8)

001- What does error #___ mean?
002- How do I do the IIgs Self-Test; what does Error Code ___ mean?
003- What does RamFAST Fatal Memory Fault Error ___ mean?
004- What is the explanation for getting a ___ error?
005- Where can I find more information on Apple II series errors?

Csa2FDRIVE Floppy drives (part9)

001- How do I add a write-protect On-Off switch?
002- How do I add external speed adjustment to my Disk ][ drive?
003- How can I adjust my 5.25" drive for optimum performance?
004- How do I clean my disk drive R/W head(s)?
005- What is the pinout for a duodisk drive connecting cable?
006- What DuoDisk mods are necessary?
007- Will a Duodisk function correctly on my ROM 3 GS?
008- How do I fix a false Write Protect?
009- My 3.5 Disk Drives don't work! What should I try?
010- I added SCSI; now, my 3.5" drives often fail to work. Why?
011- Both of my Disk ]['s come on when booting! Is there a fix?
012- In connecting a Disk II I misaligned the connectors. A fix?
013- A sound like a shotgun going off came from my drive. A fix?
014- Uni-disk and Laser drives: neither works with my IIc. Why?
015- How do I replace a 3.5" drive mechanism with one from a Mac?
016- I have one 5.25" drive. Sys6 shows two icons!? Is there a fix?
017- How can I tell a 13 from a 16-sector Disk ][ controller card?
018- Can a Disk ][ Drive be used on a IIc or GS smartport?
019- How do I install a bi-color LED R/W indicator in my Disk ][?
020- What's the scoop on the 3.5" High Density drive?
021- What is a "UniDisk"?
022- What is a "RAM disk"; and, how do I create one on my IIgs?
023- Which 3.5" drive/interface combinations work on a IIe?
024- How can I boot from my /RAM5 RAM disk?
025- My 5.25" drive ruins every disk I insert. How can I fix it?
026- Incorrect 'Disk Full' error on a 3.5" UniDisk drive. Why?

Csa2FLUTILS ShrinkIt, disk image, and other file utilities (part10)

001- What are "binscii" files and how are they used?
002- What are .SHK files and how do I use them?
003- How do I get ShrinkIt or GS-ShrinkIt going on my Apple II?
004- How do I deal with type $00 Apple II files I get on my Mac?
005- Can I work with .zip files on my Apple II?
006- What are DSK, NIB, 2MG, HDV,... disk image files & how do I use them?
007- Where can I get ShrinkIt, binscii, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV, etc.?
008- I have downloaded files in "gz" format? How do I use them?
009- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?
010- What is Copy II Plus and where can I get it?
011- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?
012- How do I set write protection for an emulator disk image?
013- How can I create a disk image from a ShrinkIt .sdk file?
014- How can I convert a .po image to/from a .dsk or .do image?
015- What do file name extensions mean & how do I access the files?
016- How do I tell what kind of file this is?
017- How can I create new .dsk, .nib, etc. disk images?
018- How can I convert .dsk image <--> .nib image?
019- How can I convert Diskcopy images to diskette or to other formats?
020- How can I move files to/from .dsk and .2MG disk images?
021- How can I unfork forked files on my Apple II?

Csa2GAMES Games and game information (part11)

001- Where can I get games for my Apple II?
002- Where can I find hints, docs, pics, and other game information?
003- Where can I get game creation programs and information?
004- What are some games in double-hires?
005- Which IIgs games will not run on a ROM 3 IIgs?
006- Where can I find out about A2 Infocom & Infocom-style games?
007- What games, etc. are on the 'Asimov Want List'?
008- For disk space used, what is your favorite Apple II game?
009- Where did the Apple II Game Gods go?
010- Are there any games which play 'old Apple II' music during action?
011- Are there any new games for the Apple II/IIgs?
012- How do I get my Apple II game site listed in the FAQs?
013- How do I play the games?

Csa2HDNSCSI Hard drives, SCSI, and interfaces (part12)

001- How difficult is it to add a hard drive to my IIgs?
002- What kinds of hard drive systems are available?
003- What do SCSI ID numbers mean?
004- What is "SCSI-2" and how is it different from SCSI-1?
005- Will a SCSI-2 hard drive work with an Apple II system?
006- Will my Rev. C SCSI Card work with a SCSI-2 drive?
007- What is SCSI "termination power"?
008- Can I avoid the "RamFAST/SCSI is searching SCSI bus" delay?
009- What is the pinout for the standard 50-pin SCSI cable?
010- What's the SCSIHD.DRIVER patch to ignore DRIVER43 partitions?
011- What is the "bad bug" in the ROM 3.01e RamFAST?
012- What are correct HS SCSI settings, etc. for a Bernoulli drive?
013- What are the settings for a CMS hard drive controller card?
014- Does it matter when I power-ON my SCSI hard disk?
015- Can I leave SCSI devices I'm not using turned OFF?
016- Is there a generic SCSI tutorial available for downloading?
017- What is the correct time-out setting for a Focus hard drive?
018- How do I modify my Apple SCSI card to supply Termination Power?
019- Can I get a Focus drive bigger than a couple hundred MB?
020- My hard disk is on a CMS SCSI. How do I install System 6.0.1?
021- How is DMA set for SCSI cards with 8MB RAM cards on the GS?
022- My 20MB Focus bombs and there's some goo on the card. A fix?
023- Where can I find the RamFAST manual on the net?
024- How can I tell which Apple SCSI card I have?
025- Where can I find Profile maintenance and formatting info?

Csa2HDWHACK Hardware hacking and hardware projects (part13)

001- What's a good hardware project book for the Apple IIe?
002- How can I use a thermistor to read temperature on my A2?
003- Will a prototyping Slot Board fit all Apple II's with Slots?
004- What is the pinout for the Apple II series Slots?
005- I've been getting Fatal System Error 0911. Is there a fix?
006- Why does my GS Control Panel keep resetting to the defaults?
007- How do I replace my GS "BatRAM" battery?
008- Is there a program to record/restore Control Panel settings?
009- How I can safely clean out dust from my Apple II?
010- How can I safely remove oxidation from IC pins?
011- After smoke came from my GS the KB doesn't work. What's wrong?
012- What is the mini circuit board near the front of my GS for?
013- How do I add RAM & set jumpers on the IIgs 1MB Memory Card?
014- How can I move my IIgs to a PC tower case?
015- How can I convert a IIgs into a portable IIgs?
016- Where can I get Robot kits to use with my Apple II?
017- Where can I get "Zip" package chips for my AE GS RAM-III card?
018- What chip can I use to replace a bad RAM IC in my IIe?
019- Could someone please post a resistor color code chart?
020- What advantages does the ROM 3 GS offer vs. the ROM-01 GS?
021- How can my ROM 3 GS + 8MB Sirius card do large file copying?
022- My ROM 3 with RamFAST crashes with an 8MB Sirius. What's wrong?
023- Where can I find Apple II diagrams?
024- What No Slot Clock chip should go in my IIc+ and where?
025- Where can I find Apple II socket, etc. pinouts?
026- What IC do I need to use the GS-RAM Plus in my Apple IIgs?
027- Where can I get prototyping boards that fit Apple II Slots?
028- What are the numbers and functions of major Apple II ROMs?
029- What is the C-One?

Csa2HISTORY Apple History, Chronicles, Woz, ... (part14)

001- Where can I find an in-depth history of the Apple II?
002- What happened in the final years of the Computer Wars?
003- How did Woz invent the Apple computer?
004- What did thirst Apple ads look like?
005- When did the Apple II FAQs begin and who have maintained it?

Csa2KBPADJS Input devices (Keyboards, joysticks, mouses, ... (part 15)

001- How do I do the Shift Key Mod?
002- What's a "VIDEX" board?
003- I need a GS ADB keyboard cable! Where can I get one?
004- How can I make a PC-to-Apple Joystick converter?
005- How can I do an Apple-to-PC Joystick conversion?
006- What are the dip-switch settings for the "BITMOUSE" card?
007- How can I switch my IIe keyboard layout to Dvorak?
008- What keyboards work as replacements for a GS keyboard?
009- What is a Koala Pad and how do I test it?
010- Can I convert a C-64 Koala Pad to work on my Apple II?
011- How do I make the internal cable for a IIe numeric keypad?
012- Is there a cable or card which lets you connect two joysticks?
013- How do I write programs for the Apple Graphics Tablet?
014- Why does my II+ KB act like the CTRL key is always pressed?
015- Can I replace my bad IIe keyboard with onrom another IIe?
016- Why does my IIe keyboard keep repeating characters?
017- How do I read the joystick on a GS in native mode?
018- Is a Y-adapter availablor my GS keyboard?
019- How do you use the Kensington TurboMouse with a IIgs?
020- How do I clean my mouse?
021- What is the best kind of mouse pad?
022- How do I clean my keyboard?
023- Is there a fix for a bad trigger on my Flight Stick?
024- How can I improve theel of my original (beige-key) IIc KB?
025- Can I replace my broken GS mouse with one from a Mac?
026- What is the pinout for the IIe, //c, and similar 9-pin mouses?
027- How do I write programs which use the mouse?
028- How can I replace a bad keyboard encoder IC on my IIe?
029- Can I use an Apple III joystick on my Apple II?
030- How can I be sure my joystick is properly adjusted?
031- How can I play joystick games on an emulator?
032- How do I fix a "stuttering" IIgs? (IIgs keyboard fix)
033- How can I use a PC mouse on my Apple II?

Csa2MONITOR Display monitors (part16)

001- How can I fix an unstable display?
002- I'm using a TV + IIc RF module. How can I improve the display?
003- What monitor repair Safety precautions are recommended?
004- How do I discharge the High Voltage anode?
005- How do I open my RGB monitor's case and get set for repairs?
006- What tools and solder should I use for repairs?
007- What's the fix for a flickering, Jumping, display?
008- How can I fix an all-red, all-blue, etc. monitor display?
009- Is there any more RGB Adjustments info?
010- How do I adjust Centering on my GS RGB color monitor?
011- How do I adjust Focus & Intensity on a blurry GS RGB Monitor?
012- What is a replacement for the RGB "flyback" power transistor?
013- How do I fix sporatic Shrinking and Flicking in-out of Focus?
014- How do I fix a serious case of shimmy on my GS monitor?
015- Which monitors and adapters can I use to replace my IIgs monitor?
016- What are the pinouts for Commodore's 1084 monitors?
017- What is a "composite video monitor"?
018- What is the usual way to connect an Apple II to a display?
019- How can I do the "Color Killer Mod" on a //e?
020- My A2 display doesn't work with a "TV/Game Switch". How come?
021- Can I use a color TV with my IIc+?
022- What is the //c/IIc+ video port pin configuration?
023- Where can I buy a replacement RGB monitor for my GS?
024- What kind of RGB monitors will work with a IIc?
025- Can I replace my GS RGB monitor with one from a PC?
026- What are the specs and pinout for the GS RGB monitor?
027- Do I need monochrome monitor to get a clear 80-col display?
028- Is there a high-quality replacement for RGB monitors?
029- Can I use a GS RGB monitor with my IIc?
030- Why does a composite monitor I added show a fuzzy dim display?
031- Is my SecondSight board the cause of increased system crashes?
032- Why do Inwords and Publi**** bomb on my SecondSight board?
033- How many dots are actually sent to the GS monitor per line?
034- My GS RGB monitor takes a long time to get bright. A fix?
035- Where can I get a GS RGB monitor cable?
036- Can I replace my Apple II composite monitor with a PC VGA monitor?
037- IIgs monitor screen goes blank and power light goes out. A fix?
038- Why doesn't hires look as good on my GS RGB monitor?

Csa2POWER Apple II power, power supplies, and cooling (part17)

001- What's the pinout and load specs for the IIgs Power Supply?
002- Are the power supplies for the ][+ and IIe interchangeable?
003- What are the output capabilities of GS and IIe power supplies?
004- Can I use a 'generic' surplus power supply in my Apple II?
005- How do fatter leads reduce noise on the +5V & +12V lines?
006- Is there any more that can be done to eliminate glitches?
007- Is there a power supply upgrade kit for the Apple IIgs?
008- What kind of internal fan can I install in an Apple IIgs?
009- Why do so few GS power supplies have a fan installed?
010- What are some good Apple II power supply fix tries?
011- Some of our classroom IIe's don't work at all. Is there a fix?
012- Why does my Apple IIe often fail to turn on?!
013- What does a rapid chirping noise on a GS power supply mean?
014- How do I fix a nearly dead GS power supply?
015- What is a "Buggie Power Supply"?
016- Do I need the metal shielding in my GS case?
017- My System Saver IIgs has gotten very noisy. How can I fix it?
018- My System Saver IIgs panel feels springy? Is there a problem?

Csa2PRINTER Printers and printer interfaces (part18)

001- How do I do the ImageWriter II self-test?
002- What are the DIP switch settings for IW-II and IW-LQ printers?
003- How do I do the ImageWriter-LQ alignment test?
004- Can I use a 'straight-through' cable to connect my IW-II?
005- My ImageWriter II doesn't print! What's wrong?
006- How can I keep paper from jamming in my Imagewriter II?
007- The bottoms of letters don't get printed. How can I fix this?
008- What is the 'trick' for restoring a printer ribbon?
009- How do I connect a "Centronics interface" printer to my Apple?
010- Where can I get a Grappler+ cable? What is the pinout?
011- What are the DIP switches on my Grappler+ for?
012- What printers will the Harmonie drivers work with on my GS?
013- What's the best GS interface for connecting a parallel printer?
014- How can I use my Epson Color Stylus 800 with my IIgs?
015- Why aren't fonts found after being moved to a new GS volume?
016- When I run Platinum Paint I get error $1301. What's wrong?
017- Can I clean the nozzles on an Epson Stylus printer?
018- What is the pinout for a GS to ImageWriter I cable?
019- Where can I get Imagewriter II ribbons?
020- How can I connect my Imagewriter II to a PC?

Csa2SOUND Sound, sound boards, and sound software (part19)

001- How does the GS produce so many simultaneous sounds?
002- Is there a way to output quadraphonic sound on a IIgs?
003- Do I get Stereo from my IIgs Sound Output jack?
004- Why should I add a stereo board to my GS?
005- How can I build my own GS stereo board?
006- How can I transfer sound files created on a Mac to my GS?
007- How do I program a Phasor Sound Card?
008- What is required to build a Sound Input board for my IIgs?
009- What's what re. MockingBoard hardware and programming?
010- How do I get my MockingBoard to work on my GS?
011- How do I play Ultima IV/V with MockingBoard sound on my GS?
012- How can I get 'regular Apple sound' to play through MB outputs?
013- What GS programs will let me play MIDI files?
014- Would FExt.NDA let you play through Synthinit?
015- Can I play .WAV files on my GS?
016- What formats are used for audio files?
017- How do I use my Echo speech synthesizer to produce speech?
018- What types of sound files are used on the GS?
019- Where can I find more info on cards, editing, digitizing, ...?
020- What is "old Apple" sound and how is it produced?
021- What is a good source for .WAV and .BNK files?
022- How can I get more System Sounds for my GS?
023- How can I run Music Studio 2.0 from hard disk?
024- How can I record better sound samples on my IIgs?
025- Squeals and other noises spoil my GS stereo board sound? A fix?
026- My IIgs has no sound from the internal speaker. What's the fix?
027- Where can I find GS music and music creation programs?
028- Does any Apple II emulator include Mockingboard support?
029- Does anyone know what a "Supertalker" card is used for?
030- My GS stereo board's sound output is very low and noisy. A fix?
031- How can I create sounds and music on my 8-bit Apple II?
032- Where can I get Mockingboard disks and music?

Csa2T1TCOM Telecom- hardware and transfers (part20)

001- How do I transfer files between my Apple and a PC or Mac?
002- How do I transfer/convert my A2 word processor files to a PC?
003- How do I use ADT & ap2222pc to transfer disks between A2 & PC?
004- How do I transfer files between computers using NULL modem?
005- How do I NULL-modem Text files without getting garbage?
006- How do I make a "NULL Modem" cable?
007- What is the maximum length for a NULL modem connection?
008- What are the connections for a standard modem cable?
009- How do I make a GS hardware handshake High-Speed modem cable?
010- What is the maximum modemming speed I can get from my Apple II?
011- What telecom programs run on Apple II computers?
012- Where can I get ADT, ADTgs, Agate, Modem MGR, Spectrum ...?
013- What are the settings for the Apple Super Serial Card?
014- What are the Serial Pro card's dip switch settings?
015- What are the settings for an Apple Serial Interface Card?
016- What cable can I use to do NULL modem transfers with my IIc?
017- What cable(s) can I use to connect a modem to my IIc?
018- How can I connect a modem with a Dsub-9 socket to my IIgs?
019- How can I program the Super Serial Card in assembly language?
020- How do I set up Hyperterm to do transfers with my Apple II?
021- How do I get an Applesoft program into a PC-DOS computer?
022- I want to use a fax modem with my IIGS. Is this possible?
023- Can I do modem-to-modem transfers between my home computers?
024- What cable can I use to do Apple IIc <---> PC ADT transfers?
025- Where can I buy modem cables and NULL modem adapters?

Csa2T2TCOM Telecom- downloading and uploading (part21)

001- What's the easiest way to download files from Apple II sites?
002- Some of my downloads are bad; what's wrong?
003- Are there download files I should process on the PC (or Mac)?
004- How do I upload files?
005- What kinds of files should I upload to which sites?
006- How can I read & send email and newsgroup msgs with my A2?
007- With a fast modem, how can the IIe connect to the internet?
008- I'm running the Lynx web browser. Where do I put the URL?
009- How do I download an .SHK file through Lynx?
010- Can I send and receive FAXes using my Apple II?
011- What is a "Binary II" header?
012- Should I add a Binary II header to files I upload?
013- How can I use my Apple II on the internet?

Csa2USERGRP Users' Groups (part22)

001- How can I find out about Apple II users' groups?
002- Where are some users' groups I might contact?
003- How do I get our Apple II group listed?

Csa2ZIPTF Zip Drive, Tape, Flopticals, SCSI, and interfaces (part23)

001- What is a "Zip drive"?
002- What is a "Zip disk"?
003- What do I need in order to use a Zip drive?
004- What kind of SCSI interface card do I need?
005- How do I install a Zip drive?
006- How do I get started using the Zip drive?
007- How does Zip Drive speed compare with a hard disk's speed?
008- Can I use Zip disks to transfer files to/from other computers?
009- Will forgetting to set the termination switch cause damage?
010- How does Zip Drive perform with an Apple HS SCSI card?
011- Is a CMS SCSI card adequate for connecting a Zip drive?
012- Which SCSI interface works best with a Zip Drive?
013- Will I be able to format and partition a Zip disk?
014- Should I let the Finder handle formatting of new Zip disks?
015- Can I format a Zip disk for HFS?
016- The disk in my Zip Drive is not recognized. How come?
017- I added SCSI; now, my 3.5" drives often fail to work. Why?
018- Why do I get this "Ramfast/SCSI is searching SCSI bus" msg?
019- What's a good utility for doing tape backups on the GS?
020- What's needed to add a SCSI Tape backup unit?
021- What about tape backup on a IIe?
022- Does Apple's Hi-Speed SCSI card allow swapping Zip disks?
023- What can I do after the Zip on my Apple SCSI "sleeps"?
024- What is the "Click of Death" reported by some Zip drive users?
025- What is a "Qic" tape? A friend needs to read a Qic-80 tape.
026- How do I restart my HS SCSI + Zip when the Zip deactivates?

Csa2 Apple II FAQs Resources

links at http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs2CONTENT.html#res

File Description Referenced From
__________________________________________________ _________________

R001a2ad.htm html text of 1977 A2 ad Csa2HISTORY JAW
R002WOZGS.GIF GIF picture of Woz IIgs Csa21MAIN1 CTT
R003ADGPIC.GIF GIF picture of 1977 ad Csa2HISTORY JAW
R004STEREO.GIF GS Stereo Card Diagram Csa2SOUND JH
R005SPLITC.GIF ZipGSx Split Cache Mod pic Csa2ACCEL JH
R006SPDKNOB.GIF Disk ][ Speed Knob pic Csa2FDRIVE JH
R007BATRAMM.zip BatRAM Save/Restore program Csa2HDWHACK JH
R008SCSITUT.TXT Generic SCSI Tutorial Csa2HDNSCSI DLM
R009SCSIMOD.GIF Apple SCSI cards TermPwr Mod Csa2HDNSCSI DB&HH
R010APPLE1.GIF GIF picture of the Apple I Csa2HISTORY CTT
R011SNDFMTS.htm Audio File Formats Guide Csa2SOUND DH
R011SNDFMTS.TXT
R012echo.htm Echo Speech Mini-Manual Csa2SOUND CTT
R012echo.txt
R013PHASOR.htm Phasor Snd Card Mini-Manual Csa2SOUND CTT
R013PHASOR.TXT
R014CDROMIN.TXT CDROM drives, products info Csa2CDROM SCD
R015SNDNMUS.htm Apple II Sound & Music info Csa2SOUND IS
R015SNDNMUS.TXT
R016V1HIST.DOC Apple II History, Volume I Csa2HISTORY SW
R016V1HIST.TXT
R017V2HIST.DOC Apple II History, Volume II Csa2HISTORY SW
R017V2HIST.TXT
R018V3HIST.DOC Apple II History, Volume III Csa2HISTORY SW
R018V3HIST.TXT
R019V4HIST.DOC Apple II History, Volume IV Csa2HISTORY SW
R019V4HIST.TXT
R020V5HIST.DOC Apple II History, Volume V Csa2HISTORY SW
R020V5HIST.TXT
R021V6HIST.DOC Apple II History, Volume VI Csa2HISTORY SW
R021V6HIST.TXT
R022TRKSTAR.htm TrackStar Q & A Csa2HDWHACK BW,MK,WS,JH
R022TRKSTAR.TXT
R023PINOUTS.htm Apple II pinouts Csa2HDWHACK CTT
R023PINOUTS.TXT
R024GSSPECS.htm Apple IIgs specifications Csa21MAIN1 S
R024GSSPECS.TXT
R025APPLTXT.zip Text Resc files in Apple fmt* Csa21MAIN2 --
R026GSEMUS.htm GS emulator benchmarks chart Csa2APPLICS GT
R027MOCKBD.DOC MockingBoard sound manual Csa2SOUND MS
R028LCCARD.htm IIe Card for Mac LC FAQs Csa21MAIN1 PB
R028LCCARD.TXT
R029PCA2XRF.GIF Reg PC-A2 joystick converter Csa2KBPADJS JH
R030PCA2RF.GIF Auto-fire PC-A2 JS converter Csa2KBPADJS JH
R031SSCPRG.TXT SSC info for Programmers Csa2T1TCOM AH
R032MMAP128.TXT 128k A2 Memory Map and info Csa2APPLICS DE
R033EMUJSMOD.GIF Mod for PC JS for emulators Csa2KBPADJS JH
R034MOUSEPRG.TXT Write programs using mouse Csa2KBPADJS DE

*Note: R025APPLTXT.zip includes all of the FAQs Resource .TXT files (except
the 'HIST.TXT files) in Apple II Text format in a single .SHK file.
Use WinZIP or similar utility to unzip to obtain the .SHK file.
Last updated on 12 February 2003

AH- Aaron Heiss
BW- Bill Whitson
CTT- Charles T. Turley
DB- Dan Brown
DE- David Empson
DH- Dave Huizing
DLM- Daniel L. Miller
GT- Gilles Tschopp
HH- Harold Hislop
IS- Ian Schmidt
JAW- Jason A. Wells
JH- Jeff Hurlburt
MK- Michael Kelsey
MS- Mary Sauer
PB- Phil Beesley
S- Supertimer
SCD- Stephen C. Davidson
SW- Steven Weyhrich
WS- Wayne Stewart

Database Administrator · #3 07-05-2008, 01:07 AM

Archive-name: apple2/faq/part4
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/06/01
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2008. Administrator: Steve Nelson

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2APPLICS.txt rev123 June 2008

Applications

001- What Operating System environments does the GS support?
002- What GS programs are there for viewing/converting graphics?
003- What Apple II emulators are available and where can I get them?
004- What is a good file copier program for the IIgs?
005- Where can I find PEEKs & POKEs and monitor routine info?
006- How can I boot a good GS System with no hard disk?
007- Can I do Reverse Speech on my IIgs?
008- Is it possible to run PaintWorks from hard disk?
009- How can I read a single ProDOS block into memory under BASIC?
010- Is there an Apple II program for ham radio CW code practice?
011- Can my GS do file sharing with a Mac's hard drive?
012- How can I use a Mac as a network server with my GS?
013- How can I set up an Appletalk network for 30 IIgs's
014- How can I capture a GS super-res screen to disk?
015- What programming languages are available for the Apple ][?
016- How can I see and edit what's in a Text file?
017- How do I save a BASIC program in ASCII text form?
018- Where and how do I get GS System 6.0.1?
019- Is a graphical user interface (GUI) available for 8-bit A2's?
020- Where can I get Applesoft shape table info and programs?
021- How can I get a Postscript file from a GS document?
022- Where can I get Appleworks and Appleworks info?
023- Where can I get Apple II languages and programming info?
024- How can I boot DOS 3.3 images on the Bernie IIgs emulator?
025- Is there a way to convert two-column Text to one column?
026- Where can I find an Apple II memory map?
027- How can I move A2 programs to Quick BASIC on my PC?

From: Rubywand, David Empson, and Michael Gährken

001- What Operating System environments does the GS support?

The GS can support several. Some of the more popular OS environments include ...

DOS 3.3- usually Beagle's Prontodos or some other speeded version of the original DOS 3.3. This is the 5.25" diskette-based disk operating system used for years on earlier Apple II's. It's commands are designed for use from BASIC programs or from the keyboard. Many old Apple II games and other wares are on 5.25" diskettes which boot DOS 3.3.

ProDOS 8- e.g. ProDOS v2.0.3. This is a disk operating system which supports a variety of devices (e.g. 3.5" drives, hard drives, etc.) and allows sub-directories. Commands are very similar to DOS 3.3 and are designed for use in BASIC programs or from the keyboard. BASIC and 'system' programs can also utilize direct CALLs to well-defined ProDOS Machine Language Interface routines.

Apple Pascal- This is an early 1980's implementation of UCSD Pascal which can run on 40-column and 80-column Apple II's.

System- Originally called "ProDOS 16" and later "GS/OS", the collection of 'system stuff' (which includes GS/OS) is today called "System". The System Finder utilizes Toolbox routines to supply a super-res desktop, Windows-like environment. Both ProDOS 8 programs and 'GS Applications' (i.e. wares that need GS/OS to run) can be started from the desktop.

The current System, v6.0.1, can run on ROM-01 and ROM 3 IIgs's with at least 1MB of installed RAM. An earlier (smaller) System, v5.0.4, is sometimes chosen in order to obtain more free memory to run applications. Many modern IIgs applications expect to run under System 6.0.1 on a ROM-01 or ROM 3 machine with 4MB (or more) installed RAM.

____________________________

From: Dan DeMaggio and Rubywand

002- What GS programs are there for viewing/converting graphics?

The Graphics Exchange converts between many formats of graphics.

816 Paint's File Utilities work well for converting hires or double-hires pics to GS super-res.

Prizm v1.0 Converts .GIFs, Amiga IFFs, Raw Files, and some other types to Greyscale (very fast), 16 colors, 256 colors, and 3200 colors!

SuperConvert (now at version 4) loads all GS formats, plus GIFS and other non-GS specific formats and saves in all GS formats including Finder Icon files. It has more dithering options than most of the other programs, but you may have to play with it to find the best one.

Platinum Paint is a commercial program that can import all GS formats plus MacPaint. It can only save in SHR and Apple Preferred. Version 2.0 can make Animations too!

ShowPic 6 is a shareware NDA that can display most GS formats. You can also save the resulting graphic as a IIgs SHR painting.

SuperPac is a commercial program which can create/display SuperPac format compressed pics and pic pieces

Dream Grafix supports all 3200 color picture types and also 16 color and 256 color pictures. This is a very impressive commercial paint program.

Convert 3200 will handle several popular PC and Mac formats in up to 256 colors.

Jpeg.Viewer can be used to view JPEG images in black & white.

____________________________

From: Rubywand, Deacon Blue

Related FAQs Resources: R026GSEMUS.html (HTML chart)

003- What Apple II emulators are available and where can I get them?

The most popular 8-bit Apple II emus are AppleWin and Apple Oasis, which run under PC Windows, and Apple-PC, which runs under PC DOS and includes support for Mockingboard sound. These programs can turn your PC into an enhanced Apple //e running at least as fast as the real thing using software from virtual disks (disk image files). There are also 8-bit Apple II emus for Macs (one, Catakig, emulates a II, II+, or IIe) and Amiga (Apple 2000).

For IIgs emulation some good choices include Bernie ][ The Rescue (for Mac Power PC), KEGS (which runs under Win32, Mac OS X, Linux, and Unix's), ActiveGS (an Active-X port of KEGS), XGS (runs on PC's and Macs under a variety of OS's including DOS, Windows, and Unix), plus KEGS/32 and XGS/32 (for PC Windows). Another good looking IIgs emu is Sweet-16.

Running on modern machines, the current emulators do well on benchmarks vis-a-vis an accelerated IIgs. To get some idea of how the GS emus stack up, see the benchmarks comparison chart by Gilles Tschopp in FAQs resource file R026GSEMUS.htm . (This benchmark is a bit old and doesn't include all IIgs emus or take into account improvements to later versions of the emulators listed.)

For more emulator information, check out the comp.emulators.apple2 newsgroup and visit some of the emu websites.

For details and software relating to a specific emulator see ...

ActiveGS (IIgs emu for Windows PC)
http://www.freetoolsassociation.com/
Apl2Em
ref. ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.com/pub/apple...2_for_windows/
Apple IIe (Macs and PowerMacs)
ref. ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/emulators/IIe/
ref. http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Utils/
Apple In PC (or "AppleInPC")
ref. http://kldp.net/projects/appleinpc/
Apple Oasis Page
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconVall...s/4414/A4W.HTM
Apple PC (DOS)
ref. ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple...ators/applepc/
Apple2000 (Amiga)
ref. http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...edu/Emulators/
ref. http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/~aminet/misc/emu/index.html
AppleCE (II+ emu for PocketPC)
http://www.geocities.com/bonelyfish/applece.html
Applelet Page (Java applet)
http://www.fasterlight.com/hugg/projects/applelet.html
Applemu (PC DOS)
ref. http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Utils/
Appler
ref. http://www.simtel.net/pub/msdos/emulate/
AppleUni Page
http://dr.ea.ms/inside.html
ref. ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple...tors/appleuni/
AppleWin (Three development paths: "Applewin", "Applewin2", "Applewin3")
http://www.tomcharlesworth.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ -Applewin
http://pages.ripco.net/~wizwom/applewin/ -Applewin2
ref. http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Utils/ -all current
ref. ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple...tors/applewin/
Bernie (PowerMacs)
http://www.bernie.gs/
Catakig Page (Macs and PowerMacs)
http://www.radix.net/~cklipsch/ctkgdoc/
ref. http://catakig.sourceforge.net/dload/Catakig-2.00a5.dmg
Dapple Page (developing II+ and //e emu for DOS PC)
http://dapple.sourceforge.net/
Florence (IIgs emu in Java for Windows and Mac OS-X)
http://cgi.zipworld.com.au/~kashum/florence.pl?cmd=help
Gus (IIgs emu for PowerMacs)
ref. http://emulation.victoly.com/apple2/
iGS (XGS-style IIgs emu for Mac OS)
ref. http://emulation.victoly.com/apple2/
KEGS (IIgs emu for Mac OS-X, Win32, Linux, and almost any Unix with X11)
http://kegs.sourceforge.net/
ref. http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...edu/Emulators/
KEGS OS-X Page (Mac)
http://www.casaGS.net
KEGS32 Page (IIgs emu for Windows PC)
http://www.geocities.com/akilgard/kegs32/
M.E.S.S. Page (8-bit A2's on PC and Mac)
http://www.mess.org/
Mess and xmess BIOS ROMs for Apple II, etc. at ...
http://mess.slor.net/
http://users.aias.gr/lagakis/bk/mess.htm
OSXII Page (Apple //e Emulator for Mac OS X)
http://apple2.intergalactic.de/
Pocket //e (PocketPC)
ref. http://www.freewareppc.com/utilities/pockete.shtml
PsiApple Page: 64k II+ emu on a Psion
http://www.fasterlight.com/hugg/projects/psiapple.html
Stop the Madness (Mac)
ref. ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/emulators/stm/
Sweet16 for BeOS
http://www.sheppyware.net/
Sweet16 for Carbon
http://www.bernie.gs/
Virtual ][ (II/II+ Emulator for Mac OS X)
http://www.xs4all.nl/~gp/VirtualII/
XGS-DOS (PC) Page
http://www.casaGS.net
ref. http://www.inwards.com/xgs/xgs_resources.html
XGS/32 Page
http://xgs32.emucamp.com/
XGSMac (68k Macs)
ref. http://www.inwards.com/xgs/xgs_resources.html
YAE Page
http://quark.netfront.net:6502/
ref. ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/emulators/yae/

____________________________

From: Mitchell Spector

004- I'd like to have a program for my //gs that can perhaps do more
reliable file copies than Finder does, especially in the case
of a damaged floppy. Any suggestions?

I would recommend either ZZCopy or Photonix II, both are freeware and do a very quick and reliable job at duplicating 3.5 floppies (the former even works with 400K MFS and 800K HFS Macintosh disks). Either of the two programs work around damaged sectors on disks.

____________________________

From: kburtch@pts.mot.com, David Empson, Rubywand, The Enforcer

005- I'd like to do some 'serious' Apple II programming. Where can I
find a information about soft switches (i.e. "PEEKs & POKEs"),
monitor routines, and standard names used for these?

You can find listings of Apple II soft switches and popular monitor routines in a manual for your computer-- e.g. the Apple II Reference Manual (for II and II+), the IIe Technical Reference Manual, the Apple IIgs Firmware Reference Manual, etc..

An excellent guide to many PEEKs & POKEs and monitor routines is the famous "Peeks, Pokes, and Pointers" poster from Beagle Bros (early 1980's). A fairly exhaustive guide to important memory locations in the Apple II is What's Where in the Apple II: An Atlas to the Apple Computer by William Luebbert (1981).

For a good on-line listing of PEEKs, POKEs, pointers, and CALLs, see the comp.sys.apple2.programmer FAQs:

html- http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/csa2pfaq.html#004
text- ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.a...ammerfaq/part1

____________________________

From: Rubywand

006- How can I boot a good GS System with no hard disk?

You can boot a decent System 5.0.4 or very modest System 6.0.1 from a 3.5" diskette. With two 3.5" drives, you can boot a decent System 6.0.1; but, disk swapping becomes a significant hassle when you want to run most
applications.

A much better solution is available if you have a 4MB mem expansion card installed. (Actually, you can make do with about 2.5MB of RAM.) You can use a utility named "Flash Boot" by Jerry Kindall. Flash Boot auto-loads System from one or more 3.5" diskettes to /RAM5 RAM disk and boots it.

What you do is create a large enough /RAM5 to hold the System you want to boot. Next, you boot System as usual from diskette(s) and use the Flash Boot utility to prepare /RAM5 and install the auto-loader. Then, you copy the stuff you want to auto-load to /RAM5 and use the Flash Boot utility to create one or more 3.5" "image disks".

To install and boot System you start by booting from the first image diskette and feed in any others as prompted. System then boots from /RAM5 and works very much as though it were on hard disk.

---------------------------

007- Can I do Reverse Speech on my IIgs?

Yes. Sound Studio and Sound Shop are two utilities which allow loading and reversing sound samples.

(ref. David John Oates; http://www.reversespeech.com/ )

-----------------------------

008- Is it possible to run PaintWorks from hard disk? Will it load
files from an HFS partition?

The Kzin Warrior published a block edit patch version in Computist #73 which lets you do this, at least on a ROM-01 GS. Using ProSel's Zap utility (also called "Block Warden") you search for $C9 08 00 D0 CE on the PaintWorks Gold diskette or a copy. (I found these bytes in Block $3D5 starting at byte $1DF.) Change the 08 to 7F and save the change.

Copy Paintworks.Gold and the PaintTools folder (with its contents) to a folder on your hard disk.

The Patch allows you to to start PWG under System 6 and use most PWG features. However, some Palette selection options will bomb the program.

A few tests showed PWG will load files from an HFS partition.

----------------------------

009- How can I read a single ProDOS block into memory using
Applesoft BASIC?

After booting ProDOS, you can do a CALL-151 to enter the monitor and type in ...

300: 4C 09 03 03 60 00 20 00 00 20 00 BF 80 03 03 85 FF 60

Do a CTRL-C to get back to the Applesoft prompt and enter ...

BSAVE PROZAP.BIN,A$300,L$20

The routine does a ProDOS Machine Language Interface CALL which reads the block into $2000-$21FF. It saves the Error# in $FF.

300: 4C 09 03 start
303: 03 3 parms in this parms block
304: 60 unit # DSSS0000 Drv 1 (D=0) Slot 6 (SSS=110)
305: 00 20 buffer start
307: 00 00 block # Low, High ex: block 256 is 307: 00 01
309: 20 00 BF JSR to do MLI command
30C: 80 command (80 for READ BLOCK; 81 for WRITE BLOCK)
30D: 03 03 loc of parms block
30F: 85 FF save error # (00= no error)
311: 60 exit

A BASIC program could use the routine by POKE-ing the block # into $307,$308 (775 and 776 in decimal) and doing a CALL768. The MLI command code is POKEd into $30C (780). If a PEEK at address $FF (255) gives a result of zero, there is no error.

100 LOMEM: 8704
105 REM Sets start of var space above $2000-$21FF buffer
110 TEXT: HOME: PRINT CHR$(4)"BLOAD PROZAP.BIN"
115 B= 2
120 REM Sets block to read/write (block 2)
125 C= 128
130 REM Sets MLI READ command ($80); MLI WRITE is 129 ($81)
135 BH= INT(B/256): BL= INT (B-256*BH)
140 POKE 775,BL: POKE 776,BH
145 REM POKEs block to read/write
150 POKE 780, C
155 REM POKEs MLI command
160 CALL 768
165 REM Does the block read/write
170 PRINT "BLOCK ";B
175 E= PEEK(255)
180 REM E= error number
185 IF E<1 THEN 195
190 PRINT "ERROR ";E;"!";CHR$(7)
195 END

After running the program for a BLOCK READ, the block contents should be at $2000-21FF.

____________________________

From: Joseph M Barbey

010- Is there an Apple II program for amatuer radio CW code practice?

I have a such a program at home. It's called QSO Kid. It requires a IIgs, and from what little I've used it, it seems like a really good program.

____________________________

From: Gabriel Morales

011- Can I can use a Mac's hard drive with AppleTalk to do File
Sharing just like it was a drive directly connected to the GS?

You can. Be aware however that some software may not like to be used over an AppleTalk system.

This is more likely to be an issue for ProDOS-8 programs. The main problem under ProDOS-8 is with programs that insist on referring to devices by unit number (or slot and drive). Network volumes do not have a unit number.

Another issue is with filenames. GS/OS programs which assume ProDOS naming conventions will have problems with AppleShare or HFS volumes. ProDOS-8 programs have more problems: unless the file server hard drive or shared folder (and all relevant subfolders and files) are named using ProDOS-8 naming restrictions, then the files in question cannot be accessed by ProDOS-8 programs on an Apple II client.

A third issue (with both GS/OS and ProDOS-8) is with programs that bypass the file system calls and try to do block-level access to the volume. This is not permitted for file server volumes. (Examples: Copy II+, many functions in Prosel.)

One caveat: transmission is slow. Assuming an otherwise unused network, you get about the speed of a 3.5" floppy.

____________________________

From: O Aaland

012- How can I use a Mac as a network server with my GS?

In order to use the Mac as a server with a useable system folder you will have to have AppleShare version 3 running on the Mac. It sounds like you are wanting to use a local boot disk on the GS and then log on to the Mac to use tha Mac hard drive. This will work with file sharing active on the Mac. The disk you need to make for the GS is a Network: Local Startup and not a Network: Server Startup disk. When booting from this disk you will be able to log on to the Mac and will be left in the program lau
ncher. There is not enough room on a 800k disk for the finder along with the network files. I believe that you will also need to add the HSF FST to your statup boot disk also because it is not put there in the default install. Check in the drivers folder to be sure.

On the Mac set up a folder for the GS to use and turn on file sharing. On the GS, from the launcher get into the finder on your system disk and then copy the finder to the new folder on the Mac. Now you should be able to reboot the GS and after logging on the Mac, from the launcher, run the finder on the Mac hard drive. You will now return to the Mac hard drive when you quit your GS applications. You can put both applications and data files on the Mac and run them from there just like it was a drive a
ttached to the GS. The speed in about the same as running from a 3 1/2 floppy, maybe a little faster. You are limited in what you can put in your system because of the 800k disk but having the finder on the Mac really helps.

If you can find a copy of AppleShare version 3 then you can boot directly from the Mac without any disk on the GS and the system size can be whatever the memory in the GS can handle.

____________________________

From: David Empson

013- How can I set up an Appletalk network for 30 IIgs's using a
donated LCII as a server? So far, I can get just 10 IIgs's
connected.

I assume you are using System 7.x File Sharing on the server? If so, you've just discovered one of its inherent limits. Changing computers will make no difference.

To be able to have more than ten clients, you will have to run the full AppleShare server software.

If you use AppleShare version 3.0, the IIgses can even boot over the network and won't require a local boot disk.

If you use AppleShare 4.0 or later, you lose the network boot capability, but in theory the Apple IIgses should still be able to use the server (I've never used anything later than 3.0).

You probably cannot run AppleShare 2.x on an LC III, because it only runs under Mac System 6.x.

Apart from the number of users, the full AppleShare server adds many useful features, such as administration tools, potentially acting as a print server, and faster performance. It ties up more resources on the machine than File Sharing.

AppleShare is commercial, but you might be able to get hold of a cheap copy of version 3 from somewhere.

As far as the multiple server option goes: that should work fine. If you have no need to communicate over the network between the servers, it would be a good idea to break the network up into separate segments (server and its block of clients). This will reduce confusion for the users (seeing more than one server), and will improve network performance.

In particular, note that LocalTalk is only intended to support a maximum of 32 devices per network segment. If you want 30ish or more computers on the same network, you should be using a router (which physically separates the network segments).

____________________________

From: Rubywand

014- How can I capture a GS super-res screen to disk?

For super-res game screens and many other graphics displays an ancient Classic Desk Accessory (CDA) known as "EA Screen Saver", "SDUMP.EA", etc. works well. The CDA (named "ScrnCapEA.CDA") and a Text info file have been uploaded to popular Apple II ftp sites. Look for a .SHK file named "ScrnCap.SHK" or "ScrnCapEA.CDA.shk".

ScrnCapEA.CDA lets you capture game, etc. 320 or 640 mode graphic screens as standard type $C1 GS unpacked Screen files which can be loaded by Platinum Paint and many other GS utilities. To use the CDA to capture a screen, you must be able to access the Desk Accessories menu via the usual OpenApple-Control-Escape keypress.

Supertimer mentioned Clipit. This is a very nice capture New Desk Accessory (NDA) which lets you grab a part or all of many super-res displays, including desktop displays. The grabbed display is saved to the Clipboard. You can get the pic from the Clipboard onto a Platinum Paint work screen by going to Platinum Paint and doing a Paste.

A limitation of Clipit and similar NDA's is that you must be able to get to the 'Apple' menu or some NDA activation list or, if there is one, activate a 'Hot Key'. Also, these NDA's generally limit your grab to the Clipboard. Usually, this means you end up with just one pic per game, etc. session.

Games and other programs which shut off access to interrupts will, often, be a problem. You will usually not be able to get to the Desk Accessories menu and any screen capture 'Hot Key' keypresses will be ignored. Usually, the 'Apple Menu' is not available, so screen capture NDA's you use via the menu will not be available, either. Sometimes, these programs include a built-in screen save feature; otherwise, capturing a screen will take special measures.

One way to capture most otherwise un-grabbable super-res screens is via a ProDOS-8 super-res utility which can save the super-res screen. The utility must be one which does not, itself, change the super-res screen upon startup (e.g. Nibble's SuperPac or a save/disp program you write yourself).

Make sure your Startup Slot is set to Slot 5. Start the game, etc. as usual. At some point insert a bootable ProDOS-8 diskette with the super-res disp/save utility into Slot 5, Drive 1. When you see the display you want to grab (and you are sure no Disk writes are occuring) do an OpenApple-CTRL-Reset boot, start the disp/save program and save the screen. Obviously, a disadvantage of this approach is that you get kicked out of whatever game, etc. you are running at the time of the boot.

----------------------------

From: TWS

You can get the ScreenPrint NDA, and save the screen to a file, or print it out.

----------------------------

From: Mitchell Spector

In addition to several CDA's and NDA's, you might want to try Ninjaforce's PicRipper program (useful for games and demos that lock out interrupts, rendering any desk accessories useless). It can grab Super-Hi-Res images still in memory and save them to disk. It is available at: http://www.ninjaforce.home.ml.org .

----------------------------

From: Boris Guenter

Try the SHR Capture CDA which allows you to enter the Control Panel and save as many screen pictures as you want. For programs which disable the Control Panel, you will need PicRipper2 or Antic's PicSaver, however.

Most of the screen capture programs mentioned here can be downloaded from Ground's mirror of Marvin's Apple II Infinitum:

http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...ors/uni-kl/gs/
from the graphics/screensavers/ folder or
from the graphics/misc/ folder.

____________________________

From: Rubywand and Michael Gährken

015- What programming languages are available for the Apple ][?

Quite a few. Apple Integer BASIC (in-ROM on the first Apple II's), can be loaded into II+ and later models. Applesoft, a floating point BASIC, is in-ROM on all models starting with the II+. Older Apple II's can load-in Applesoft or, via a plug-in board, access it from ROM.

The best way to write Applesoft BASIC programs is using Program Writer, a full-screen editor from Beagle Bros. Users who want to speed up their Applesoft programs can use a BASIC compiler such as TASC or Einstein.

Then, there is MD BASIC, the BASIC-like MacroSoft from MicroSparc, a beta version of Apple's GS BASIC, and the new (1998) Byte Works GSoft BASIC!

Other Apple II languages are Apple Fortran, UCSD Pascal, Orca (Byte Works) Pascal, Terrapin Logo, Apple Logo, two Logos from ByteWorks, Isys Forth, Master Forth, (and many other Forths), Modula2, Aztec C, Orca/C, ... . Hyperstudio and HyperCard let you create stacks.

To the above you can add several assemblers including Merlin, Orca/M, an assembler from Ninja Force, and the MicroSparc Assembler.

Here are some good places to look for language software:

Ground
http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...le8/Languages/
http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...e16/Languages/

GS WorldView
http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Sel/ ; click "Utilities"

Syndicomm (sells languages by Byte Works)
http://store.syndicomm.com/

----------------------------

016- How can I see and edit what's in a Text file?

A handy utility for quickly viewing Text files under DOS 3.3 or ProDOS is Copy II Plus.

On the IIgs under the system Finder (the usual "desktop" display showing drives, folders, etc.) you can, probably, double-click on a text file to start up an application (program) which will display the Text and let you make changes.

Note: If you get an error message about not being able to find an application, you will want to think about setting up a link between Text type files and some Text editor program such as Teach. Some Text editor New Desk Accessories (like Shadowrite) will automatically establish a linkage.

Another way to view and edit Text files is to run a Text editor or word processor program and load in the file. On 8-bit Apple II's, some choices include Screenwriter II, AppleWriter, and, depending upon machine, some versions of Appleworks. On the IIgs you have many choices including Teach, Shadowrite NDA, CoolWriter, and Appleworks.

____________________________

From: David Cross

017- How do I save a BASIC program in ASCII text form?

The following line added to the front of your Applesoft BASIC program will save it in a Text file named "LISTFILE". It works in DOS 3.3 or ProDOS.

1 HOME:PRINT CHR$(4)"OPEN LISTFILE": PRINT CHR$(4)"WRITE LISTFILE": POKE 33,33: LIST 2,: PRINT CHR$(4)"CLOSE": END

If you have a line 1 which you'd like to leave alone, you can enter the above at Line 0 and change LIST 2, to LIST 1,.

POKE 33,33 causes the text display routine to not insert any unneccessary spacing into your BASIC program listing, which cleans up the text file output nicely.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

018- Where and how do I get GS System 6.0.1?

GS System 6.0.1 is available from a number of sources and in several formats-- e.g. downloadable ShrinkIt archives, diskettes, etc.. For links, see Csa21MAIN4: Get It- Links to popular software packages.

____________________________

From: Paul Schultz

019- Is a graphical user interface (GUI) available for 8-bit Apple II's?

For the 128k Enhanced //e and //c series, the ones which come to mind are GEOS, Quark's Catalyst, and MouseDesk (aka Apple II Desktop).

GEOS was probably the most popular of the three although it never reached the popularity it gained on the C64 platform. The downside with GEOS is that it isn't ProDOS compatible. So, you are stuck with only using the GEOS compatible programs (GeoPublish, GeoCalc, GeoWrite,....)

Catalyst and MouseDesk are both very similar. They provide a ProDOS compatible version of the familiar Apple desktop GUI. MouseDesk was purchased by Apple and renamed Apple II Desktop. This was included in the original System Disk which shipped with the Apple IIgs. While shipped with the 16bit IIgs, A2 Desktop is an 8 bit program which works very well with my IIc+. I assume it would work with your IIe :-)

----------------------------

From: Supertimer

Actually, GEOS is ProDOS compatible, at least in the sense that Catalyst, MouseDesk, and Apple II Desktop are. GEOS can act as a program launcher for ProDOS programs. Obviously, for GEOS programs, GEOS acts like the full OS (much like GS/OS on the IIGS and MacOS on the Mac, actually), but it can do everything MouseDesk can do in regards to launching ProDOS programs. On the GEOS desktop, the files show up as icons stamped with "ProDOS; and, the user can copy and delete ProDOS files.

One neat thing about GEOS is the ability to expand the root directory past the 51 file limit on a ProDOS disk. If you have a bunch of stuff converted from DOS 3.3 to ProDOS you may find that things don't fit on the root directory of the ProDOS disk. Using GEOS, you can copy all the files to the root directory.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

020- Where can I get Applesoft shape table info and programs?

Go to the Ground archive's Beagle Bros folder at ...

http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...Beagle.Oldies/

and download SHAPE.MECH1.SHK and SHAPE.MECH2.SHK

For information on using shapes in BASIC, go to Ground's Applesoft information folder at ...

http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...nfo/Applesoft/

and see the file hires.routines .

____________________________

From: Sandy

021- How can I get a Postscript file from a GS document?

To get a Postscript file from any GS document, press OpenApple-F when clicking "Ok" in the LaserWriter driver. This'll kick out a Postscript file in your */system/drivers folder.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

022- Where can I get Appleworks and Appleworks info?

You can obtain the classic Appleworks word processor for the Apple II series from ...

Asimov (most versions)
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple...rd_processing/

GS WorldView (v5.1)
http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Misc/

Complete documentation does not seem to be available on-line. You can find decent documantation at ...

Aple II Text Files
http://www.textfiles.com/apple/DOCUMENTATION/appleworks

Gareth Jones's web pages
http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/...ppleworks.html

----------------------------

023- Where can I get Apple II languages, programming software,
and programming info?

Byte Works develops and publishes the Orca series of Apple II and IIgs languages including Pascal, C, Assembler, and the new IIgs BASIC. Byte Works also produces manuals, learning packages, and other language materials.

You can find several very good collections of Apple II languages and programming software plus loads of programming information on the net. A few major sources include ...

Asimov
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple...y/programming/

Ground
http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...le8/Languages/
http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...Beagle.Oldies/
http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...e16/Languages/

The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup

The comp.sys.apple2.programmer Usenet newsgroup

For more details and links, see Q&A 006 in Csa21MAIN4 and the Apple II Programmer FAQs at ...

http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/csa2pfaq.html
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.a...ammerfaq/part1

____________________________

From: Charles T. Turley

024- I'm running the Bernie IIgs emulator on my Mac. How can I boot
DOS 3.3 disk images? I've tried everything and nothing works!

Using my Mac PPC, I just change the file type of any 5.25 DOS 3.3 disk image to this:

New Type: DSK5
New Creator: Gus!

Then, I drag and drop it over the icon of either Gus or Bernie. Both launch just fine for me in this way (assuming that the disk image is actually a boot disk).

____________________________

From: Beverly Cadieux

025- Is there a way to convert two-column Text to one column?

Yes. AppleWorks version 3.0 with TimeOut TextTools will do this.

First you have to install TimeOut. Then you copy the TimeOut accessories to the TimeOut directory. The one you want is TimeOut CopyBlock. To copy only column two, press OA-C (OpenApple-C) to highlight and copy the block of text on the right. Then scroll down to the end and paste it there.

Unfortunately this is only a copy. It is not a move and the second columns stays where it was. You can delete it by pressing OA-Y at the end of each line of the first section.

Here's another scenario to separate two columns into one on a IIgs under Awks 5 with Ultra Macros:

Starting at the first letter of column 2, press OA-X and select a key for the macro to begin recording. Do a Tab, then down, and OA-left. Press OA-X to end recording.

Use the new macro all the way down column 2. Now you have a TAB on each line between the two columns.

COPY the entire text to the clipboard, and create a new spreadsheet. Copy the data into the spreadsheet. Because of the TAB, the two columns will come in as separate columns.

Use the spreadsheet's Block Move function to move column 2 to the foot of column 1. Sort (arrange) alphabetically if necessary. Copy the block and paste it back on your word processor documant.

____________________________

From: David Empson

Related FAQs Resources: R032MMAP128.TXT (Text file)

026- Where can I find an Apple II memory map?

A memory map for a 128k Apple II along with related soft-switch, etc. information is available as FAQs resource file R032MMAP128.TXT.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

027- How can I move AppleSoft BASIC programs to Quick BASIC
on my PC?

Transferring Applesoft programs on an Apple II to QBASIC, GW-BASIC, etc. on the PC is mainly a matter of moving a text copy of the program to the PC. (To make a text copy of an Apple II program, you LIST the program to a Text file. See Q&A 017 above.)

On the PC, you bring the A2 program text into your BASIC editor. BASICs available on a PC are not 100% compatible with Applesoft. Once you can list the Applesoft program on the PC under QBASIC (or whatever), you will, almost certainly, need to modify it.

It will be necessary to replace some Applesoft commands with their PC BASIC equivalents. Some commands are very similar but differ slightly in syntax; and you are likely to find that some conventions, such as the numerical value of "True" from boolean tests, are different.

The more an Applesoft program is "pure BASIC", the easier it will be to get it working on a PC. Programs which employ lots of PEEKs and POKEs, do monitor CALLs, and access other features specific to the Apple II will be more troublesome.

Database Administrator · #4 07-05-2008, 01:07 AM

Archive-name: apple2/faq/part8
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/06/01
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2008. Administrator: Steve Nelson

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2ERRLIST.txt rev123 June 2008

Main Error List

001- What does error #___ mean?
002- How do I do the IIgs Self-Test; what does Error Code ___ mean?
003- What does RamFAST Fatal Memory Fault Error ___ mean?
004- What is the explanation for getting a ___ error?
005- Where can I find more information on Apple II series errors?

From: Jeff Hurlburt (in II Alive, 1996 plus updates)

001- What does error #___ mean?

Error Codes

Codes are in hexadecimal and are listed in numerical order. Except for a few IIgs System Failure codes, the system or sub-system reporting the error is shown along with the error description.

Most IIgs tool set error 'descriptions'-- like divByZeroErr-- consist of just the error name as published in the Toolbox References. When such an error is reported, the first two digits identify the Tool Set; the last two identify the error# (sometimes this identifies the individual Tool involved in the error). The name and number of each Tool Set which reports errors is identified in the listing by labeling the first error in each Tool Set group.

Many of the descriptions for 00xx codes refer to GS/OS errors. Usually, these codes have the same (or a very similar) meaning as ProDOS 16 (P16) codes, SmartPort codes, and 8-bit ProDOS 8 (P8) Machine Language Interface (MLI) codes. When there is a significant difference, other meanings are shown.

Note 1: Thanks to information supplied by David Empson several early System Failure Code messages (e.g. "File map destroyed") are now considered to be suspect as to accuracy. Yes, some kind of error has occurred; but, as David points out, the messages seem to have been incorrectly copied from Mac with no particular regard to relevance on the IIgs:

For example, all the errors referring to "Can't load a package" make no sense - the IIgs doesn't have any such thing as a package (but early Macintosh system software does). Here is another big clue: error $30 is allegedly "Please insert disk (File Manager alert)". There is no such thing as the "File Manager" on the IIgs, but there is on the Mac."-- David Empson

Basically, it appears that the faulty messages function as defaults (place holders) when more accurate third-party messages are not supplied. The suspect messages may appear; so, they remain in this listing; but, now they are marked.

Error messages marked ** indicate a System Failure message considered to be suspect.

Note 2: Error messages marked **** indicate that a more detailed discussion is available in Question 004.

Error Codes List

0000 No error
0001 GS/OS: bad system call
0001 Tool Locator: dispatcher does not find toolset
0001 P16: System Failure- unclaimed interrupt
0001 P8: Invalid MLI function number
0002 Tool Locator: routine not found
0004 GS/OS: bad parameter count
0004 System Failure- division by zero **
0006 SmartPort: bus error in IWM chip
0007 GS/OS is busy
000A P16: System Failure- unusable Volume Control Block
000B P16: System Failure- unusable File Control Block
000C P16: System Failure- Block Zero allocated illegally
000D P16: System Failure- interrupt occurred while I/O shadowing off
0010 GS/OS: device not found
0010 Tool Locator: specified Version not found
0011 GS/OS: bad device number
0011 P16: System Failure- wrong OS version
0015 System Failure- Segment Loader error **
0017-0024 System Failure- Can't load a package **
0020 GS/OS: invalid driver request
0021 GS/OS: invalid driver control or status code
0022 GS/OS: bad call parameter
0023 GS/OS: character device not open
0024 GS/OS: character device already open
0025 GS/OS: interrupt table full
0025 System Failure- Out of Memory **
0026 GS/OS: resources not available
0026 System Failure- Segment Loader error **
0027 GS/OS: I/O error ****
0027 System Failure- File map destroyed **
0028 GS/OS: no device connected
0028 System Failure- Stack overflow **
0029 GS/OS: driver is busy
002B GS/OS: disk write protected
002C GS/OS: invalid byte count
002D GS/OS: invalid block address
002E GS/OS: disk/volume switched
002F GS/OS: device offline or no disk in drive
0030 System Failure Alert- Please Insert Disk **
0040 GS/OS: bad pathname syntax
0042 GS/OS: max number of files already open
0042 P8: too many files open (can lead to NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE)
0043 GS/OS: bad file reference number
0044 GS/OS: directory not found
0045 GS/OS: volume not found
0046 GS/OS: file not found
0047 GS/OS: duplicate filename/pathname ****
0048 GS/OS: disk/volume full ****
0049 GS/OS: volume directory full ****
004A GS/OS: incompatible file format
004A P8: incompatible ProDOS version
004B GS/OS: unsupported (or incorrect) storage type
004C GS/OS: End Of File encountered
004D GS/OS: position out of range
004D P8: position past End Of File
004E GS/OS: access not allowed
004F GS/OS: buffer too small
0050 GS/OS: file is already open
0051 GS/OS: directory damaged ****
0051 P8: file count is bad
0052 GS/OS: unknown volume type
0053 GS/OS: parameter out of range
0054 GS/OS: out of memory
0055 P8: Volume Control Block table full
0056 P8: bad buffer address (can lead to NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE) ****
0057 GS/OS: duplicate volume name
0058 GS/OS: not a block device
0058 P8: bad volume bit map
0059 GS/OS: file level out of range
005A GS/OS: bad bitmap address (block# too large/ damaged disk) ****
005B GS/OS: invalid pathnames for ChangePath
005C GS/OS: not an executable file
005D GS/OS: Operating system/file system not available
005F GS/OS: too many applications on stack/ stack overflow
0060 GS/OS: data unavailable
0061 GS/OS: end of directory
0062 GS/OS: invalid FST call class
0063 GS/OS: file doesn't have a resource fork
0064 GS/OS: invalid FST ID
0065 GS/OS: invalid FST operation
0066 GS/OS: FST Caution- weird result
0067 GS/OS: device Name error/ internal error
0068 GS/OS: device List full
0069 GS/OS: supervisor List full
006A GS/OS: FST Error (generic)
0070 GS/OS: resource exists, cannot expand file
0071 GS/OS: cannot Add resource to this type file
0088 network error ****
0100 System Failure- can not mount sys startup volume **

0103 [01] TOOL LOCATOR: invalid StartStop record
0104 tool cannot load
0110 specified minimum Version not found
0111 specified message not found
0112 no message numbers available
0113 message name too long
0120 request not accepted
0121 duplicate name
0122 invalid send request

0201 [02] MEMORY MANAGER: could not allocate memory ****
0202 emptyErr
0203 notEmptyErr
0204 lockErr
0205 purgeErr
0206 handleErr
0207 idErr
0208 attrErr

0301 [03] MISCELLANEOUS TOOL SET: bad input parameter
0302 noDevParamErr
0303 taskInstlErr
0304 noSigTaskErr
0305 queueDmgdErr
0306 taskNtFdErr
0307 firmTaskErr
0308 hbQueueBadErr
0309 unCnctdDevErr
030B idTagNtAvlErr
034F mtBuffTooSmall
0381 invalidTag
0382 alreadyInQueue
0390 badTimeVerb
0391 badTimeData

0401 [04] QUICKDRAW II: QD II already initialized
0402 cannotReset
0403 notInitialized
0410 screenReserved
0411 badRect
0420 notEqualChunkiness
0430 rgnAlreadyOpen
0431 rgnNotOpen
0432 rgnScanOverflow
0433 rgnFull
0440 polyAlreadyOpen
0441 polyNotOpen
0442 polyTooBig
0450 badTableNum
0451 badColorNum
0452 badScanLine

0510 [05] DESK MANAGER: Desk Acessory not available
0511 notSysWindow
0512 badNdaTitleString ****
0520 deskBadSelector

0601 [06] EVENT MANAGER: EM startup already called
0602 emResetErr
0603 emNotActErr
0604 emBadEvtCodeErr
0605 emBadBttnNoErr
0606 emQSiz2LrgErr
0607 emNoMemQueueErr
0681 emBadEvtQErr
0682 emBadQHndlErr ****

0810 [08] SOUND: no DOC or RAM found
0811 docAddrRngErr
0812 noSAppInitErr
0813 invalGenNumErr
0814 synthModeErr
0815 genBusyErr
0817 mstrIRQNotAssgnErr
0818 sndAlreadyStrtErr
08FF unclaimedSntIntErr- "UNCLAIMED SOUND INTERRUPT" ****

0910 [09] APPLE DESKTOP BUS: command not completed
0911 cantSync- "FATAL SYSTEM ERROR 0911" ****
0982 adbBusy
0983 devNotAtAddr
0984 srqListFull

0B01 [11] INTEGER MATH: bad input parameter
0B02 imIllegalChar
0B03 imOverflow
0B04 imStrOverflow

0C01 [12] TEXT TOOL SET: illegal device type
0C02 badDevNum
0C03 badMode
0C04 unDefHW
0C05 lostDev
0C06 lostFile
0C07 badTitle
0C08 noRoom
0C09 noDevice
0C0B dupFile
0C0C notClosed
0C0D notOpen
0C0E badFormat
0C0F ringBuffOFlo
0C10 writeProtected
0C40 devErr

0E01 [14] WINDOW MANAGER: parm list first word is wrong size
0E02 allocateErr
0E03 taskMaskErr

0F01 [15] MENU MANAGER: menu started
0F02 menuItemNotFound
0F03 menuNoStruct
0F04 dupMenuID

1001 [16] CONTROL MANAGER: Window Manager not initialized
1002 cmNotInitialized
1003 noCtlInList
1004 noCtlError
1005 notExtendedCtlError
1006 noCtlTargetError
1007 notExtendedCtlError
1008 canNotBeTargetError
1009 noSuchIDError
100A tooFewParmsError
100B noCtlToBeTargetError
100C noFrontWindowError

1101 [17] LOADER: id not found / segment not found
1102 OMF version error ****
1103 idPathnameErr
1104 idNotLoadFile (often: file incompatible with system) ****
1105 idBusyErr
1107 idFilVersErr
1108 idUserIDErr
1109 idSequenceErr
110A idBadRecordErr
110B idForeignSegErr

1210 [18] QUICKDRAW AUX: pic empty
1211 badRectSize
1212 destModeError
121F bad picture opcode
1221 badRect
1222 badMode
1230 badGetSysIconInput

1301 [19] PRINT MANAGER: driver not in DRIVERS folder ****
1302 portNotOn
1303 noPrintRecord
1304 badLaserPrep
1305 badLPFile
1306 papConnNotOpen
1307 papReadWriteErr
1308 ptrConnFailed
1309 badLoadParam
130A callNotSupported
1321 startUpAlreadyMade

1401 [20] LINE EDIT: LE startup already called
1402 leResetErr
1403 leNotActiveErr
1404 leScrapErr

150A [21] DIALOG MANAGER: bad item type
150B newItemFailed
150C itemNotFound
150D notModalDialog

1610 [22] SCRAP MANAGER: scrap type does not exist

1701 [23] STANDARD FILE OPERATIONS: bad prompt description
1702 badOrigNameDesc
1704 badReplyNameDesc
1705 badReplyPathDesc
1706 badCall

1901 [25] NOTE SYNTHESIZER: NS already initialized
1902 nsSndNotInit
1921 nsNotAvail
1922 nsBadGenNum
1923 nsNotInit
1924 nsGenAlreadyOn
1925 soundWrongVer

1A00 [26] NOTE SEQUENCER: no room for MIDI NoteOn
1A01 noCommandErr
1A02 noRoomErr
1A03 startedErr
1A04 noNoteErr
1A05 noStartErr
1A06 instBndsErr
1A07 nsWrongVer

1B01 [27] FONT MANAGER: duplicate FM startup call
1B02 fmResetErr
1B03 fmNotActiveErr
1B04 fmFamNotFndErr
1B05 fmFontNtFndErr
1B06 fmFontMemErr
1B07 fmSysFontErr
1B08 fmBadFamNumErr
1B09 fmBadSizeErr
1B0A fmBadNameErr
1B0B fmMenuErr
1B0C fmScaleSizeErr

1C02 [28] LIST MANAGER: listRejectEvent

1D01 [29] AUDIO COMPRESSION EXPANSION: ACE already started
1D02 aceBadDP
1D03 aceNotActive
1D04 aceNoSuchParam
1D05 aceBadMethod
1D06 aceBadSrc
1D07 aceBadDest
1D08 aceDataOverlap

1E01 [30] RESOURCE MANAGER: resource fork used, not empty
1E02 resBadFormat
1E03 resNoConverter
1E04 resNoCurFile
1E05 resDupID
1E06 resNotFound
1E07 resFileNotFound
1E08 resBadAppID
1E09 resNoUniqueID
1E0A resIndexRange
1E0B resSysIsOpen
1E0C resHasChanged
1E0D resDiffConverter
1E0E resDiskFull
1E0F resInvalidShutDown
1E10 resNameNotFound
1E11 resBadNameVers
1E12 resDupStartUp
1E13 resInvalidTypeOrID

2000 [32] MIDI: MIDI tool set not started
2001 miPacketErr
2002 miArrayErr
2003 miFullbufErr
2004 miToolsErr
2005 miOutOffErr
2007 miNoBufErr
2008 miDriverErr
2009 miBadFreqErr
200A miClockErr
200B miConflictErr
200C miNoDevErr
2080 miDevNotAvail
2081 miDevSlotBusy
2082 miDevBusy
2083 miDevOverrun
2084 miDevNoConnect
2085 miDevReadErr
2086 miDevVersion
2087 miDevIntHndlr

2110 [33] VIDEO OVERLAY: no Video device
2111 vdAlreadyStarted
2112 vdInvalidSelector
2113 vdInvalidParam
21FF vdUnImplemented

2201 [34] TEXT EDIT: TE already started
2202 teNotStarted
2203 teInvalidHandle
2204 teInvalidDescriptor
2205 teInvalidFlag
2206 teInvalidPCount
2208 teBufferOverflow
2209 teInvalidLine
220B teInvalidParameter
220C teInvalidTextBox2
220D teNeedsTools

2301 [35] MIDI SYNTHESIZER: MS already started
2302 msNotStarted
2303 msNoDPMem
2304 msNoMemBlock
2305 msNoMiscTool
2306 msNoSoundTool
2307 msGenInUse
2308 msBadPortNum
2309 msPortBusy
230A msParamRangeErr
230B msMsgQueueFull
230C msRecBufFull
230D msOutputDisabled
230E msMessageError
230F msOutputBufFull
2310 msDriverNotStarted
2311 msDriverAlreadySet
2380 msDevNotAvail
2381 msDevSlotBusy
2382 msDevBusy
2383 msDevOverrun
2384 msDevNoConnect
2385 msDevReadErr
2386 msDevVersion
2387 msDevIntHndlr

2601 [38] MEDIA CONTROLLER: MC unimplemented
2602 mcBadSpeed
2603 mcBadUnitType
2604 mcTimeOutErr
2605 mcNotLoaded
2606 mcBadAudio
2607 mcDevRtnError
2608 mcUnrecStatus
2609 mcBadSelector
260A mcFunnyData
260B mcInvalidPort
260C mcOnlyOnce
260D mcNoResMgr
260E mcItemNotThere
260F mcWasShutDown
2610 mcWasStarted
2611 mcBadChannel
2612 mcInvalidParam
2613 mcCallNotSupported

4201 [66] FINDER: bad input
4202 fErrFailed
4203 fErrCancel
4204 fErrDimmed
4205 fErrBusy
4206 fErrNotPrudent
4207 fErrBadBundle
42FF fErrNotImp

----------------------------

002- How do I activate the IIgs Diagnostic Self-Test; and,
what does Self-Test Error Code ___ mean?

The IIgs self-test is activated by holding down Open-Apple and Option and turning ON the computer. Or, with the computer ON, you can hold down the Open-Apple and Option keys and do a Reset (press Control and Reset).

During the test, the test number (in hexadecimal) is visible on the bottom of the screen followed by six zeros. After all tests are complete, a continuous 6 KHz one-second beep sounds and the screen displays a System Good message.

If a test fails, the screen immediately displays a message "System Bad:" followed by an eight-digit code (in hexadecimal) on the lower left hand side. The code is also displayed staggered in the upper left hand area to help you read it in the event of a display RAM failure. In case there is a video failure, the code is also sent to the printer port.

Example 1: You get the message "System Bad: 05020000"

This indicates failure of Test #05, the Fast Processor Interface Speed Test. The "02" says that the FPI got stuck in Fast mode (i.e. it could not switch to "Normal" Slow speed when asked to). Test #05 does not use the last four digits.

Note: If a ZipGS accelerator card is installed and not disabled
and DIP Switch 1-4 (Defeat Counter Delay) is not set OFF (the
default setting), your GS will bomb on Test 05. John Link reports
that a TransWarp GS with the v1.5 ROM will fail the Speed Test.
In neither case does failure indicate any actual malfunction.

Example 2: You get the message "System Bad: 080200D4"

This indicates failure of Test #08, the Battery RAM Test. The "02" says that there was a problem reading and writing a test value to some address. Next, the "00" says that the test value was $00. "D4" says that the problem occurred with address $D4 in the Bat RAM.

IIgs Diagnostic Self-Test Error Codes

From: a list by Jeff Tarr, Jr., Apple IIgs Technical Reference
by M. Fischer, and IIgs TechNote #095 by Dan Strnad

Error Codes are eight hexadecimal digits in the format 'AABBCCDD'. The first two digits (the "AA" part) always show the test number. The meaning of the remaining six digits depends upon the particular test. (There may be a few differences in the GS diagnostic self-test depending upon ROM version. For example, earlier GS's may not include Test #0C (AA= 0C).)

ROM Test:G
AA= 01 BB= Failed checksum DD= 01: RAM error

Note: A ROM failure will also be denoted by "RM" in the top left
hand corner of the screen.

RAM 1 Test:H
AA= 02 BB= __: Bank number CC= Bit(s) failed
FF: ADB Tool error

Soft Switches:M
AA= 03 BB= State Register bit CC= Read addr. Low Byte

Address Test:K
AA= 04 BB= __: Bank number CCDD= Failed RAM Address
FF: ADB Tool error

Speed Test (FPI):
AA= 05 BB= 01: Stuck slow
02: Stuck fast

Note: If a ZipGS accelerator card is installed and not disabled
and DIP Switch 1-4 (Defeat Counter Delay) is not set OFF (the
default setting), your GS will bomb on Test 05. John Link reports
that a TransWarp GS with the v1.5 ROM will fail the Speed Test.
In neither case does failure indicate any actual malfunction.

Serial Test:1
AA= 06 BB= 01: Register R/W
04: Tx Buffer empty status
05: Tx Buffer empty failure
06: All Sent Status fail
07: Rx Char available
08: Bad data

Clock Test:H
AA= 07 DD= 01: Fatal error occurred - test aborted

Bat RAM Test:F
AA= 08 BB= 01: Addr. unique CC= bad addr
02: NV RAM pattern CC= bad patt DD= bad addr

ADB Test:J
AA= 09 BBCC= Bad checksum DD= 01: Fatal error

Shadow Register:
AA= 0A BB= 01: Text page 1 fail
02: Text page 2 fail
03: ADB Tool call error
04: Power on Clear bit error

Interrupts Test (Mega II and Video Graphics Controller):
AA= 0B BB= 01: VBL interrupt time-out
02: VBL IRQ status full
03: 1/4 sec interrupt
04: 1/4 sec interrupt
06: VGC IRQ
07: Scan line

Note: There are reports that if a ZipGS accelerator card is installed
and not disabled, then, your GS may fail parts of this test depending
upon DIP Switch settings. Such a failure does not necessarily indicate
a hardware fault.

Sound Test:3
AA= 0C DD= 01: RAM data error
02: RAM address error
03: Data register failed
04: Control register failed
05: Oscillator interrupt timeout

Note: If a ZipGS accelerator card is installed and not disabled,
then, depending upon DIP Switch settings, your GS may fail parts
of this test-- such as the Oscillator interrupt timeout check.
Such a failure does not necessarily indicate a hardware fault.

Other
AA= FF (test number= $FF) According to M. Fischer this shows a likely
problem with the Mega II chip because that test number is used only
during manufacturing testing.

____________________________

From: Paul Creager

003- What does RamFAST Fatal Memory Fault Error ___ mean?

$00 Unknown, probably means that the RamFAST is very confused
$01-08 DRAM memory test failure
$09 EPROM checksum failure
$0C Z180 processor crashed, indicates some hardware fault
$0D Error writing cache data to disk
$0E Termination power error

____________________________

004- What is the explanation for getting a ___ error?

0027 (ProDOS Error $27, ...)
0047 (ProDOS Error $47, ...)
0048 or 0049 (e.g. ProDOS Error $48, ...)
004B (ProDOS Error $4B, ...)
0051 (ProDOS Error $51, ...)
005A (ProDOS Error $5A ...)
0088 "network error"
0201 "could not allocate memory" error
0400 (see 0911)
0512 (FATAL SYSTEM ERROR 0512) "badNdaTitleString"
0681 and 0682 "bad event que" and "bad que handler"
0682 "bad que handler"
08FF "UNCLAIMED SOUND INTERRUPT"
0911 and 09010001 (FATAL SYSTEM ERROR 0911)
0C000003 GS Diagnostic Self-Test error
1102 "OMF version error"
1104 "file is not a load file"
1301 "Unknown error $1301"
IIe Self-Test RAM error display
RamFAST-SCSI FATAL MEMORY FAULT CODE=08
RamFAST MLI Error!
RamFAST: RAMFAST.SYSTEM "Incompatible configure.dat"
"CHECK STARTUP DEVICE"
"NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE"
"UNABLE TO EXECUTE BASIC.SYSTEM"
"UNABLE TO LOAD PRODOS"

0027 (ProDOS Error $27, ...)- In trying to access an apple SCSI hard drive hooked up to a GS I keep getting a $27 error!?

This is an I/O error (input/ouput error). It may indicate that there is a problem on the SCSI chain, such as a loose connector, SCSI ID# conflict, absence of termination at the end of the chain, or absence of termination power. Another possibility is that one or more hard disk files have become corrupted. Replacing a few files may fix things; or, you may need to repartition or, even, low-level re-format the hard disk. --Rubywand

-------

0047 (ProDOS Error $47, ...)- A "Duplicate pathname" error indicates that an attempt has been made to create a file which already exists or to rename a file to one which already exists-- i.e. the full pathname of a new or renamed file equals the full pathname of a file which already exists.

Note that it is okay to have a file or folder named, say, "PICS" inside a folder named "PICS"; and, you can have files named "PICS" in different folders. Also, ProDOS will permit overwriting a file with a file with the same name so long as the original and replacement file have the same filetype.

What ProDOS does not like is an operation which tries to _create_ a file or folder whose _full_ _ pathname_ is the same as an existing file or folder. For example, you cannot create a "GAMES" folder on /RAM5 (i.e. /RAM5/GAMES) if there is already a file or folder there named "GAMES"-- i.e. one whose pathname is /RAM5/GAMES.

This error might easily occur when running a self-extracting file if the self-extracing file has a name which matches the name of a contained file-- a solution for this problem would be to rename the self-extracting file. A more general solution for duplicate name creation is to create a new folder and use the extraction utility (e.g. ShrinkIt-GS), instead of doing a self-extraction, to extract files from the source file to the folder. --Rubywand

-------

0048 or 0049 (e.g. ProDOS Error $48, ...)- Error $48, of course, means "volume full"-- you are out of space on the target volume. Unfortunately, "volume full" is, sometimes, incorrectly reported when the actual problem is too many entries in the volume's main directory. (see below)

A $49 "volume directory full" error means the main or "root" directory of the target volume has 51 entries and that an attempt has been made to create a 52nd entry. When it is incorrectly reported as "volume full" it can be very confusing to a user who CATALOGs the volume and discovers plenty of free blocks. The solution is to move some of the files in the main directory to folders. Only a volume's main directory has this low limit on number of entries. You can have many more than 51 files in a folder
.. --Rubywand

-------

004B (ProDOS Error $4B, ...)- is an "unsupported (or incorrect) storage type" error. I suspect you are on the GS and that the game or whatever you are trying to run is supposed to have a forked file and now the program can not find it. This has happend to me when Dragging files around. I recommend you recopy the game from your original disk, or re-unShrinkIt to the location you wish it be. If you believe a file may have a resource fork, avoid copying it with Copy-II Plus or moving it around on the GS des
ktop under an old operating system-- either process could result in losing the resource part of the file. --thedm

-------

0051 (ProDOS Error $51, ...)- My 3.5 copy of AppleWorks 3 said "Error loading ATINIT" (on my //c, no less), so I tried using Copy ][+ 9.1 to copy ProDOS 2.0.3 over the top of the apparently broken copy of ProDOS 1.7 on the AppleWorks disk. It then ran the drive, cleared the screen, and informed me so: Error $51. Does anybody know what the heck this means?

The error indicates the directory is damaged. You MIGHT be able to salvage stuff by doing a FILE copy, rather than a disk copy. --Jim Lowe

-------

005A (ProDOS Error $5A ...)- Today, I discovered that one of my Appleworks files had been overwritten by nulls. Luckily, I have a backup copy of that file. When I tried to delete the bad file and rename the backup I got ProDOS error $5A. Any insight into what this error message means and what I can do about it?

Error $5A "block number out of range" (sometimes known as "baked bit- map") means there's a bit set in the bit map which corresponds to a nonexistent block on that volume. You could try taking a block editor and writing zeroes to the upper bit map blocks on the volume to cure it. --Randy Shackelford

-------

0088 "network error"- Can anyone enlighten me as to why Copy-II Plus and ProSel-8 are unable to work with a network volume that the Apple utility (and plain-old Basic) has no trouble with?

Simple answer. Copy-II Plus and ProSel-8 bypass the file system and do direct block I/O to disk volumes. This is verboten with server volumes, and you get error $88 for your trouble when you try. You'll have to use network friendly apps whenever you access the server volume. --Randy Shackelford

-------

0201 "could not allocate memory" error- After using the installer to install the basic Sys6 over Sys 5.04 on my hard drive, I couldnt run a ProDOS-8 program. Before the ProDOS 2.0.1 sign comes up, it says "Error $201". I have more than 4MB! What's wrong?

A $0201 error when switching to ProDOS-8 usually means some utility has left part of bank 0 or bank 1 allocated. You have enough memory free, but some particular memory that ProDOS 8 needs is not available.

I have seen occasional $0201's after using Find File 1.0 (included with 6.0) before switching to ProDOS-8. --Dave Lyons

-------

O512 (FATAL SYSTEM ERROR 0512) "badNdaTitleString"-- comes from FixAppleMenu (in the Desk Manager). It means that one of your installed New Desk Accessories does not have a well-formed menu title string. In particular, the required backslash (\) character was not found (make sure bit seven is off). --IIgs TechNotes

-------

0681 and 0682 "bad event que" and "bad que handler"-- What do these error codes mean? How does the GS determine if an error is FATAL (as in FATAL SYSTEM ERROR)???

The errors are 'Event Manager errors'. A key press and mouse button press are examples of "events". The errors indicate a record of events was messed up. One of many places this might occur is while you are typing-in text. "FATAL" usually means that System believes that things are so messed up in memory that restarting is necessary. Sometimes, "FATAL" means that System suspects that there may be a hardware failure. --Rubywand

-------

0682 "bad que handler"-- My IIgs crashes with a Fatal Error $0682 whenever I have my expansion memory card plugged in and try to access the Control Panel. Also the Alternate Display mode seems to be missing and stuff won't boot. What's wrong?

Error $0682 indicates a data structure maintained by the Event Manager is corrupted. It is either the Event Queue itself, or something related to it. The most common cause for this is buggy software which has overwritten memory.

The second most common cause is a faulty or incorrectly configured memory expansion card (or bad RAM on that card). The event queue normally lives near the top of "fast" memory, so it is always located in the memory expansion card if you have one.

Similarly, the list of items in the Desk Accessories menu is in RAM, so lack of Alternate Display Mode points to memory corruption of some kind. -- David Empson

-------

08FF "UNCLAIMED SOUND INTERRUPT"-- A sound interrupt has occurred but none of the available interrupt handlers were willing to deal with it. The Sound tool set thinks this is pretty serious; so, it notifies the System Failure Manager and you get the error message. A possible cause is that the table of interrupt vectors or the pointer to the table has been messed up in memory. --Rubywand

-------

0911 and 09010001 (FATAL SYSTEM ERROR 0911); was error number 0400 on ROM-00 machines. Fatal System Error 0911 and Diagnostic Self-Test error code 09010001 mean the same thing: You are experiencing an ADB "can't sync" problem which, usually, seems to relate to a hardware malfunction.

See Csa2HDWHACK.txt for more discussion and possible fixes.

--Rubywand, David Kopper, Guenther Unger, Gabriel Hawkins, Michael Mahon

-------

0C000003 GS Diagnostic Self-Test error/ Sound Test: Data register failed

There is one possible reason for this failure code being reported by the self- test: do you have a ZIP GS accelerator in the machine? The ZIP GS, if enabled, causes the IIgs to fail some of its self-tests (only because the tests are relying on the speed at which the processor normally operates, and get confused because the CPU is running faster than expected). If this is the case, you must turn off the computer and disable the ZIP GS by setting switch 1-6 OFF before you can run the self-test properly. --
David Empson

-------

1102 "OMF version error"- When trying to launch some GS programs I am encountering the following error message:

Sorry, system error $1102 occurred while trying to run the next application. Return to launching application or restart system.

So, whats wrong with my IIgs and how do I fix it?

Probably, there is nothing wrong with your IIgs. The "incompatible Object Module Format" error appears to indicate that your versions of the problem programs are, in some ways, not compatible with your operating system. Try launching the program from an earlier version of System or after booting an old "ProDOS-16" diskette. --Rubywand

-------

1104 "file is not a load file"- I downloaded some GS Desk Accessories fine; but, when I try to use them I get this error. How come?

Error $1104 is reported by tool $0B11 LoadSegNum (tool $0B in toolset $11). The error is reported if a check of a file's directory entry shows that the file is not file type $B3-$BE.

If an NDA or CDA were downloaded and its file type were not preserved, then the file might be okay, but it would not be recognized as a load file. Try changing the file type ($B9 for a CDA; $B8 for an NDA). An NDA named "File.Manager" by Jeff Hartkopf and Glen Bredon's ProSel-16 are two utilities that allow changing file type. --Rubywand

-------

1301 "Unknown error $1301"- When I tried to open a file in Platinum Paint, I got this error message. What's wrong?

I got the same error message when I tried to run Platinum Paint with Bernie ][ The Rescue on a G3 Power Mac. The error code refers to a missing driver; but, even if the correct printer driver is present, what Platinum Paint really wants is for the D C Printer Control Panel settings to be correct. --Jim Pittman

-------

IIe Self-Test RAM error display: RAM 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- I get this error message when doing a selftest on my //e enhanced boot up. What's it mean?

The indication is a bad or loose RAM chip in the Bit 6 position. The RAM chips are in Row F at the front of the motherboard starting with Bit 0 and running to the right when viewed from the front of the computer.

| Row
| E
| Bit 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
| Row | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| F |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |
| IC# 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 |
|_________________________________________________ _____|

Front of Apple IIe

If your RAM chips are in sockets, try removing and re-socketing the second chip from the right. If this does not work or if your chips are soldered in place, the chip is probably bad and will need to be replaced. -- Rubywand

-------

RAMFAST-SCSI FATAL MEMORY FAULT CODE=08- Could it be a problem with my SSCI card?

It looks like RamFAST thinks there is a problem with the on-board memory. Before calling Alltech, you might try pulling the board from the Slot-- do this only with GS power turned OFF-- and wedging-up and re-seating each memory IC. (This assumes the mem IC's are socketed.) If you're not sure which IC's are memory chips, do them all. Re-seating the IC's may reestablish a pin- to-socket contact which has been broken due to oxidation coating on an IC pin or due to the IC working loose over time. --Rubyw
and

-------

RamFAST MLI Error!
Command: 04-03 86 00 60 05 00 00 00 00
Status: 2F

I have a new 530MB hard drive, and a ROM 03 GS with a RamFAST (ROM F, I think). From the Ramfast utilities, I could do a low-level format on the drive with no problem. However, when I attempted to partition it, I saw the error message listed above.

As it turns out, this drive has a place for a jumper documented to "Disable TI Negotiation." Before giving up all hope, I put a jumper in there. This apparently made it possible to partition the disk, and things look good now. -- John David Duncan

-------

RamFAST: RAMFAST.SYSTEM "Incompatible configure.dat"- My 10 year old came to me this weekend upset because of something that's happened to his GS. When he boots it up, he is getting a message about an incompatible configure.dat file, then ends up in the ramfast scsi utility!?

If the GS ends up displaying the RamFAST.System screen, and "Incompatible ..." message, click on the error message to clear it and then click Options. Set these according to your system-- mainly, click TransWarp to "No" if you do not have a TransWarp installed. Probably, you will want Password, RomDISK, HD Backup, and Short Timeout set to "No", as well. (You can experiment with Short Timeout and DMA; but, for now, set them to "No".) The other options should be "Yes".

Click Save, then Quit. If you get the <> prompt, click it. If you end up looking at a BASIC prompt, try entering PR#7 (assuming your SCSI interface is in Slot 7) to see if the hard disk will boot.

If either of the above gets you into the Finder where you can copy files, then you will have a way to make backups.

To check that the config has been correctly written to hard disk you will need to turn OFF the machine. (i.e. from the Finder, do a Shutdown and then turn OFF the GS.)

After 10-20 seconds, turn ON the computer and see if it boots correctly. If it does, fine. If it does not, you may have to reformat the hard disk. -- Rubywand

-------

"CHECK STARTUP DEVICE" - Why do I get this message when I try to boot a disk?

This error message usually means that there is no diskette in the boot drive, the drive door is not closed, or that the disk is not bootable. On a system which has several drives-- e.g. 3.5" and 5.25" drives and/or a hard disk-- the message indicates that no bootable disk was found on any of the drives tried.

If you know that a bootable disk is present, the indication is a problem with the drive (see Q&A above) or with the drive controller (which may be a card plugged into a Slot) or with a cable connecting the drive or with settings which affect recognition of the drive with a bootable disk.

The problem may be that the bootable disk is not detected because the IIgs Control Panel is not set correctly-- e.g. the Startup Slot is set below the number of the Slot associated with the drive and/or the Slot with an interface card is not set to "Your Card". Note: After changing a Slot setting in the Control Panel, especially for a SCSI interface, it may be necessary to turn Off the computer and do a fresh power-up for the new setting to be in effect.

If the expectation is to boot from /RAM5 RAM disk, make sure that /RAM5 is initialized before copying files to it. (/RAM5 is normally automatically formatted as a ProDOS volume when you first power up; but, it will not have the required boot block unless it is initialized or unless you do a whole-disk copy to /RAM5 of a bootable disk.) --Rubywand

-------

"NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE" error message. What does this mean?

This message often indicates that there has been an attempt to load into an area protected by ProDOS. For example, many old DOS 3.3 programs like to directly load a text message or lo-res pic into Text Page 1 ($400-$7FF), an area protected by ProDOS. Running such a program under ProDOS would be likely to produce the "NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE" message. You can recover from the error via a CALL48888. --Rubywand

-------

"UNABLE TO EXECUTE BASIC.SYSTEM" - Why do I get this message when I boot a ProDOS disk?

BASIC.SYSTEM has been loaded; but, startup code has detected one of two conditions:

o- It did not find a $4C at $E000 (which it takes to mean Integer BASIC
may be installed).

o- It did not find at least 64K of RAM.

The usual reason for getting this error message is that ProDOS with BASIC.SYSTEM has been booted on a 48K or smaller Apple II; or, the Apple II has a faulty Language Card (try re-seating IC's on the card). --Sandy Mossberg, Rubywand

-------

"UNABLE TO LOAD PRODOS" - Why do I get this message when I try to boot a ProDOS diskette?

For a ProDOS disk to boot properly, you need a good copy of the PRODOS file. It can be copied from any bootable ProDOS diskette. Or, from IIgs System, copy the file named "P8" (in the SYSTEM/ folder) to your diskette and rename it to "PRODOS". --Adam Myrow

The error message means that enough of boot track (e.g. Track 0) was read to tell that the disk is formatted for ProDOS; but, for some reason, the system file named "PRODOS" is failing to load. Possibly, PRODOS is not present on the disk or the file is corrupted or there is a problem with the drive which prevents reading the file.

If the disk boots okay from a different drive, this usually indicates that your original drive has dirty heads, may be poorly connected, has a problem with head alignment, or (5.25") needs a speed adjustment. If the disk is a 5.25" diskette created on a newer model 5.25" ("40-track") drive, it may be an HD (high-density) diskette. Standard Apple 5.25" drives cannot reliably read HD diskettes-- see the Diskettes FAQs page. --Rubywand

____________________________

From: Rubywand

005- Where can I find more information on Apple II series errors?

Resources & Credits

IIgs Diagnostic
Jeff Tarr, Jr.
Apple IIgs Technical Reference by M. Fischer (pg. 213-217)
IIgs TechNotes #95: ROM Diagnostic Errors by Dan Strnad Sep, 1990

GS/OS
Apple IIGS GS/OS Reference (pg. 438-439).
For info on Expressload and System Loader refer to pg. 200-234.

ProDOS 16 and System Loader
Apple IIgs ProDOS 16 Reference (pg. 302-311)

ProDOS 8
ProDOS Technical Reference Manual (pg. 77-79)
Beneath Apple ProDOS by Worth & Lechner (pg. 6.59-6.61)

RamFAST
Paul Creager (wily@svpal.svpal.org)

SmartPort
Apple IIGS Firmware Reference (pg. 156).

Tool Sets
Volumes 1-3 of the Apple IIGS Toolbox Reference set.

A good on-screen listing of errors encountered on the IIgs (plus lots of other toolbox, softswitch, etc. info) is available via Dave Lyons's NiftyList CDA package ($15, Shareware). Another good on-screen list is Jeff Tarr Jr.'s ErrorCodes CDA v1.7 ($5, Shareware).

Applesoft, DOS 3.3, ProDOS BASIC.SYSTEM, and ErrorWindow error codes are not listed because errors are reported directly in text messages. For codes and descriptions see ...

Applesoft
Basic Programming Reference Manual (pg. 81)

DOS 3.3
The DOS Manual (pg. 114-115)
Beneath Apple DOS by Worth & Lechner (pg. 8.20)

BASIC.SYSTEM
Exploring Apple GS/OS and ProDOS 8 by Little (pg. 249)

ErrorWindow
'Toolbox Reference: Volume 3 (pg. 52.53-52.56)

____________________________

Search Help

IIgs Diagnostic Self-Test --> look for "IIgs Self-Test"
IIe Diagnostic Self-Test --> look for "IIe Self-Test"
//e Diagnostic Self-Test --> look for "IIe Self-Test"

Database Administrator · #5 07-05-2008, 01:07 AM

Archive-name: apple2/faq/part6
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/06/01
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2008. Administrator: Steve Nelson

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2DOSMM.txt rev123 June 2008

DOS & ProDOS

001- What is a "DOS"?
002- What DOS's are available on Apple II computers?
003- Are there any faster better versions of DOS 3.3?
004- What commands are available in DOS 3.3?
005- How do I use DOS commands from the keyboard? a program?
006- How do I use variables in a DOS command?
007- How do I create new DOS 3.3 diskettes?
008- How much storage space is on a 5.25" diskette?
009- Can I format a DOS 3.3 diskette for just data storage?
010- What is the "Volume Table of Contents" or "VTOC"?
011- Can I assign names to my DOS 3.3 diskettes?
012- What does it mean to "Boot" a disk?
013- What file types does DOS 3.3 have
014- What do the entries in a DOS 3.3 Catalog display mean?
015- Re. DOS 3.3 file names: How long? What characters are legal?
016- How can I use DOS 3.3 to read/write sectors from machine code?
017- How many 'official' versions of DOS 3.3 are there?
018- How can I find out the address and size of a BLOADed file?
019- What information is included in the VTOC and Catalog sectors?
020- How does DOS 3.3 remember which sectors are used?
021- What are the formats of DOS 3.3's main file types?
022- How can I run DOS 3.3 programs from 3.5" disks and hard disk?
023- How can I get DOS 3.3 from the net without an A2 tcom utility?
024- What is ProDOS?
025- What are ProDOS's major features?
026- Which Apple II's can run which versions of ProDOS?
027- How can I create bootable ProDOS diskettes?
028- How do I make a ProDOS disk that will boot and start a BASIC program?
029- What is the maximum size of a ProDOS volume?
030- How do I LOAD, SAVE, etc. files under ProDOS?
031- What is a "pathname"?
032- What is the default volume and folder when ProDOS boots?
033- How can I set default volume and folder under ProDOS?
034- How can I discover the volume name of a just booted disk?
035- How do I create a folder?
036- How can I access ProDOS routines from machine language?
037- How can I convert DOS 3.3 wares to run under ProDOS?
038- How can I modify ProDOS to do BLOADs to Text Page 1?
039- How can I boot ProDOS on my Franklin computer?
040- What are some good DOS 3.3 and ProDOS references?
041- How can a BASIC program tell which DOS it's running under?

From: Rubywand

001- What is a "DOS"?

"DOS" means "Disk Operating System". A DOS is a collection of machine language routines and data which lets a computer Read and Write information to/from disk. A DOS also includes commands, such as SAVE and LOAD, which you can use to create and access files on disk.

Apple II DOS, Commodore 64 DOS, and the DOS used on PC's are all called "DOS"; but, they are different systems. Their commands are similar, sometimes identical, because what users want to do with disks is about the same whatever the computer. However, the way each DOS arranges and keeps track of data on disk is very different. You will not, for example, be able to read files from a C-64 diskette on your Apple II running under DOS 3.3.

----------------------------

002- What DOS's are available on Apple II computers?

DOS 3.3 is the first DOS to be widely used on Apple II computers. Many programs were written to use DOS 3.3 commands and saved on DOS 3.3 diskettes. Apple 'officially' replaced DOS 3.3 with ProDOS back in the early '80's. However, DOS 3.3 continues to be popular with II users. To get DOS 3.3 from the net, see Csa21MAIN4: Get It- Links to popular software packages.

Another Apple II DOS is the one introduced with Apple Pascal. Compared to DOS 3.3 or ProDOS, the Apple Pascal DOS is a very limited, cumbersome operating system.

----------------------------

003- DOS 3.3 seems kind of slow. Are there any faster
better versions of DOS 3.3?

Yes. Today, most "DOS 3.3 users" do not actually use DOS 3.3. Long ago, Beagle Bros introduced patches which resulted in much better speed, freed-up extra disk space, and added a CATALOG command which shows number of Free Sectors. Their Prontodos or some modification of it is, for practical purposes, the "current version" of DOS 3.3.

ES DOS ][ adds a few mods to Prontodos. CATALOG shows Free Sectors and Number of Tracks and it scrolls the entire Catalog (scrolling stopped by pressing any key) instead of stopping when the screen is full. ES DOS ][ also lets you use the semi-colon as a terminating 'wildcard' character. This DOS includes a CATALOG fix to show correct size of files bigger than 255 sectors.

Other popular, higher speed versions of DOS 3.3 include David DOS and Diversi-DOS; and, there are several small, special-purpose versions of DOS 3.3. (For example, one game maker used RDOS to save space and to make its diskettes harder to copy.) Below is a chart which compares speed and features for standard and speeded versions of DOS 3.3.

BLOAD Time Does Large Files Frees 15 Disp Free Error
Test*** INIT CATALOG fix Sectors Sectors Msg

Std DOS 3.3**- 8.9 sec Yes No No No Yes
DavidDOS- 2.8 sec No Yes No Yes Yes
DiversiDOS- 2.9 sec Yes Yes No Yes err#
EsDOS- 2.3 sec Yes Yes Yes Yes abbr*
ProntoDOS v1- 3.0 sec Yes No Yes No Yes
ProntoDOS v2- 3.0 sec Yes No Yes Yes Yes

* abbr: shows abbreviated error messages
** 1980-1983 versions
*** time to BLOAD MUFFIN from the 1983 DOS 3.3 System Master disk

You can get standard and high-speed DOS 3.3's from a number of places on the net. See Csa21MAIN4: Get It- Links to popular software packages.

----------------------------

004- What commands are available in DOS 3.3?

To get very far with "DOS 3.3" you will need the DOS Manual. This is especially true when it comes to using TEXT files. Other good sources of DOS 3.3 info include _Beneath Apple DOS_ and _Apple II User's Guide_. For now, the following is a quickie guide to most Apple II DOS 3.3 commands:

LOAD NARF- loads a BASIC file named NARF.

SAVE NARF- saves current BASIC program in memory as file named NARF.

DELETE NARF - deletes file named NARF

CATALOG - lists contents of diskette to screen

RENAME NARF, NEWNARF - renames file NARF to NEWNARF

RUN NARF- loads and starts a BASIC file named NARF.

BLOAD NARF.PICTURE, A$2000 - loads in a binary file named NARF.PICTURE starting at address $2000.

note: $2000 is a hexadecimal number ($2000 = 8192 in decimal). DOS commands can use hex or decimal numbers.

BSAVE NARF, A$300, L$7F - saves $7F bytes of memory starting at address $300 as a binary file named NARF. (BSAVE NARF, A768, L127 uses decimal numbers to do the same thing.)

note: The above command statement illustrates typical DOS syntax ...

BSAVE-- the DOS command

NARF-- the file name (the space between the command and file name
is not a requirement; BSAVENARF is okay)

,-- a comma to separate file name from parms which follow

A-- means an Address follows

$300-- the address from which you want to start saving bytes (the $
indicates a hex value; $300= 768). Again, spaces do not matter;
A768, A 768, A $ 300 are all okay

,-- a comma to separate one parm from another

L-- means a Length follows

$7F-- the length in hex (= 127); this is the number of bytes to be saved

The command statement says Save $7F bytes, starting at address $300, to a file named "NARF". NARF will have the bytes found at addresses $300 through $37E.

note: The order of parms following a file name does not matter.

BRUN NARF.DISP, A$1000 - loads in a binary file named NARF.DISP starting at address $1000 and starts executing machine instructions at address $1000

LOCK NARF- locks file NARF (indicated by * in a CATALOG). LOCKed files cannot be deleted, over-written, etc.

UNLOCK NARF - cancels LOCKed status of NARF.

VERIFY NARF - uses checksums to verify that NARF is not a damaged file

MON C, I, O - tells DOS to display Commands, Inputs from disk, Outputs to disk. You can specify one, two, or all three (e.g. MON C, O etc.).

NOMON C, I, O - cancels all MON requests. NOMON I cancels just the "I" request.

MAXFILES 7 - sets the number of file buffers to 7. (Upon booting DOS, the default for the MAXFILES value is 3.)

PR#1 - sets the destination for Apple outputs to the device in Slot 1 (usually a printer). PR# 3 sets it to Slot 3, etc.. PR# 0 sets the destination back to the display screen.

PR#6 - normally, boots the diskette in Drive 1, Slot 6.

IN# 6 - sets the source for Apple inputs to the device in Slot 6.

IN# 0 - sets the source for Apple inputs to the keyboard (default).

INT - (integer) puts system into Integer BASIC if it is present.

FP - (floating point) puts system into standard Applesoft BASIC.

OPEN NARFOO - prepares to read or write a TEXT file named NARFOO.

READ NARFOO - tells DOS that INPUT and GET statements will obtain characters from a TEXT file named NARFOO.

WRITE NARFOO - tells DOS that PRINTed characters will go to a TEXT file named NARFOO.

CLOSE NARFOO - used to terminate access to a TEXT file named NARFOO. Just CLOSE terminates access to all OPENed TEXT files.

EXEC NARFGO - tells DOS to execute the BASIC and DOS commands found in a TEXT file named NARFGO

The above TEXT file commands handle 'normal' sequential TEXT files. DOS can also OPEN, READ, WRITE, ... random access TEXT files. (See DOS manual.)

Most DOS commands also let you specify Drive and/or Slot. For example CATALOG, D2 lists the contents of the diskette in Drive 2 to screen. SAVE NARF,S5,D2 saves NARF to Drive 2 in Slot 5.

NOTE --> Using Drive or Slot parms in a DOS command sets the default Drive or Slot. So, after CATALOG, D2, a plain LOAD or SAVE will access Drive 2.

----------------------------

005- How do I use DOS commands from the keyboard? ... from a program?

To use a DOS command from the keyboard, type it in. (A few commands can be issued only from a program.) To use a DOS command in a program enclose it in quotes preceded by PRINT CHR$(4). For example:

100 PRINT CHR$(4) "BLOAD NARF, A$2000"

----------------------------

006- How do I use variables, say for file length, in a DOS command?

Use variables in a command this way:

120 PRINT CHR$(4) "BSAVE NARF, A$2000, L"; NB

Line 120 says that the Length of NARF is the value of variable NB. NB is used here to represent the number of bytes (in decimal) to be saved.

----------------------------

007- How do I create new DOS 3.3 diskettes?

One of the best features of DOS 3.3 is that any bootable DOS diskette can create other bootable diskettes.

INIT HELLO - formats one side of the diskette in the currently active drive, adds DOS, and saves the current program as HELLO.

The program that's automatically placed on the new diskette is the one in memory when INIT is executed. It is called the "greeting program" or "hello program" because it is the program which will be run when the diskette is booted. Usually, the program is named HELLO; but, you can INIT HOWDY, or any name you like. The hello program can be very simple, such as ...

100 PRINT CHR$(4) "CATALOG"
110 END

You are free to load in and change the hello program or even delete it, just like any other. The one restriction is that once a diskette is INITed, the name of the hello program is fixed for that diskette unless you use a utility (like Copy II+) to make a change. This is why it's a good idea to stick with the name HELLO. You will always know what the hello program's name is.

Once a diskette is INITed it can be used to store your programs and data files.

----------------------------

008- How much storage space is on a newly INITialized 5.25" diskette?

A standard DOS 3.3 diskette has 35 Tracks. Each Track contains 16 256- byte Sectors. This gives 35 x 16 x 256 = 143360 bytes per side. Current versions of DOS 3.3-- e.g. Prontodos, etc.-- use Track 0 and Track 1 plus a sector on Track 2 for DOS; and, Track 17 is used for holding the Catalog of files and other disk information. This leaves roughly 130k bytes per side free for your HELLO program and other files.

By the way, when it comes to the way it is stored on-disk, DOS 3.3 is not like the PC's MSDOS or Apple's ProDOS. DOS 3.3 is 'hidden' on reserved tracks, mainly Tracks 0 and 1. There is no "DOS 3.3" file which will show up on a CATALOG.

----------------------------

009- On my PC I can FORMAT diskettes with or without adding the
operating system. Can I format a DOS 3.3 diskette for just
data storage? -- i.e. without adding DOS or a HELLO program?

Yes. DOS 3.3 does not have a plain "FORMAT" command; but, you can use utilities such as Copy II+ to easily format a diskette without adding DOS or a HELLO program.

A format will create 35 Tracks of 16 256-byte sectors each and verify that each Track is good. Then, it will allocate the Catalog track and create a disk info record called the "Volume Table of Contents" or "VTOC".

----------------------------

010- What is the "Volume Table of Contents" or "VTOC"?

The VTOC is a Sector which stores such basic information as Number of Tracks, Sectors per Track, DOS version, ..., and the 'map' of used/un-used Sectors. DOS 3.3 writes the VTOC at Track 17, Sector 0. (For more details on VTOC content see Question 019.)

----------------------------

011- Can I assign names to my DOS 3.3 diskettes?

DOS 3.3 has no way to name a diskette "NARF", "DISK 100", "DATA DISK ", etc. which DOS will recognize. You can, however, 'name' a diskette by giving it a Volume Number in the range 1-255.

Volume Number is set at the time a diskette is initialized. For example ...

INIT HELLO, V19

INITs a diskette as Volume 19. If no number is specified, the default Volume Number used by INIT is 254.

Several DOS commands can specify a Volume Number in order to decide whether a diskette is the right one for some application.

LOAD NARF, D2, V5 ... for example, will not load NARF from Drive 2 unless the diskette's Volume Number is 5.

A few early pieces of commercial software used Volume numbering; and, new users often like to Volume number their diskettes. In practice, this turns out to be a bad idea. A diskette with any Volume Number except the default (254) is often difficult to work with via standard utilities. Also, once a diskette is INITed for a certain Volume Number, changing the number is difficult because Volume Number is embedded in each Sector. (i.e. You'll end up having to copy every file to another diskette and, then,
re-INITing the source diskette to the new Volume Number.)

Besides, there's an easy way to give descriptive names to your DOS 3.3 diskettes which will not interfer with normal access. Just write the name ("GAMES DISK ONE", or whatever) to a Text file named, say, "DISK.ID".

DOS 3.3 will not know about the name or show it in a CATALOG. However, your programs will be able to find out the name by just reading DISK.ID.

----------------------------

012- What does it mean to "Boot" a disk?

BOOT comes from the idea of 'pulling yourself up by your bootstraps'. The Apple II disk controller ROM has just enough smarts to load-in DOS's Bootstrap Loader from Track 0, Sector 0 (it comes in at address $800 ...).

The Loader loads in a still smarter, bigger routine from several sectors of Track 0. This routine is the one which loads in the rest of DOS, moves it to the proper place in memory, and ends up going to DOS's Cold Start routine. Finally, the hello program is loaded and executed.

----------------------------

013- What file types does DOS 3.3 have and how is file
type information saved in the Catalog?

In a DOS 3.3 Catalog sector, the third byte in each file's entry tells the type of the file:

Byte Value* File Type
00 Text
01 Integer BASIC
02 AppleSoft BASIC
04 Binary
08 S type
10 R: Relocatable object module
20 new A type
40 new B type

*DOS 3.3 sets bit 7 of the byte if the file is locked. (e.g. 84 --> a locked Binary file)

Type R files show up in just a few applications. An R file begins with 6 bytes which a "loader" routine can use to tell the Target location of file contents, How many bytes to move, and Source location to move from.

Although S, new A, and new B are included, no official application was defined for them and no DOS commands were created to make any special use of these files.

----------------------------

from David Empson

There was an "R" type relocating loader included with the toolkit for use with BASIC programs and relocatable routines being loaded into upper memory.

"S" was used by some programs for a generic image file, or something that was not likely to be touchable with normal code.

The LISA assembler used the second "B" type for its source files. It had a patched version of DOS that changed the file type list to read "LARSBAIT", so the source files appeared in the catalog as "L" if you booted LISA, or "B" if you booted a normal disk.

The "B", "A", "R" and "S" special file types cannot be accessed by BASIC programs (unless you patch DOS) - commands are only provided for dealing with "B", "A", "I" and "T" files.

The four special types can only be accessed using direct calls to the File Manager.

____________________________

From: Dave Althoff, Jr.

014- What do the entries in a DOS 3.3 Catalog display mean?

A standard DOS 3.3 Catalog display looks something like this:

DISK VOLUME 254
*A 002 HELLO
B 033 TETRA/SOFT LOGO.BIN
T 142 DAVE'S LIST OF DOS COMMANDS
I 002 INTEGER BASIC PROGRAM
^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|| ||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|| ||| |___________________________________Filename
|| |_______________________________________File length (in Sectors)
||_________________________________________File type
|________________________________________* means the file is locked

-----------------------------

015- How long can a DOS 3.3 file name be and what characters
can it include?

DOS 3.3 filenames may be up to 30 characters long, and must conform to the following restrictions:

a. The first character must have an ASCII code value greater than 63. This excludes numerals, SPACE, and most punctuation. The "@" character is allowed as well as letters, and some special chars such as "]", "~", "_", and a few others.

b. Commas and colons may not be used at all. Apart from these restrictions, anything goes. All kinds of characters, including uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbols, and CONTROL characters can be used after the first character.

____________________________

From: Andy McFadden

016- How can I use DOS 3.3 to read and write sectors from machine code?

DOS 3.3 works like this:

JSR $3E3 ;get address of RWTS IOB (low in Y, high in A)

(you can either change the stuff that Y/A point to, or set up
your own IOB and skip the call to $3E3)

JSR $3D9 ;call RWTS (with IOB address in Y/A)

The IOB (Input/Output Block) is small but non-trivial. Here's what Beneath Apple DOS says:

$00 table type (always $01)
$01 slot *16
$02 drive (1 or 2)
$03 volume expected ($00 for any)
$04 track ($0-$22)
$05 sector ($0-$0f)
$06-07 address (lo/hi) of the Device Characteristics Table
$08-09 address (lo/hi) of the 256 byte buffer for read/write
$0A not used
$0B byte count for partial sector ($00 for 256 bytes)
$0C command code (0=seek, 1=read, 2=write, 4=format)
$0D return code (carry set on error):

$00 = no errors
$08 = error during initialization
$10 = write protect error
$20 = volume mismatch error
$40 = drive error
$80 = read error (obsolete)

$0E volume number of last access (must be initialized)
$0F slot number of last access *16 (must be initialized)
$10 drive number of last access (must be initialized)

Device characteristics table:

$00 device type (should be $00 for DiskII)
$01 phases per track (should be $01 for DiskII)
$02-03 motor on time count (should be $EFD8 for DiskII)

NOTE: RWTS uses zero-page location $48, which is also used by the Apple monitor to hold the P-register value. Location $48 should be set to zero after each call to RWTS.

____________________________

From: Edhel Iaur, Esq.

017- How many 'official' versions of DOS 3.3 are there
and how can I tell which is running?

According to The Dostalk Scrapbook, there are 3 official (as in Apple made 'em, I think) versions of DOS 3.3. PEEK (46725) supposedly tells you which is running:

165: oldest (1980)
186: better (January 1, 1983)
182: latest (?)

I remember one had something to do with the way text files are handled.

----------------------------

From: Dave Althoff

The second version would be the IIe release ("DOS 3.3e") which contains yet another APPEND patch, and an additional bit of code which shuts off the 80- column firmware during boot. That version comes on a new System Master which uses the LOADER.OBJ0 program to fast-load INTBASIC (or FPBASIC), and a revised "HELLO" program which displays the "BE SURE CAPS LOCK IS DOWN" reminder on a IIe.

----------------------------

From: Rubywand and Olcott

One big problem with DOS 3.3e (and, probably, any later versions) is that it uses some memory in the DOS area which the 1980 release leaves alone. This means it can not be safely patched with Beagle's "Prontodos" speed-up mods.

With DOS 3.3e, you get an APPEND patch (which turns out to introduce a new APPEND bug), a IIe display frill, and a DOS which is _much_ slower than the 1980 DOS 3.3 patched for Prontodos.

____________________________

From: David Empson

018- How can I find out the address and size of a BLOADed
DOS 3.3 file?

After you BLOAD a file, you can use the following command to find out the exact length of the file you just BLOADed:

PRINT PEEK(43616) + 256 * PEEK(43617)

Use another PEEK to find out where it was loaded:

PRINT PEEK(43634) + 256 * PEEK(43635)

The value displayed is the load address of the binary file.

____________________________

From: Neil Parker and Rubywand

019- What information is included in the DOS 3.3 VTOC and
catalog sectors?

VTOC

The Volume Table of Contents (VTOC) is Sector $00 (0) on Track $11 (17). This is the key sector from which all searches start out.

Example: A typical DOS 3.3 Disk's VTOC sector

Byte 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E

0000- 04 11 0F 03 00 00 FE 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0010- 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0020- 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 7A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0030- 15 01 00 00 23 10 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
....
0080- 3F 7F 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
....
00F0- 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 7A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00 Unused (always $04 on my disks)
$01-02 Track/Sector location of first catalog sector-- the standard
location is Track $11/Sector $0F (17/15)
Note: The location of first catalog sector may be different on some
disks. DOS 3.3 can adjust; but, some utilities (e.g. Copy II Plus)
assume T/S $11/$0F and will not be able to find the catalog.
$03 DOS version number ($03 for DOS 3.3)
$04-05 Unused
$06 Volume Number-- $01-$FE (1-254) is the standard range;
$FE (254) is the standard default VN
Note: This entry merely records the VN for handy reference.
VN is set when a disk is INITed and it is embedded in the
Address header of each sector.
$07-26 Unused
$27 Max number of Track/Sector pairs in each sector of
a file's Track/Sector list-- normally $7A (122)
$28-2F Unused
$30 Last track where sectors were allocated-- in the example
it is Track $15 (21)
$31 Direction of allocation-- $01 (+1)=inward; $FF (-1)=outward
$32-33 Unused
$34 Number of tracks per disk-- normally $23 (35)
$35 Number of sectors per track-- normally $10 (16)
$36-37 Number of bytes per sector-- normally $0100 (256)
$38-3B Bit map for Track $00-- four bytes per entry (only two bytes are
used); each bit in the two-byte entry indicates whether a sector
is in use (0) or free for use (1). See example just below.
$3C-3F Bit map for Track $01
....
$80-81 Bit map for Track $12 (18)
Example: The entry shown is 3F 7F 00 00. Only the first two
bytes (3F 7F) are used:

Sector- F E D C B A 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Bit- 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Hex- 3 F 7 F

This shows that on Track $12 only sectors $F, $E, and $7 (15, 14,
and 7) are used. The other sectors on the track are free for use.
....
$C0-C3 Bit map for Track $22 (34)-- usually the last track
$C4-FF Unused on normal disks (may contain extra bit maps on disks with
more than 35 tracks)

Catalog

Starting at Track $11/Sector $0F (17/15 in decimal) and working downward in the track (e.g. Sector $0E, $0D, ...), each catalog sector contains a pointer to the next catalog sector, and seven file entries:

Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00 Unused
$01 Track number of next catalog sector ($00 if no more)
$02 Sector number of next catalog sector
$03-0A Unused
$0B-2D First file entry
$2E-50 Second file entry
$51-73 Third file entry
$74-96 Fourth file entry
$97-B9 Fifth file entry
$BA-DC Sixth file entry
$DD-FF Seventh file entry

Each file entry looks like this:

Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00 Track number of this file's first track/sector list
$01 Sector number of this file's first track/sector list
$02 File type:
Bit Meaning
--- -------
7 0=unlocked, 1=locked
6-0 File type ($00=Text, $01=Integer, $02=Applesoft,
$04=Binary, $08=S, $10=Relocatable, $20=A, $40=B)
$03-20 File name (high bits set; padded with blanks on right)
$21-22 Number of sectors allocated to this file

----------------------------

020- How does DOS 3.3 remember which sectors are used to store a file?

Every file has a set of one or more Track/Sector List sectors. A Track/Sector List (T/S List) lists sectors (by Track and Sector number) which make up the file. Each T/S List sector points to up to 122 data sectors If the file is too long for one T/S List sector, a second one is allocated, and a pointer to it is stored in the first one, and so on.

Note that DOS 3.3 supports "sparse" files...there may 0/0 pairs in the T/S List indicating parts of the file that were never written. When DOS 3.3 is reading a file and encounters a 0/0 pair in the T/S List, it passes a buffer full of binary zeros back to the calling program.

A Track/Sector List sector looks like this:

Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00 Unused
$01-02 Track/Sector location of next T/S List sector (00 for Track means
the list uses no more sectors since Track 0 can not be used)
$03-04 Unused
$05-06 Sector number in file (offset) of first sector represented in this
T/S List sector (starting at byte $0C below).
Ex: 00 00 = file sector #0 (i.e. the sector specified is the first
sector in the file). In a second T/S list sector, if required,
the first sector listed would be file sector #122 (i.e. the 123rd
sector) indicated by 7A 00-- hexadecimal $007A = 122 in decimal.
$07-0B Unused

The rest of the T/S List sector lists sectors in which the file is stored ...

$0C-0D Track/Sector location of first sector (in this T/S List sector)

$0E-0F Track/Sector location of second sector (in this T/S List sector)

... etc.

----------------------------

021- What are the formats of DOS 3.3's main file types?

A machine-language program is free to store whatever it wants in any file, but most programs (including DOS 3.3's own command interpreter) expect the data in each type of file to conform to certain formats:

A sequential text file consists of lines of ASCII text separated by carriage returns, and ending with a $00 byte. The high bit of each character (except the $00 at the end) is set.

A random-access file may be thought of as a set of mini sequential access files separated by strings of $00 bytes. Each "mini-file" begins at a file position which is a multiple of the random-access record length. (Note that sequential and random-access text files share the same file type. It is up to individual programs to know whether their data files are sequential or random-access.)

Applesoft and Integer BASIC files have the following format:

Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00-01 Length of tokenized BASIC program
$02-end Tokenized BASIC program

Binary files have the following format:

Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00-01 Load address
$02-03 Length of binary image (i.e. file contents)
$04-end binary image

A Relocatable file contains the image of a program, followed by a relocation dictionary containing the information necessary to relocate the program to an arbitrary memory location. The file format is as follows:

Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00-01 Original program load address
$02-03 File length (program image + relocation dictionary)
$04-05 Length of program image alone (not including relocation
dictionary)
$06-xx Program image
$xx-yy Relocation dictionary

(The format of the relocation dictionary is a bit too complex to describe
here. I can provide details if anybody's interested.)

The other three file types (S, A, and B) have never been consistantly defined by anybody. Several programs use these file types (especially type S) to store their private data files, but there doesn't seem to be any agreement on their internal format.

For further information I recommend the book "Beneath Apple DOS" by Don Worth and Pieter Lechner.

P.S. By the way, all two-byte fields in the above are stored in normal Apple II byte order, low byte first.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

022- How can I run DOS 3.3 programs from 3.5" disks and hard disk?

You can run quite a few DOS 3.3 programs from 3.5" disk, a large RAM disk, or hard disk. However, there are numerous DOS 3.3 programs which will not run this way and which could even damage files and directories on the larger media.

Problems are especially likely when a program modifies and CALLs machine code routines such as Read/Write Track-Sector (RWTS) and/or makes assumptions about the physical locations on disk of important DOS 3.3 areas such as the Volume Table of Contents, CATALOG track, and DOS itself. Using a special routine to save "High Scores" to a specific Track/Sector is just one of many ways a DOS 3.3 program might create havoc on a hard disk.

On the other hand, you have programs which stick to using standard DOS commands from BASIC such as, probably, most of your own DOS 3.3 programs and most 'type-in' software from publications like SoftSide. Programs like these should run fine using one of the techniques for accessing DOS 3.3 software from 3.5" diskette or hard disk.

There are two fairly popular approaches to running DOS 3.3 software from 3.5" diskette on an Apple II. One is to copy it to a specially formatted 3.5" diskette which boots a modified "DOS 3.3" such as AmDOS or OzDOS. Typically, you get two "400k disks" on each 3.5" diskette.

A very different approach is used by DOS 3.3 Launcher. It offers two options:

1- You can save some DOS 3.3 programs to ProDOS disk (including 3.5" disk or hard disk). These must be single-file programs that do not access the disk once they are loaded into memory. DOS 3.3 Launcher's Copier is used to set launch options.

2- Using the DOS 3.3 Launcher Copier, you can save an entire DOS 3.3 disk as a disk image to a ProDOS 3.5" diskette, hard disk, etc.. According to 'Launcher's docs:

>> Any disk that uses a standard RWTS (Read/Write Track/Sector) routine can be copied in this manner. This includes not only DOS 3.3 disks, but also many old games which use a standard RWTS, but are not actually DOS 3.3. They can then be launched by DOS 3.3 Launcher, which "boots" the large file directly from your hard disk. <<

To run a program from ProDOS-8, you start DOS 3.3 Launcher from a program selector such as ProSel-8 which supports the ProDOS 8 startup protocol- - i.e. it can make applications automatically open a data file. (The DOS 3.3 Launcher docs tell how to setup a ProSel entry for a program.)

Running a program from the IIgs System Finder is much easier.

>> If you have properly installed DOS 3.3 Launcher, your DOS 3.3 programs should appear with DOS 3.3 icons when viewed through the Finder. To launch them, you simply double click on them, which launches them via ProDOS 8. <<

Of the two basic approaches (a special 3.5" DOS 3.3 or DOS 3.3 Launcher), DOS 3.3 Launcher seems to be the better way to go:

First, it is easy to set up the contents of a DOS 3.3 disk prior to converting it to disk image form-- you can use any of the popular disk management utilities such as Copy II Plus. Moving DOS 3.3 files onto an AmDOS or OzDOS disk with the crude FID-type copiers available is a hassle.

Second, DOS 3.3 Launcher turns out to create and use standard 143,360-byte ProDOS order (.po) disk images, except, at least on the IIgs, the 'Launcher requires a special filetype-- e.g. $F1 to run at 1MHz, $F2 to run at "Fast" speed. These filetypes make it possible for the DOS 3.3 Launcher icons (included) to link images to the program for easy launching under the Finder-- you just double-click on the image's icon.

So, you should be able to download any .dsk disk image on your PC, use an emulator to transfer the contents to a .po disk image, and transfer the .po file via NULL modem to your Apple II. Here you just need to adjust the filetype for use under DOS 3.3 Launcher. Or you can convert 5.25" .sdk (shrinked disk) files to .po disk image form and transfer these via NULL modem.

To download AmDOS, OzDOS, DOS3.3.Launcher, and ProSel, see Csa21MAIN4: Get It- Links to popular software packages.

----------------------------

023- How can I get DOS 3.3 from the net without an Apple II
telecom utility?

DOS 3.3 Dump is DOS 3.3 in an Apple II Text file. The purpose of the the dump file (dos33.dmp)is to make it possible for users without DOS 3.3 and without any Apple II telecom program to obtain DOS 3.3 from the net.

Once you have DOS 3.3, you can obtain ADT and have a way to transfer 5.25" .dsk disk image files from your net computer to your Apple II. (And once you can transfer disk images, you can get a good Apple II telecom utility and have a way to transfer all kinds of files!)

You can find DOS 3.3 Dump along with directions on several net sites. See Csa21MAIN4: Get It- Links to popular software packages.

============================

024- What is ProDOS?

ProDOS

ProDOS is the official Apple II DOS which came after DOS 3.3. Do not confuse "ProDOS" and "Prontodos". Prontodos is a slightly modified DOS 3.3 which provides much faster disk I/O than standard DOS 3.3. ProDOS is a whole new disk operating system. To get ProDOS from the net, see Csa21MAIN4: Get It- Links to popular software packages.

----------------------------

025- What are ProDOS's major features?

ProDOS has lots of nice features-- mainly, you can create sub- directories, diskettes ("volumes") can be named, and ProDOS works well on hard disks. The GS System 6 Finder can handle ProDOS files and launch programs from ProDOS diskettes. ProDOS's BASIC command interpreter shares many commands with DOS 3.3, too; so, it is not difficult for DOS 3.3 users to get started with the newer operating system.

____________________________

From: David Empson

026- Which Apple II's can run which versions of ProDOS?

Apple II's from an Apple II+ with 64k RAM through the IIgs can run versions of ProDOS up through version 1.9 and run Applesoft BASIC programs under these versions.

An older Apple II (with Integer BASIC in ROM) or any Apple II with less than 64k RAM can run ProDOS 1.0 or 1.0.1 but can not use the ProDOS BASIC interpreter (BASIC.SYSTEM). This is not a very useful setup as there are few applications that will work in this environment.

Versions 2.x.x of ProDOS require an Apple II equipped with a 65C02, 65C802, or 65C816 such as an Apple IIe-enhanced, //c, IIc+, or IIgs. The current ProDOS is version 2.0.3.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

027- How can I create bootable ProDOS diskettes?

Creating bootable ProDOS diskettes is more bother than creating bootable DOS 3.3 diskettes because ProDOS does not have any way to duplicate itself from memory-- i.e., it has no INIT command.

One way to make a new bootable ProDOS diskette is to first use Apple's ProDOS FILER utility or a ProDOS version of Copy II+ to FORMAT a diskette for ProDOS. This creates tracks filled with blank blocks so that the diskette can be used to hold ProDOS files. It also writes boot startup code in Blocks 0 and 1 on Track 0.

ProDOS is in a file on a bootable ProDOS disk and so, usually, is the ProDOS 'connection' to BASIC, named "BASIC.SYSTEM". To finish the job you copy BASIC.SYSTEM and PRODOS from some bootable ProDOS disk to the new diskette.

Another way is to use Disk Muncher or some other whole-disk copier to copy some bootable ProDOS diskette which includes BASIC.SYSTEM. You can delete any files you don't want from the copy.

Things are a bit easier on a IIgs running GS System. In the Finder (the usual GS main 'desktop'), you can insert a blank diskette and let Finder "Initialize" it for ProDOS. Then you can mouse 'drag and drop' PRODOS and BASIC.SYSTEM from a bootable ProDOS disk to your new disk. (Or, even easier, if you have a 'stock' blank bootable ProDOS diskette the same size as your new disk, you can just drag and drop the bootable disk onto your new disk.)

Note: If you want to copy the ProDOS used by GS/OS, copy the file P8 from the SYSTEM/ folder and rename it to "PRODOS" on your diskette.

----------------------------

028- How do I make a ProDOS disk that will boot and start a BASIC program?

If you want ProDOS to boot and start a BASIC program, then both PRODOS and BASIC.SYSTEM must be present. (BASIC.SYSTEM should be the first .SYSTEM file on the diskette.) The "hello" program on a ProDOS diskette is named "STARTUP". This is the program which will be run upon booting the diskette. (If there is no "STARTUP" program, you will end up at the usual BASIC prompt after booting.)

A simple STARTUP program you can type in and save to your new ProDOS diskette is ...

10 TEXT: HOME
20 PRINT CHR$(4)"CAT"
30 END

After typing in the program, just enter SAVE STARTUP. Next time you boot the diskette, the above program will run and the diskette's CATALOG will be displayed.

A good ready-made STARTUP program and program selector for launching ProDOS 8 programs on a IIgs is available as speedgs.shk. The file unShrinks to the Startup program and a Readme directions file. To get speedgs.shk from the net, see Csa21MAIN4: Get It- Links to popular software packages.

____________________________

From: David Empson

029- What is the maximum size of a ProDOS volume?

When a diskette is formatted for ProDOS it is given a name by the user. A ProDOS diskette is also called a "volume". A ProDOS hard disk will, usually, be partitioned into two or more named volumes. The maximum size of a ProDOS volume is 32767.5 kilobytes (65535 blocks).

____________________________

From: Rubywand

030- How do I LOAD, SAVE, etc. files under ProDOS?

LOAD (SAVE, RENAME, etc.) work very much as in DOS 3.3.; so, you can use Slot and Drive parms to specify the target volume. However, to get the most from ProDOS you will usually be working with volume names and folders. (or, "directories").

If GAME3.PIC is a binary file in a directory named "PICS" on a volume named "NARF", you could load it into memory starting at address $2000 via

BLOAD /NARF/PICS/GAME3.PIC,A$2000

or, in BASIC

100 PRINT CHR$(4)"BLOAD /NARF/PICS/GAME3.PIC,A$2000"

So, in ProDOS, you can access a disk (or volume) by name ...

RUN /GAMES/CHINA.SEA

will find the disk (volume) named "GAMES", then, find, load, and run CHINA.SEA.

You can, also, refer to a disk by its location ...

CAT,S6,D1

will do a short-form catalog of the main directory of the diskette in DRIVE 1 connected to SLOT 6.

----------------------------

031- What is a "pathname"?

Suppose the file BARDS2.PIC is in the folder PICS on the diskette (volume) named "NARF". Then ...

/NARF/PICS/BARDS2.PIC is BARDS2.PIC's complete "pathname".

/NARF/PICS/ is a "pathname prefix" for all files in the PICS directory on the volume named "NARF".

A leading "/" indicates a volume name (/NARF).

The "main directory" or "root directory" is the one in which the files PRODOS and BASIC.SYSTEM (along with any other files the user wants there) are usually located on a ProDOS diskette. NARF's main directory pathname prefix is just /NARF/.

____________________________

From: Rubywand and David Empson

032- What is the default volume and folder (directory) when ProDOS boots?

When ProDOS boots, it will assume that LOADs, SAVEs, etc. refer to the main directory of whatever volume is in the boot Slot and Drive. It does not automatically establish a default volume or folder by name.

So long as no default volume name is set, references to disks by Slot and/or Drive (e.g. CAT,S6,D2) will set the default device (by Slot and Drive) much as happens with similar commands entered from the keyboard under DOS 3.3.

----------------------------

033- How can I set default volume and folder (directory) under ProDOS?

The ProDOS PREFIX command followed by a pathname lets you set the default volume and folder (or directory) by name-- i.e. you set the default pathname prefix. For example,

PREFIX /NARF

or, in a BASIC program

100 PRINT CHR$(4)"PREFIX /NARF"

tells your computer to find the ProDOS volume (e.g. disk, hard disk partition, etc.) named "NARF" and, once it is found, set the current default directory to /NARF/-- i.e. the main or "root" directory of the volume named "NARF". From then on, commands like CAT, RUN GRAFIX, BLOAD STARTPIC, etc. automatically reference /NARF's main directory.

If you enter CAT PAINTERS/, ProDOS will go to the PAINTERS/ folder on /NARF and display a CATALOG of the folder's contents.

If you move your /NARF diskette to a different drive and do a CAT, ProDOS will scan your drives to find /NARF and do the CAT. If you remove /NARF completely and do a CAT, ProDOS will say there is a "PATH NOT FOUND" error.

Naturally, you can set the default prefix to a specific folder. For example,

PREFIX /NARF/EAMON/

or, in a BASIC program

100 PRINT CHR$(4)"PREFIX /NARF/EAMON/"

sets the volume (/NARF/) plus folder (EAMON/) as the new default prefix. A program running in that folder can BLOAD picture, etc. files and RUN games in that folder without worrying about the names of the volume and folder in which your Eamon stuff is located.

If you know that the EAMON folder is in the currently active directory, you can use

PREFIX EAMON/

or, in a BASIC program

100 PRINT CHR$(4)"PREFIX EAMON/"

to set the folder as the default location without having to specify volume name. If the current default is /NARF/, the command will result in the new default being /NARF/EAMON/. If the current default is /NARF/GAMES/, the new default will be /NARF/GAMES/EAMON/.

If there is no default path at the time the command is executed, ProDOS will read the volume name, check for the EAMON/ folder, and add "EAMON/" to create the complete default pathname prefix.

Setting a default pathname prefix does not prevent using commands which specify other locations. For instance

CAT /PICS/BOXES/

will look for the BOXES/ folder on the volume /PICS/ and do a CAT.

To clear (eliminate) the default pathname prefix, use

PREFIX/ ("PREFIX" followed by a "/")

____________________________

From: Rubywand

034- How can I discover the volume name of a just booted disk?

You can discover the name of a ProDOS volume in a drive by doing a CAT. The volume name will be shown at the top of the screen listing (e.g. "/NARF/").

Another way-- one which works in programs as well as from the keyboard-- is to use the PREFIX command:

PREFIX

This command will normally return one of two results:

o- If there is an established default prefix, then, the result will be the current default prefix.

o- If there is no established default prefix, then, ProDOS will read the volume name of the volume in the default Slot and Drive.

Note: PREFIX used in this way does not establish or change a pathname prefix.

Booting clears any default prefix and sets default Slot/Drive to the boot drive. For your STARTUP program to discover the name of the volume on which it resides, it could execute the following:

100 PRINT CHR$(4)"PREFIX": INPUT"";P$

The volume name of the just booted disk (e.g. "/NARF/") will be saved in P$.

____________________________

From: David Wilson

035- How do I create a folder?

Creating folders (or directories) is the one time you do not need to provide a type parameter (e.g. TDIR) for the CREATE command. Hence

CREATE GIFPICS

would create a folder named "GIFPICS" in the current default directory.

____________________________

From: Neil Parker

036- How do I access ProDOS routines from machine language?

You use the ProDOS Machine Language Interface (MLI). The MLI is responsible for carrying out nearly all of the functions (Read Block, Write Block, and 24 others) which ProDOS can perform.

Machine language programs call ProDOS by doing a JSR to the MLI at $BF00. To determine which function to perform, ProDOS examines the "command" byte immediately following the JSR instruction. Immediately after the command byte come two more bytes that point to the command's parameter list. When the call completes, it returns to the code immediately following the parameter list pointer. A ProDOS MLI call looks something like this:

20 00 BF JSR MLI
80 DB COMMAND_CODE
50 03 DW PARAM_LIST_LOCATION
B0 __ BCS ERROR

In the above, the command code ($80) says "Read a block" and the parameter list is located at $0350. The MLI call returns with the carry flag set and an error code in the accumulator if an error occurred; so, a simple error check (the Branch if Carry Set instruction) is often the next instruction which is executed.

For a detailed description of functions including command codes and parameters, see a ProDOS manual or one of the other references mentioned in Q&A 040 below.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

037- How can I convert DOS 3.3 wares to run under ProDOS?

Quite a few DOS 3.3 programs will run fine under ProDOS with no change at all. Unless you have some reason to believe a DOS 3.3 program will not run under ProDOS, it's worthwhile to just copy it to a ProDOS diskette and give it a try.

Note: A few 'DOS 3.3' programs, mainly old commercial games, include routines which do direct writes to one or more sectors. This could overwrite parts of a file or a ProDOS directory. It's a good idea to copy risky-looking software to a ProDOS disk you can afford to lose (e.g. a bootable disk with no favorite programs, etc. on it). Boot this disk and try out the program.

The main barriers to running DOS 3.3 programs under ProDOS are ...

1. Size: DOS 3.3 leaves more space for programs than ProDOS + BASIC.SYSTEM. Some DOS 3.3 programs are too large for ProDOS. To use them you will need to find ways to reduce program size.

2. Areas of memory used: ProDOS reserves parts of memory, such as Text Page 1 ($0400-$07FF), for various pointers. Some DOS 3.3 programs LOAD or BLOAD into one or more of these areas. For example, some games BLOAD a lo-res pic or Text for you to look at while the rest of the game loads. Normally, ProDOS will refuse to do such loads and the result will be a BUFFERS NOT AVAILABLE error message. To run these programs you will need to unmark the reserved areas which get in the way (see next Q&A) and/or change
the location(s) of the program's troublesome LOADs and BLOADs.

When ProDOS loads it uses most of the memory in the "language card" areas. Some DOS 3.3 programs also use this memory. If a DOS 3.3 program uses the "language card" it will probably have to be modified in order to run under ProDOS.

ProDOS handles buffer allocation differently than DOS. If a DOS 3.3 program lowers HIMEM in order to create space for BLOADing code or data, it may need to be modified to guarantee that the code/area is safe. (See page 237 of Exploring Apple GS/OS and ProDOS 8 or page 7-4 of Beneath Apple ProDOS.)

3. Names: DOS 3.3 file names can be longer and have more kinds of characters than ProDOS names. If a DOS 3.3. program BLOADs, WRITEs, etc. to any files, you will need to be sure that the file names used are compatible with ProDOS.

4. DOS/ProDOS Commands and Syntax: There are, really, very few DOS 3.3 command and syntax differences likely to cause problems under ProDOS. Still, there are some and you will need to check for these and make any indicated mods.

5. Integer BASIC: Int BASIC programs can be transferred to a ProDOS diskette; but, you can not run them directly under ProDOS. If you are willing to move an Int BASIC program to a Text editor, convert the syntax to Applesoft BASIC, and EXEC the resulting Text file, you can obtain an Applesoft BASIC program which you can modify as necessary for ProDOS.

6. It's not DOS 3.3: Very old software, old commercial copy-protected software, and deprotected copies of old software may not be on DOS 3.3 disks. Your first challenge with such software is getting it into a form which will permit transferring files to a ProDOS diskette.

When checking and modifying a DOS 3.3 program for ProDOS a good program editor is essential. You will save untold hours of work when you invest in Beagle's tried and true "Program Writer".

____________________________

From: Jeff Blakeney

038- How can I modify ProDOS to do BLOADs in the input buffer
and Text Page 1 areas?

You can use a POKE 48984,192 to modify the bit map. This protects pages $00 and $01, and unprotects pages $02-$07.

Note: Because the firmware and I/O cards make use of the "screen hole" bytes in the $0400-$7FF area, BLOADing over these can interfere with some devices.

For this reason, it is best to have special DOS wares on a separate ProDOS diskette with a STARTUP program which does the POKE 48984,192. This way you will know that the system has been changed to run the DOS wares and not inadvertently try to run a program like Appleworks, etc.. under the modified ProDOS.

----------------------------

From: David Empson

A safer method is to BLOAD the file elsewhere, and copy data onto the text screen in a loop, copying 120 bytes and skipping 8 bytes, repeated 8 times.

____________________________

From: Supertimer, Rubywand, David Wilson, Steve Jensen

039- How can I boot ProDOS on my Franklin computer?

In an old Apple Clinic note, Stephen Craft listed specific locations to change after your Franklin freezes. You could then restart via a 2000G from the monitor. Here is an updated listing showing the locations to change for several versions of ProDOS:

v1.1.1 $269E: EA EA
v1.4 $282B: EA EA
V1.6 $282B: EA EA
v1.7 $282B: EA EA
v1.8 $2836: EA EA
v1.9 $2865: EA EA
v2.0.3 $2836: EA EA

It turns out that the bytes Stephen was diddling are D0 03 in the sequence 69 0B D0 03 A5 0C 60. The sequence is near the end of a routine that checks for the "APPLE ][" string found in all genuine Apple II ROMs but not in most Apple II clone ROMs.

To fix the booting problem, do this:

Start Copy II+ and select "Sector Editor"

Swap-in the ProDOS diskette

READ Track 0, Sector 0

Search for (Hex bytes): 69 0B D0 03 A5 0C 60

When you find the above, change the D0 03 to EA EA
and write the changed sector back to diskette.

The patch eliminates the checksum test/branch and allows ProDOS to boot on Apple II clones which would normally fail the check. This patch has no effect on ProDOS functioning on regular Apple II's.

The above patch is absolutely necessary to get a bootable ProDOS working for many Apple II clones. Jim Sather (inCider, March 1986) recommends a second patch which is optional. It prevents ProDOS from erroneously reporting that a //e-style 64K 80-column card is present when running on a Franklin.

Note: This patch should not be applied except by Franklin 1000 and, possibly, some other clone users. On a //e, //c or IIgs it causes ProDOS to not see an 80-column card or some extra memory.

The patch is not needed for Franlin 2000 series machines (the ones that emulate a IIe and IIc) or any of the Laser 128 series. You would not want to apply the patch to these units because they have emulated 80 column cards and 128k (expandable to 1MB on Lasers).

To do the patch, procede as described for the main patch and also do this ...

READ Track 0, Sector 0

Search for (Hex bytes): AE B3 FB E0 38

When you find the above, change it to A2 EA EA E0 38
and write the changed sector back to diskette.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

040- What are some good DOS 3.3 and ProDOS references?

DOS Books

The DOS Manual from Apple
Beneath Apple DOS by Worth & Lechner
Apple II User's Guide by Poole, Martin, and Cook

ProDOS Books

ProDOS Technical Reference Manual from Apple (Addison-Wesley)
Beneath Apple ProDOS by Worth & Lechner
Exploring Apple GS/OS and ProDOS 8 by Little
ProDOS Inside and Out by Doms and Weishaar

____________________________

From: Dennis Jenkins, Rubywand, Dave Althoff

041- How can a BASIC program tell which DOS it's running under?

A pretty good way is to check the three-byte JMP command starting at $03D0. If it's 4C 00 BE, you're running ProDOS; if it's 4C BF 9D, you're running DOS 3.3 or a compatible variant (such as Prontodos).

Two (moderately rare) factors may change the DOS 3.3 JMP: 1- On old "slave disks" created on sub-48k Apple II's, DOS loads in at a lower address; 2- DOS 3.3 is sometimes moved up into the Language Card. So, your best procedure is probably to check for ProDOS and, if it isn't ProDOS, just presume that it's DOS 3.3.

Database Administrator · #6 07-05-2008, 01:07 AM

Archive-name: apple2/faq/part10
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/06/01
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2008. Administrator: Steve Nelson

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2FLUTILS.txt rev123 June 2008

File Utilities

001- What are "binscii" files and how are they used?
002- What are .SHK files and how do I use them?
003- How do I get ShrinkIt or GS-ShrinkIt going on my Apple II?
004- How do I deal with the $00 type Apple II files I get on my Mac?
005- Can I work with .zip files on my Apple II?
006- What are DSK, NIB, 2MG, HDV,... disk image files & how do I use them?
007- Where can I get ShrinkIt, binscii, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV, etc.?
008- I have downloaded files in "gz" format? How do I use them?
009- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?
010- What is Copy II Plus and where can I get it?
011- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?
012- How do I set write protection for an emulator disk image?
013- How can I create a disk image from a ShrinkIt .sdk file?
014- How can I convert a .po image to/from a .dsk or .do image?
015- What do file name extensions mean and how do I access the files?
016- How do I tell what kind of file this is?
017- How can I create new .dsk, .nib, etc. disk images?
018- How can I convert .dsk image <--> .nib image?
019- How can I convert Diskcopy images to diskette or to other formats?
020- How can I move files to/from .dsk and .2MG disk images?
021- How can I unfork forked files on my Apple II?

From: Rubywand

001- What are "binscii" files and how are they used?

The term "binscii" comes from combining "binary" with "ASCII". A file in binscii form has been changed so that it can be transmitted as text to/from net servers and services which do not handle pure binary transfers.

Today, practically all servers can handle pure binary transfers; so, binscii is no longer in popular use. However, quite a few old A2 files are still in binscii form and binscii is used for files uploaded to comp.binaries.apple2.

To convert binscii'd files to their un-biniscii'd form, you can use a program named "BINSCII" or, on a GS, the New Desk Accessory named "GScii". These programs can, also, create binscii files.

Note: Binscii is in no way related to Binary II. Binscii changes the entire file into Text. Binary II is just a small block of bytes tacked onto the front of a file, mainly to identify the file's filetype.

----------------------------

002- What are ShrinkIt (.SHK) files and how do I use them?

ShrinkIt files are the Apple II world's answer to .ZIP files in PC-ville. An .SHK file is a file which contains one or more files which are almost always in compressed form. Usually, they are produced by GS-ShrinkIt (also called "GSHK" or "ShrinkIt-GS") or the Balloon NDA, or by 8-bit ShrinkIt. Some .SHK files are produced by Macs; these may not always be compatible with A2 ShrinkIt programs.

An .SHK file can be unshrinked by ShrinkIt even if it shows up on the Apple II with a TXT or BIN filetype and even if the name does not end with ".SHK" or ".shk". If a ShrinkIt file does not show up as available for unshrinking, you can toggle an "All files" option to see the file and then select it. If an .SHK file has a Binary II header, ShrinkIt will automatically remove it and assign the correct filetype. (Of course, this will usually be SHK.)

Other kinds of ShrinkIt files include .SEA and .SDK. An Apple II .SEA file is a IIgs executable self-extracting archive-- i.e. you can click it on the GS Finder and it will unShrink. There are also Mac .SEA files and these are not GS-compatible.

A ShrinkIt whole-disk archive is an .SHK file which is usually labeled ".SDK" to show that it is a Shrinked diskette. An .SDK file can archive a 3.5" diskette (both sides) or 5.25" diskette (one side). Most are archives of 5.25" DOS 3.3 diskettes produced by 8-bit ShrinkIt.

A whole-disk ShrinkIt archive retains all data bytes on a diskette, including files, Catalog/Directory sectors, empty tracks, and DOS if present. An .sdk file of a DOS 3.3 5.25" disk created by 8-bit ShrinkIt also preserves volume number-- important for some games and utilities which depend upon volume numbers to identify disks. (5.25" whole-disk archives created by GS-ShrinkIt do not preserve volume number.)

8-bit/IIe ShrinkIt can be used to fully unshrink any Apple II .SHK file _except_ .SHK files which contain files with GS/OS resource forks and .SEA files. For this reason, 8-bit ShrinkIt should not be used to unshrink .SHK file archives containing GS programs unless you know that none of the contained files has a resource fork.

GS-ShrinkIt can handle nearly all kinds of Apple II .SHK and .SDK files. It will not handle shrinked 5.25" DOS 3.3 .SDK files created by 8-bit ShrinkIt. In fact, most users automatically use 8-bit ShrinkIt to create and unshrink .SDK files of old 5.25" wares. (Balloon does not currently support whole-disk archives.)

Naturally, things are somewhat more crowded on 64K Apple II's. On these machines, the functions are separated. SHRINK creates .SHK files and UNSHRINK unshrinks them.

On a PC, the utility NuLib (v3.24) lets you view contents and unshrink most kinds of .SHK files. (There is a handy option to unshrink and convert Apple II text files to PC text format.) It will not unshrink IIgs files with resource forks.

Here is a simple one-line batch (text) file program for easily viewing the contents of .shk files you download to a PC (just double-click on the file name):

c:\nulib\nulib v %1 |more

The above is for NuLib.exe located in folder c:\nulib . Save the text as nulibv.bat in c:\nulib and tell Windows to use c:\nulib\nulibv.bat as the 'application to perform action' for doing an Open. (You do this by selecting View--Options in the My Computer window and editing the file type info for .shk files.)

NuLib can also convert 5.25" .SDK files into .PO (ProDOS order) disk images which can be used by Apple II emulators. This works for .SDK files produced by 8-bit ShrinkIt but not for those produced by GS-ShrinkIt.

The unshrinking process is very speedy and the size of a compressed ShrinkIt file is, often, around half that of the original files it contains. This makes .SHK files very handy for archiving your software. And, since a ShrinkIt file also preserves filetype information of contained files, ShrinkIt has become the preferred format for uploading and storing Apple II files on the internet.

----------------------------

003- How do I get ShrinkIt or GS-ShrinkIt going on my Apple II?

Getting GS-ShrinkIt v1.1

If you do not already have Balloon or an earlier version of GS-ShrinkIt, there are several ways to get GS-ShrinkIt going once a file is downloaded and transferred to your IIgs. Here are the two easiest ways:

A. The Self-Extracting (.sea) version

A IIgs .sea file is a IIgs application which self-extracts the file contents when executed from the usual Finder desktop display. Since the file gshk.sea will, most likely, arrive as a Text type file, you will need to change the file's filetype to $B3 (S16) before it can be executed.

Several utilities can change ProDOS filetype. If you do not have one, you can download tchange.bin and follow the directions* in tchange_info.txt to get it going on your Apple II.

You can find GS-ShrinkIt in an .SEA file (e.g. gshk.sea) and tchange.bin on several archive sites. (See Q&A 007 below.)

B. The Shrinked Disk (.sdk) version

GSUTILS.sdk is a shrinked whole-disk file which can be unshrinked to 800k 3.5" diskette using 8-bit ShrinkIt (or GS-ShrinkIt). If booted, this diskette starts a bare-bones System 6.0.1 and launches GS-ShrinkIt.

Besides GS-ShrinkIt, also on the disk (in .SHK files) are the ZLINK shareware telecom utility and ASIMOV for converting .dsk files. Coolwriter (for reading Text) is on the disk as a non-shrinked file. All of these can be copied to hard disk or to other diskettes.

GSUTILS.sdk is available on Ground in the useful.stuff/ folder mentioned above. The 8-bit ShrinkIt in a self-extracting version can be found in the same folder.

Getting SHRINK and UNSHRINK (for 64k Apples)

SHRINK and UNSHRINK permit 64k Apple II users to work with .SHK files. These files are usually maintained in non-shrinked form. You can find them on several sites. (See Q&A 007 below.)

To get these utilities going on your Apple II, download SHRINK, UNSHRINK, and SHRINK2PLUS.TXT (e.g. as separeate files or on a .dsk disk image). Once the files are transferred to your Apple II, follow the directions* in SHRINK2PLUS.TXT.

*Note: If you download an Apple II file to a PC and transfer to a Mac and get filetype $00 ("Unknown"), the process described in the directions will not work when the $00 file is moved to your Apple II. One solution is a Mac utility to set filetype to $04 (TXT). See ProTYPE info in the next Q&A below.

----------------------------

Getting 8-bit ShrinkIt

From: Beverly Cadieux

The easiest way to get the current (3.4) version of 8-bit ShrinkIt going is via the self-extracting archive, SHRINK.EXE.

o- Download the file, (transfer to your Apple II if necessary,) and get into AppleSoft BASIC (run BASIC.SYSTEM and get to the AppleSoft "]" prompt).

o- Be sure to set the ProDOS PREFIX to the location of SHRINK.EXE on your Apple II. For example, if it is in the main directory of volume HD1, you would enter

PREFIX /HD1

o- Now, enter -SHRINK.EXE (that's a dash, then the file name):

-SHRINK.EXE

Shrinkit will self-extract, along with a documentation file. (ShrinkIt v3.4 consists of two files. One is a small start file which may be named "Shrinkit.System", "ShrinkitST.sys", or something similar. The other is the main program file which must be named "Shrinkit".)

You can find SHRINK.EXE in Ground's useful.stuff/ folder (See Q&A 007 below).

____________________________

From: Randy Shackelford

004- How do I deal with the $00 type Apple II files I get on my Mac?

Some II users like to download Apple II files to a PC and transfer them to a Mac for eventual transfer to Apple II ProDOS diskettes. Unfortunately, under most circumstances, PC Exchange writes files onto ProDOS disks as extended typeless ($00) files which are difficult to work with on the Apple II.

What you need is to get hold of a Mac application named "ProTYPE". You drag 'n drop the files on ProTYPE, then copy 'em to the floppy. The files will work then.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

005- Can I work with .zip files on my Apple II?

The GS can unZIP .zip files via PMPunZip by Paul Parkhurst.

----------------------------

From: Supertimer

Tony Marques wrote Angel, the fastest unzipping utility for the Apple II. It can create .zip files, but only one file per archive.

----------------------------

From: Jim Pendarvis

To zip a file using Angel, highlight the file to zip and press OpenApple-Z. You'll get a file named ZIPDFILE.ZIP. If you then select another file to zip, it will overwrite the first one. (Don't forget to set your destination directory first. That is the hardest thing to remember about using Angel.)

____________________________

From: Rubywand, Orgone Accumulator, Greg E. Nelson, Eric Shepherd, Roger Johnstone

006- What are DSK, PO, DO, HDV, NIB, and 2MG "disk image" files
and how do I use them?

A "disk image" is typically a file containing every data byte on a diskette-- i.e. Catalog tracks, files, DOS (if present) etc.. One kind of disk image, NIB, tries to preserve all disk information (e.g. sector headers, sync bytes, etc.).

Apple II emulators running on a PC, Mac, etc. treat disk image files like diskettes. Disk image files are also a handy way to archive Apple II disks on hard disk and to maintain wares on ftp and other download sites.

DSK's (.dsk, .do, .po and .hdv files)

DSK (usually .dsk) files are disk image files used by popular Apple II emulators like AppleWin to run A2 wares on the PC or Mac. Usually, they are images of Apple 5.25" game, utility, etc. diskettes. A standard 5.25" DSK file is 143,360 bytes in length:

1 side x 35 Tracks/side x 16 Sectors/Trk x 256 Bytes/Sec = 143,360 Bytes.

DSK files of 800k 3.5" disks are much less common.

Data in a DSK disk image file can be arranged in the sector order used by DOS 3.3 or in the sector order used by ProDOS. The filename suffixes relate chiefly to how data is arranged in the file:

..dsk- technically, this may be an image which has its data in DOS 3.3 or ProDOS order. (The emulator program is supposed to check a .dsk file to determine the ordering used.) It has become standard practice to use the .dsk suffix for only DOS 3.3 order files.

..do- an image which is in DOS 3.3 order. This suffix is seldom used today. DOS 3.3 order image file names usually end with ".dsk".

..po- an image which is in ProDOS order. If an image is in ProDOS order, its name should end with ".po" (not ".dsk") to avoid confusion.

..hdv- typically an image 800k (819,200 bytes) or greater in size in ProDOS order. The image is intended for use as a virtual hard disk by various Apple II and IIgs emulators (e.g. Apple Oasis). The IIgs program ASIMOV2 can create .hdv files (select "Raw image"). The file name should end with ".hdv".

Note: data order does not relate to whether a disk image is a DOS 3.3 or ProDOS disk. In fact, nearly all 5.25" disk image files (of both DOS 3.3 and ProDOS disks) are in DOS 3.3 order; and, DOS 3.3 order is the default setting for image creation programs like DSK2FILE and ASIMOV and the transfer/creation program ADT.

On a PC, NuLib can create disk images from 8-bit ShrinkIt whole-disk (.sdk) files (but not from .sdk files which were produced by GS-ShrinkIt). These images will be in ProDOS order. You can convert a .po disk image to a DOS 3.3 order .dsk by using a disk copier like Disk Muncher on an emulator to copy from the .po image to a .dsk image.

On ftp sites, DSK files are usually in a ZIPped form to conserve space. For example, on the Asimov site, narfgames.dsk.gz is a DSK file of the narfgames disk which has been g-zip compressed. Other archive sites may use standard ZIP compression and the file name might be "narfgame.zip" or "narfgame_dsk.zip". On a PC, WinZIP will uncompress g-zipped and ZIPped DSK files.

A DSK file can be converted to actual diskette form on an Apple II using DSK2FILE or (GS-only) ASIMOV. If a 5.25" .dsk disk image file is transferred to your Apple II using ADT (or ADTgs for IIgs), it is automatically converted and written to 5.25" diskette. For more about ADT and ADTgs see Telecom-1.

Most 5.25" DSK (.dsk and .do) files are of a DOS 3.3 or some related DOS disk. The target diskette should be INITed for DOS 3.3. (or, it can be formatted using Copy II Plus, etc.) and you should use the default DSK2FILE or ASIMOV "DOS 3.3 Order" setting. If a disk image file has a .po suffix, use the DSK2FILE or ASIMOV "ProDOS Order" setting.

Note: In most cases it is okay to use either a DOS 3.3 or ProDOS formatted diskette as the target (and; the target disk does not need to be empty of any files). However, ProDOS formatting uses a default Volume Number of 1, which is different from the DOS 3.3 default of 254. Since ProDOS stuff does not care about Volume numbering and DOS 3.3 stuff may, the target disk should generally be one INITed with the default Volume Number-- e.g. INIT HELLO .

Here is a quickie step-by-step guide for getting a 5.25" DSK disk image file into useable form:

1. Download the file in binary mode from an ftp archive site via ftp:// ...

2. If file length is not 143,360, use WinZIP or equivalent to unZip it.

3. Transfer the DSK file to your GS via Mac diskette or a NULL modem transfer. One way or another, the file needs to end up on a ProDOS diskette or ProDOS hard disk volume on the GS.

4. If you are using DSK2FILE, jot down the complete path name of the DSK file (e.g. /RAM5/NARFGAMES.DSK ) because DSK2FILE will ask you to type it in.

5. Insert the formatted 5.25" target diskette into Drive 1 (Slot 6). This diskette needs to be 16-sector formatted. Plain DOS 3.3 formatting with the default Volume number is, generally, best and easiest. (You can boot a DOS 3.3 or Prontodos disk and do an INIT HELLO to format a 5.25" diskette.)

6. Start DSK2FILE or ASIMOV. Normally, you will accept the defaults (5.25", DOS 3.3 order). If you know the DSK is a ProDOS image in ProDOS order-- like the file name ends with ".PO", select "ProDOS Order". (ProDOS disk images are, fairly often, in DOS order to make them more universally transferable.)

7. Select the "Image file ---> Diskette" option, follow prompts, and you should end up with a good diskette. (If everything seemed to go well but the disk does not work, try repeating the process using the other "Order" option.)

DSK2FILE and ASIMOV can, also, create disk image (.dsk or .po) files. Similarly, using ADT to transfer a 5.25" disk automatically creates a .dsk disk image on the PC. The source disk can be for a game, etc. so long as the diskette is not copy protected.

Note: DOS 3.3 products which depend upon Volume numbering to identify diskettes will normally not work in disk image form on an Apple II emulator because Volume number information is embedded in non-data parts of a disk and is not included in a standard .dsk disk image file.

NIB (.nib)

Some copy protected diskettes can be converted to another kind of disk image called "NIB". Saltine's Super Transcopy (SST) incorporates bit copy routines to attempt to produce a nibblized disk image of a 5.25" diskette.

On your Apple II, SST reads the disk bytes from half a disk and stores that data on a whole normal disk. Then it does the same for the second half. These two disks can be converted to .dsk disk images and moved to a PC or Mac. There, the .dsk images are merged into a NIB image using SST running on an emulator.

If successful, you have a .nib file which can be used like a diskette on popular Apple II emulators. (For one or two older emulators, .nib files are the only useable images.)

The standard length of a .nib file is 232,960 bytes-- much larger than a DSK. However, since .nib files include sector address header and other non-data 'embedded' diskette information, they can be used to image many protected disks.

Naturally, a .nib file preserves DOS 3.3 volume numbering. This allows programs which use volume numbers to identify their disks to run on emulators. Many disks with no copy protection are in .nib form instead of .dsk because the game, etc. which uses the disks needs to check volume numbering.

2MG (.2mg; sometimes .2img)

Today, more and more IIgs software is being converted to 2MG disk image format used on XGS and other IIgs emulators. These are .dsk or .nib images with a prefix (usually 64 bytes) which includes information about size, format, sector ordering, volume number, locked/unlocked, etc..

2MG files may also have a Comment and/or extra file information added following the disk image data. The format can accommodate disk images ranging from 5.25" diskette up through hard disk. For 2MG format details, see http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Doc...e_2MG_Info.txt .

The usual length of an 800k .2MG image (with no Comment or extra data) is 819,264 bytes*.

You can use ASIMOV2 to convert .2MG files back to diskette form as well as for creating .2MG files from 800k diskettes. The utility Imgutnew.exe can be used to convert most available Diskcopy images to 2MG format on PC.

*See ... Size Note: Transferring to 3.5" disk (at bottom of this page)

____________________________

From: Rubywand

007- Where can I get ShrinkIt, Shrink (64k), Unshrink (64k),
GS-ShrinkIt, binscii, GScii, BISCIT, TCHANGE, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV,
PMPunZip, Angel, FileManager, 2qwk!, GZPK, Disk Muncher, Copy II Plus,
NuLib, Balloon, DskIn & DskOut, Saltine's Super Transcopy (SST),
FishWings, UnforkIt, XTRAX, StuffIt Expander, Diskcopy, Clone,
Imgutnew.exe, DiskDup+, ProTYPE, MECC Copy, BlockWarden, BlockWork,
ProDOSifier, DISK2FDI, CiderPress, ProDOS File Navigator, and FID?

For links, see Csa21MAIN4: Get It- Links to popular software packages.

----------------------------

008- I have downloaded a bunch of files for the Apple II
lately that are in a format called GZ. I understand it
is some variation of Zip but I don't have a translator for
it on my GS. Does anyone know where I can find one?

5.25" disk image files downloaded from Asimov, mod files, and some others are, often, in GZ g-zipped format and usually have the .gz file name extension (like narfgame.dsk.gz). If you download the files to a PC, you can use WinZIP to unzip the file.

Note: Due to the use of an extra period, names of g-zip compressed files-- names such as "narfgame.dsk.gz"-- do not always survive downloading to PC's. Some setups may remove the ".gz" from the name when saving the file. In order to be correctly recognized by WinZIP, the file's name should be repaired so that it ends with ".gz".

Usually, once unzipped, an Asimov GZ image file will end up as a 143,360 byte DSK file with a name ending with ".dsk". The file may be used as a virtual diskette on an emulator like AppleWin; or, it may be transferred to a real Apple II via NULL modem and converted to Apple-readable diskette form using DSK2FILE or (GS-only) ASIMOV. (Or, it may be NULL modem transferred directly to 5.25" diskette via a version of ADT.)

If you download a GZ file directly to your Apple you can use a program named "GZPK" v2 to convert it from gzip form to a zip format which can be unzipped via PMPUnzip 2.0 or Angel. A GZ file from the Asimov site should end up as a DSK file.

----------------------------

From: lachlan_arnott and Byron Desnoyers Winmill

On a Mac, you can use MacGzip to unZIP g-zipped (.gz) DSK files into uncompressed form. Another choice (for doing the same job as WinZIP on a PC) is Aladdin's StuffIt Expander and the DropStuff Expander Pack. These utilities can be found on many Macintosh related ftp sites. (See Q&A 007.)

____________________________

From: Slick

009- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?

I prefer More Info or Disk Witch, myself. I'll go through a list of stuff on my hard drive to manipulate filetypes:

DAs:
Alter (NDA)
Conchshell (CDA)
Disk Witch (CDA)
File Manager (NDA)
File Info2 (NDA)
File Info Edit (NDA)
Super Info II (NDA)
Utilities CDA (CDA), not very good

Finder Extras:
More Info

GS/OS Applications
Instant Access
File Passage

ProDOS 8
FAZ II (File Attribute Zap II)

----------------------------

From: Boris Guenter

File-A-Trix by Karl Bunker should do the job. Best of all, the latest (and last) version 1.1.1 of this program is freeware.

Since I had a few troubles with the latest version, I suggest trying both versions 1.1 and 1.1.1.

----------------------------

From: Tony Ward

I also prefer File-A-Trix. It performs a wide variety of functions including copy, move, delete, rename, catalog, make new folder, set file attributes (lock, unlock, filetype, auxtype), find file, format (floppy only), view text, Teach and AWP files. Best of all, it's a CDA that works from GS/OS and ProDOS 8, although there are some restrictions under P8 (i.e. no HFS disk access, no viewing forked Teach files, etc.)

----------------------------

From: Gareth Jones

I use either File-A-Trix, Change-A-File 4.20, or Deliverance (part of the Salvation Utilities).

----------------------------

From: Rubywand

Some programs which can be used to change filetype are ...

Jeff Hartkoph's File Manager- a GS NDA which lets you change Type, Auxtype, Date, and Access attributes. It is handy for modifying several files in quick succession.

Paul Parkhurst's PMPunZip- a GS application which includes an option for changing Type, Auxtype, and Access attributes. (In the File menu click on Modify File Attributes.)

Glen Bredon's ProSel (ProDOS 8 utilities)

Roger Wagner's Filetype Changer- a vintage BASIC utility which lets you change just the Type. A BRUN-able .BIN version is on Ground. (This is good enough for getting the GS-ShrinkIt .SEA file's filetype set correctly so that it can self-extract.)

----------------------------

From: Beverly Cadieux

And a biggie - AppleWorks v5.1-> File Activities, Change File Type.

----------------------------

From: Jay Edwards

TimeOut FileMaster does a great job and never argues about it. Best of all, it likes so many versions of AppleWorks.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

010- What is Copy II Plus and where can I get it?

Copy II Plus is the best general purpose utility for copying disks and managing files on DOS 3.3 and ProDOS diskettes. Most of the Copy II Plus functions also work with disk images (e.g. .dsk files) on emulators; however, COPY DISK and FORMAT are important functions which do not work correctly with emulators. Good versions which handle both DOS 3.3 and ProDOS files are 7.x - 8.x.

Note: Versions 9.x require at least an enhanced IIe and have a few notable bugs. Version 9.0's Catalog Sort option can mess up your directory. Neither version 9.0 nor 9.1 works correctly with the /RAM5 RAM disk. The best added capability of Version 9.x is being able to compare files.

No version of Copy II Plus will copy files which include a resource part, usually called a "resource fork". In some cases the copy may seem to be successful; but, it will be a mess. Only some, relatively new, IIgs files include a resource fork. No DOS 3.3 files or files intended for access under ProDOS 8 have resource forks.

The most versatile releases of the utility are, probably, Versions 7.1 and 7.2. They include the capability for creating disk images. The images are not compatible with popular emulators; but, they are a handy way to archive DOS 3.3 disks on a hard disk.

For places to get Copy II Plus in ShrinkIt shrinked disk and emulator disk image files, refer to Q&A 007 above.

____________________________

From: tturner, Rubywand, Greg Buchner, Labelas Enoreth

011- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?

First, to the best of my knowledge, only versions 6.x and 7.x of Copy II Plus can create a disk image file (called an "IMG" file). The feature was gone by version 8, for sure.

To create an IMG file you COPY--> DISK to an over-size target volume. Versions 6 and 7 will create a type "IMG" file instead of complaining about a "size mismatch" (which is what other versions of Copy II Plus do). It is fairly common to end the name of the new IMG file with ".img".

Doing the opposite lets you convert an IMG file back to diskette. That is, you select the COPY --> DISK option and pick the large volume with the IMG file as Source and a blank unformatted 5.25" diskette in the Slot 6, Drive 1 drive as Destination. You pick an IMG file on the Source volume and it is transferred to the diskette.

Copy II Plus IMG files are not compatible with DSK2FILE or ASIMOV and will not work on emulators such as AppleWin. Also, not all files ending with ".img" are Copy II Plus disk image files. I have seen ".img" (and ".image") used for Diskcopy disk image files.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

012- I'm using an Apple II emulator to play games. The game directions
say the boot disk must have a write protect tab. How do I set
write protection for a disk image?

Under Windows on a PC, you can right-click on the file name, select Properties, and adjust the "Read-only" attribute. Checking "Read-only" turns ON write protection; unchecking it turns write protection OFF.

----------------------------

From: Jon Bettencourt

On a Mac, you select the file, go up to File --> Get Info..., and click on "Locked."

____________________________

From: Rubywand

013- How can I create a disk image from a ShrinkIt .sdk file?

NuLib v3.24 can be used to make .po disk images from ShrinkIt 5.25" whole-disk archives-- e.g. .sdk files.

Note: NuLib v3.24 can create 5.25" disk images only for .sdk files created by 8-bit ShrinkIt (not ones created by GS-ShrinkIt). Since most .sdk files were created by 8-bit ShrinkIt, there is usually no problem.

For instance, suppose you have downloaded a whole-disk archive (.sdk file) of a 5.25" disk of modem utilities named "modem1.sdk" and wish to convert it into a disk image. For this example, it is assumed that you have downloaded NuLib v3.24 and unZIPed it and, now, have all of your Nulib stuff (nulib.exe, docs, etc.) in C:\nulib on your PC:

o- After downloading to the PC, check the file name of the .sdk file you want to convert. The name should have from 1 to 8 characters followed by ".sdk". If it doesn't, rename the file so that it does. The file modem1.sdk follows the above rule; so, there is no need to rename it.

o- Move or copy modem1.sdk to the C:\nulib folder.

o- Since you are probably in Windows95 (or later) open an MS-DOS window.

o- In the DOS window, go to the nulib folder ...

C:\WINDOWS>cd\

C:\>cd nulib

o- Enter the xd command to create the disk image from modem1.sdk:

C:\nulib>nulib xd modem1.sdk

You should get a message saying the 'NEW DISK' image is being extracted ending with "...done".

o- Exit the MS-DOS window-- e.g. click on the "X" in the corner.

o- Open the C:\nulib folder. Probably, your new disk image will be named "new.dis". Rename the new file to "modem1.po". It should show up with a size of 140k in the usual Windows listing. (If it shows size 0, go to "View" for the window and click "Refresh".)

If the new modem1.po has some size other than 140k-- like size is shown as 75k, etc.-- it means that modem1.sdk was probably created by GS-ShrinkIt and can not be converted to a disk image using NuLib. (You might as well scrap the bad modem1.po .)

Most likely, though, the conversion will work and modem1.po will be a good disk image.

----------------------------

014- How can I convert a .po image to/from a .dsk or .do image?

Most emulator programs have no problem using .po, .do, or .dsk disk images. So, the usual reason for wishing to change ordering is to go from .po (ProDOS order) to .dsk (typically, DOS 3.3 order) to permit transferring the image to your Apple II via ADT. In a few cases, it may be useful to go from DOS 3.3 order to ProDOS order, too.

Since a disk copy done on an emulator (like AppleWin) adjusts ordering to match the target, doing a disk copy from, for example, a .po image to a .dsk image (in DOS 3.3 order) is a simple way to do a conversion*. A good emulator choice for Windows users is AppleWin. A good disk copier program is Disk Muncher-- it is included on the TNILUTIL.DSK available from Ground and GSWV.

An easy way to check ordering of a bootable .po or .do disk image is to boot it under AppleWin. If it boots correctly, the ordering is as claimed-- .do = DOS 3.3 order and .po = ProDOS order. For a bootable .dsk image, you can change the suffix to ".do" or ".po" and boot it to check that it is really in the order you expect.

*Note: AppleWin, evidently, checks the ordering of a .dsk image used as a target for copying. It does not check actual ordering of .po or .do images. So, for example, if the target image has the ".po" suffix, the copy to the image will be in ProDOS order. Some emulators may work differently.

____________________________

From: David Kopper, Dan DeMaggio, Boris Guenter, Nathan Mates,
Phil Abro, Rubywand, Labelas Enoreth, Tony Turner

015- What do the different popular file name extensions, like ".BSC",
mean; and, how do I access the files?

File name extensions tell you what sort of file you are dealing with so that you will know which program(s) to use to unpack, unShrink, display, etc. the file. Many programs which create such files do not automatically add an extension-- for example, most of the disk images on the Golden Orchard CD are Diskcopy files with no name extension. Many other programs which create files suggest a default extension as part of the name-- GS-ShrinkIt generally suggests ".SHK"-- but, the user can change this and
save under any legal name desired. (One popular change is using ".SDK" for ShrinkIt whole-disk archive files.)

Some extensions indicate a filetype recognized by Apple II ProDOS; but, often, the extension is just for user information or to help some utility recognize the file as one it can deal with. For such files the actual ProDOS filetype is usually TXT, BIN, or SHK.

What is it? (What program do I use?)
------------------------------------------------------------
.2MG also .2IMG- XGS IIgs disk image file usually 800k or
larger (GS ASIMOV2; PC Imgutnew.exe)
.AAF Apple Archive Format [TEXT] for source code (aaf.unpacker)
.ACU NuFX Applelink archive (ShrinkIt*)
.ALU usually a multi-file, non-compressed A2 archive (ALU)
.APF GS super-res "Apple Preferred" packed graphics format
(Platinum Paint, Convert 3200, etc.)
.ARC PC Archive (GS-ShrinkIt* or DeArc2E or PC Arc program)
.BMP Windows Bit-Mapped graphics format (GS Convert 3200;
many PC viewers)
.BNX NuFX with BLU header. (ShrinkIt*)
.BNY BLU archive. (ShrinkIt*)
.BQY NuFX with BLU header. (ShrinkIt*)
.BSC BinScii file. [TEXT] (BinScii or GScii)
.BSE A GSHK* .SEA file with a Binary II header (ShrinkIt*)
.BSQ BinScii'd NuFX file. [TEXT] (BinScii plus ShrinkIt* on
the result)
.BXY NuFX archive with a Binary II header. (ShrinkIt*)
.CPT Compactor Pro archive (Compactor Pro on a Mac only)
.DIMG Diskcopy disk image file usually produced by a
Mac (GS Clone or Diskcopy; Mac Diskcopy; PC Imgutnew.exe)
.DO a .DSK file specified as having data in "DOS 3.3 Order"
i.e. uses DOS 3.3 sector ordering (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.DSK standard emulator disk image-- length is 143360 bytes for
5.25" disk images (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.EXE A2 Executioner file [TEXT]. (On A2; some files may EXEC
properly under only DOS 3.3.)
.GIF Graphics Interchange Format: Compressed picture (IIGIF for
//e; Super Convert, ... on GS; PC, etc.: many viewers
and editors)
.GZ GZip PC archive format often used for storing A2 emulator
disk images (GS GZPK v2 plus PMPUnZIP or Angel; PC WinZIP)
.HDV Raw (DSK) ProDOS ordered disk image file 800K or greater in
size; used by emus as a virtual hard disk (ASIMOV2 on IIgs)
.HQX Mac BinHex file. [TEXT] (BinHex on Mac or GScii)
.HTM HTML [TEXT] with embedded Text commands (Web
browsers, web editors, etc.)
.IMAGE Diskcopy images (see .DIMG)
.IMG Type IMG or "user #7" Copy II Plus disk image file (A2
Copy II Plus v6.x or v7.x)
.IMG is sometimes used for Diskcopy images (see .DIMG)
.JPG PC JPEG hi-res, hi-color graphics format (GS JPEG.VIEWER,
etc. B/W only or PC, Unix viewers)
.LBR a multi-file, non-compressed A2 archive (Librarian)
.LHA LHA Archive (PC/Amiga LZH program)
.LZH LZH Archive (PC/Amiga LZH program)
.NIB emulator disk image (typical length: 232960) for protected
5.25" software (A2 Saltine's Super Transcopy)
.PCX PC graphics format (GS Convert 3200; PC many viewers)
.PD compressed GS multi-palette graphics file w/o
palettes (GS SuperPac)
.PNG PC PING hi-res, hi-color graphics format (PC viewer)
.PO a .DSK file specified as having data in "ProDOS Order"
i.e. uses ProDOS sector ordering (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.PS compressed GS multi-palette graphics file with
palettes (GS SuperPac)
.QQ BLU archive. (ShrinkIt*)
.SDK ShrinkIt disk image, usually NuFX-compressed (ShrinkIt*)
.SEA Self-extracting A2 ShrinkIt* or Mac ShrinkIt archive
(depending upon kind, run on Apple IIgs or Mac)
.SHK usually an A2 NuFX-compressed archive; non-A2-compatible
Mac .SHK archives also exist (GS ShrinkIt* / Mac unshrinker
utility / PC Nulib-- does not extract GS resource forks)
.SIT Mac StuffIt archive. (Stuffit on Mac or GS ShrinkIt)
GS-ShrinkIt will not decode StuffIt Deluxe files.
.TAR Unix Tape Archive (Unix tar with -xvf option, GS EXE tar)
.TGZ Gzipped .TAR file
.uu Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (//e uudecode, Unix uudecode)
.uue Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (//e uudecode, Unix uudecode)
.TIFF Graphics format (GS SHR Convert)
.TXT [TEXT] An ASCII text file (Text editors,
word processors, etc.)
.UU Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (A2 uudecode or Unix uudecode)
.UUE Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (A2 uudecode or Unix uudecode)
.Z Compressed file (GS-ShrinkIt or Unix uncompress)
.ZIP PC Zip Archive (GS PMPUnZIP or UNZIP [GS Shell EXE]
or PC WinZIP, PKUNZIP, Unix unzip)
.ZOO PC Zoo Archive (GS-ShrinkIt??? or PC ZOO program)

* Note: GS-ShrinkIt (= GSHK) can handle all ShrinkIt files except
.SDK (shrunken disk) files of 5.25" DOS 3.3 disks created by
8-bit ShrinkIt. 8-bit ShrinkIt does not work for GS
files having a resource fork or GS .SEA files.

----------------------------

From: Apple's ftp site ...

Most files are in one of a few common formats, and many are a combination.

.sit StuffIt 1.5.1 archives
.hqx BinHex 4.0 file
.bin Binary file
.image Diskcopy 4.2 image file
.txt plain ASCII text file
.bsc Apple II BinSCII file
.shk Apple II ShrinkIt file

Most of the Macintosh files are BinHexed StuffIt files. This means you need to transfer the file, then read the license agreement which is prepended to it (with any text processor), use BinHex or any utility which can read BinHex 4.0 files to decode the BinHex to a StuffIt archive, then use UnStuffIt or the StuffIt Expander (or a similar utility) to decompress the .sit file into the final file.

In some cases the final file is a .image file. These are exact duplicates of floppy disks (with verified checksums). Use Diskcopy to convert these files into floppy disks for installation. Some Apple System Software is in this format.

Most of the Apple II files are either straight text or BinSCII'd ShrinkIt files. This means you need to transfer the file, then use BinSCII to convert the .bsc file to a ShrinkIt file, then use ShrinkIt to create the final file or disk.

Note: Apple calls their BinSCII'd .SHK files ".bsc" instead of ".bsq". It is fairly common for uploaders and ftp sites to tag any BinSCII'd file as ".bsc". The rationale is that, once a user un-BinSCII's a file, he or she will find an .SHK, .ZIP, etc. file and know how to continue.

____________________________

From: David Kopper

016- How do I tell what kind of file this is?

Here is a simple guide to help you identify a file. You should always go by filename extension first, but not everybody uses those. In Unix, you can use the 'head' command to look at the first couple of lines of a file. If it turns out to be a binary file, you may be in for a surprise. You may want to use the Unix 'file' command to find out if it is a text file or not first. Once you have identified the file, check the earlier info on filename extensions for how to deal with it.

If there are lines in the file that look like this (there can be other text before it--search for 'FiLeStArT'):

FiLeStArTfIlEsTaRt
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx yz0123456789()
GBINSCII AQhmAAAAA8)4MIAI02DA9ARMQEDtAQhmAIVZ
gYITA6u7xADA0MjM3YTNBlDOENkQwYURzITM2UDN5gzNDJUQGV ERyEDM1QzM4cjN
CFUOFR0QxAjR0MjM3YTNBlDOENkQwAQRzITM2UDN5gzNDJUQGV ERyEDM1QzM4cjN
....

then you've got something encoded by BinSCII. You must decode _all_ the parts using BinSCII. Then, if the resulting file is in some compressed form, you would use an appropriate utility to uncompress it. (For example, you would use 8-bit ShrinkIt to uncompress a whole-disk .sdk archive file.)

On the other hand, if you have a binary file which resembles:

NuFilei][![/#NuFX_<:c[[[ H`F-fGSCII~[
cRJ0)fNN^P)3'A2p6SF6X#GPd<9#'LC^08N7n\NB7Dd!eMN&eYX0Am=fXp
dsPAsp7rh`I'NS0ALAfi2)2ysGEQ$k9CP%L9
....

then you have a NuFX file (note the key words NuFile and NuFX). You should be able to extract the files it contains using ShrinkIt.

On the third hand, if you have a text file which resembles:

begin 666 nonsense.bny
M4W5N3U,s4F5L96%S92 T+C$s\%-$4U0V,"Ds(SsZ(%1U92!/8W0s.2 Q,CHS
M...3HT.2!%1%0s,3DY, HT

then you have a uuencoded file.

On another hand, if you have a text file which begins with

(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)
:$&4)48C28N0&,P009!"6593K8dP8)3%!!!#Ls!!!!!!Qie009#%!!3!!SPKb6'&
e!3!!!!!!!!!#!!P8D'8J4QpbBf9P)IN33)(4$N#"d4K!JG%S!!!!!`!'VfJ!"VP

then you have a BinHex file. The GScii NDA by Derek Taubert decodes BinHex files on an Apple IIGS. You can also use a variety of macintosh programs to do the decoding. There is also a Unix implementation of BinHex called mcvert.

On one more hand, if you have a text file which resembles:

CALL-151
E00:38 A5 FF D0 32 D8 20 8E FD AD 30 BF 8D 6A 0E 20
E10:00 BF C7 6D 0E 0D 80 02 D0 1D 20 00 BF C5 69 0E

and more lines like that, followed by a bunch of lines that look like:

A90885A420732090242039FB2058FCA200BD9220F00620EDFD E8D0F5200CFDA9
008DF2038DF3038DF4036CFCFFE6A4A5A4C96F90CFA9008DFC BFA9018DFDBFA0
A90885A420732090242039FB2058FCA200BD9220F00620EDFD E8D0F5200CFDA9

then you have an Executioner file.

___________________________

From: Rubywand

017- How can I create 'blank' .dsk, .nib, etc. disk images?

The simplest way to get a new .dsk or .nib is to copy an existing one and delete the files. Under Windows, you can just Right-click drag-and-drop a file in the same folder to get a copy. If you want a DOS 3.3 formatted image, pick a DOS 3.3 image to copy. If you want a ProDOS formatted image, pick a ProDOS image to copy. You can use a utility like Copy II Plus v7.4 to delete the files.

If you want a DOS 3.3 image, it's a good idea to boot DOS 3.3 and INIT HELLO the new image. This guarantees that the new image is correctly formatted. Doing an INIT also allows you to pick the version of DOS 3.3 that the new image will boot-- i.e., it will be the version of the DOS 3.3 (e.g. regular DOS 3.3, ProtoDOS, EsDOS, ...) which does the INIT. And, the INIT command allows you to set Volume Number on a .nib (which may be important if the image is supposed to work with a game, etc. which looks fo
r a particular Volume Number).

DOS 3.3's INIT works fine as a way to format images; but, the routines used by many utilities are not reliable. In general, you should be wary of using utilities like Copy II Plus and Apple's ProDOS Utilities to handle formatting of images on an emulator.

Another way to obtain fresh disk image files is to download 'blank' .dsk and .nib images from the Apple II archives which offer them.

However you create or obtain a 'blank' disk image of the sort you want, once you have one, you can save future bother by making multiple copies of it-- e.g. via multiple drag-and-drop copies-- and naming the copies something like "D33blank1.dsk", "PDblank1.dsk", "D33blank1.nib", etc..

----------------------------

018- How can I convert .dsk image <--> .nib image?

You can use a whole-disk copier such as Disk Muncher to copy from one to the other. For .nib --> .dsk, the .nib must not be a copy protected image.

For a .dsk --> .nib copy on an emulator using most whole-disk copiers, one result will be to set the Volume Number of the .nib to the default assigned to the .dsk. For example, converting a normal .dsk image this way will result in a .nib with VN set to 254.

If you want to 'convert' from .dsk to .nib without changing the VN of the .nib, use a copier that transfers just the contents. The old Apple program, COPYA, will do this if the program is modified to eliminate formatting of the target disk. Change the Line which does the INIT (usually Line 250) to ...

250 FT= 1

----------------------------

019- How can I convert Diskcopy images to diskette or to other formats?

Diskcopy is a Mac disk image format with names ending in ".dimg", ".img", ".image", or with no suffix. (Sometimes, incorrectly, ".dsk" is used.) The typical length of a Diskcopy file used for an Apple II 800k image is 838,484 bytes*. On a Mac, you can use the Mac Diskcopy utility to convert diskettes to images or images to diskettes.

On a IIgs, you can use Clone or Diskcopy to convert a Diskcopy image to diskette. (It may be necessary to set filetype to $E0 and auxtype to $0005 in order for the file to be recognized as a Diskcopy image.)

Clone is more user-friendly. Both utilities work fine for converting Diskcopy images (such as those on the Golden Orchard CD) to 3.5" diskette. If the Diskcopy file was created under a version greater than 4.2, you will probably need to do any conversions on a Mac which can run a later version of Diskcopy.

On a PC, the XGS utility Imgutnew.exe can be used to convert most available Diskcopy images of Apple II software to 2MG image format. The Diskcopy image name may need to be changed (spaces removed, etc.) to fit PC DOS format in order for Imgutnew.exe to work.

*See ... Size Note: Transferring to 3.5" disk (at bottom of this page)

___________________________

From: Charlie Danemark and Andy McFadden

020- How can I move .shk and other kinds of files to/from .dsk
and .2MG disk images?

If you are using Windows 95 ('98, 'Me) you can use FishWings or CiderPress to import .shk and other kinds of files onto .2MG or .dsk disk images formatted for ProDOS. You can also export files from disk image to your PC.

___________________________

From: Rubywand

021- How can I unfork forked files on my Apple II?

You can do it 'by hand' using a block editor to change filetype, etc. information in a directory block; or, you can use UnforkIt. UnforkIt is a BASIC program by Ivan Drucker which splits a forked file into two files, neither of which is forked.

___________________________

Size Note: Transferring to 3.5" disk

Although 2MG, Diskcopy, and some other 800k image formats have file sizes greater than 800k, on a ProDOS diskette they will often occupy a good deal less space. You will often be able to transfer such files (e.g. via a NULL modem connection) to an Apple II 800k diskette so long as you employ a protocol which does not pre-send size information, such as X-modem.

Database Administrator · #7 07-05-2008, 01:07 AM

Archive-name: apple2/faq/part15
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/06/01
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2008. Administrator: Steve Nelson

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2KBPADJS.txt rev123 June 2008

Input Devices

001- How do I do the Shift Key Mod?
002- What's a "VIDEX" board?
003- I need a GS ADB keyboard cable! Where can I get one?
004- How can I make a PC-to-Apple Joystick converter?
005- How can I do an Apple-to-PC Joystick conversion?
006- What are the dip-switch settings for the "BITMOUSE" card?
007- How can I switch my IIe keyboard layout to Dvorak?
008- What keyboards work as replacements for a GS keyboard?
009- What is a Koala Pad and how do I test it?
010- Can I convert a C-64 Koala Pad to work on my Apple II?
011- How do I make the internal cable for a IIe numeric keypad?
012- Is there a cable or card which lets you connect two joysticks?
013- How do I write programs for the Apple Graphics Tablet?
014- Why does my II+ KB act like the CTRL key is always pressed?
015- Can I replace my bad IIe keyboard with one from another IIe?
016- Why does my IIe keyboard keep repeating characters?
017- How do I read the joystick on a GS in native mode?
018- Is a Y-adapter available for my GS keyboard?
019- How do you use the Kensington TurboMouse with a IIgs?
020- How do I clean my mouse?
021- What is the best kind of mouse pad?
022- How do I clean my keyboard?
023- Is there a fix for a bad trigger on my Flight Stick?
024- How can I improve the feel of my original (beige-key) IIc KB?
025- Can I replace my broken GS mouse with one from a Mac?
026- What is the pinout for the IIe, //c, and similar 9-pin mouses?
027- How do I write programs which use the mouse?
028- How can I replace a bad keyboard encoder IC on my IIe?
029- Can I use an Apple III joystick on my Apple II?
030- How can I be sure my joystick is properly adjusted?
031- How can I play joystick games on an emulator?
032- How do I fix a "stuttering" IIgs? (IIgs keyboard fix)
033- How can I use a PC mouse on my Apple II?

From: Steve Jensen

001- How do I do the Shift Key Mod?

Here's info from my files on the 'shift key mod':

The one wire shiftkey mod is the oldest and simplest fix that can be made to the Apple II to get true upper and lower case operations with the shift key. Most good word processors have input routines that check the PB2 input on the game I/O port to determine if the shift key is being pressed. Some programs that have these routines are Wordstar, Write-on, Apple Pascal 1.1 and many others. Follow the steps below to install the shift key mod.

parts:
1 mini-grabbette clip (Radio Shack PN 270-370)
1 15 in. piece of small guage wire
1 16 pin socket

1) Solder one end of the wire to the mini-grabbette clip.

2) Solder the other end of the wire to pin 4 of the 16 pin socket as close to the body of the socket as possible.

3) Turn the Apple II off and remove the cover.

4) Remove anything plugged into the game I/O socket.

5) Attach the mini-grabbette clip to pin 24 of the keyboard encoder connector. This connector is located inside the Apple II directly beneath the RESET key. Pin 1 is nearest the power supply and pin 25 is nearest the right edge of the Apple II. Use the grabbette clip to attach to the standoff _pin 24_ (second from the end).

6) Lead the other end of the wire with socket attached along the right edge of the motherboard and plug it into the game I/O port. Be careful to plug pin 1 to pin 1 when putting this socket in. Pin 1 of the game I/O port is towards the front of the computer.

7) Replace the cover and start using lower case characters.

____________________________

From: Paul Creager

002- I opened an Apple II+ the other day found that there was a
board labeled "VIDEX" tacked under the keyboard. What is a
"VIDEX" board?

The official name is the Videx Keyboard Enhancer. It replaces Apple's keyboard encoder board underneath the keyboard. Besides providing true U/L capability (with the Shift Key), it had a small (10-20 character) buffer and supported programmable macro keys.

I had one on my ][+. I remember a couple of wires had to be run to the motherboard. One enabled true Shift key usage. The other I can't remember. If you don't have a wire running to an IC on the motherboard, that explains why your Shift key isn't working. It could very well be the same spot where the "traditional" Shift key mod is made.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

003- I got a free IIGS but with no GS ADB keyboard cable!
Where can I get one?

Jack Somers and Supertimer report that ADB cables which will work fine are available at low prices from stores which carry Mac supplies.

An alternative is to get an SVideo cable from your nearest video/audio electronics store. Although these cables have no external shield, all four ADB lines are connected. I tried one on our GS and it worked fine. One thing: the absence of an external shield may produce extra TV/Radio interference.

----------------------------

Related FAQs Resource: R029PCA2XRF.GIF (gif pic file)
Related FAQs Resource: R030PCA2RF.GIF (gif pic file)

004- How can I make a PC-to-Apple Joystick converter?

If you are looking for the best stick at the best price for your Apple II, building a simple PC-to-Apple2 joystick converter is the way to go. Practically every computer stuff store carries PC sticks and you will have a wide selection of brands and models from which to choose.

Note: The converter detailed here will not work with "auto-fire" circuits included in some PC joysticks. If you use an auto-fire stick with this converter, "auto-fire" should be switched Off.

For a modified design which supports both auto-fire and non auto-fire operation see FAQs Resource R030PCA2RF.GIF.

My PC stick is a standard CH Products "FlightStick". A resistance measurement produced a disconcerting revelation: the X and Y pots top-out around 100k Ohms-- 50k less than a standard Apple II stick! Fortunately, you can compensate for the difference just fine by adding a bit of capacitance. The finished converter is shown below:

To PC Stick To Apple II Or to 16-pin IC plug
15-pin Dsub 9-pin Dsub ribbon cable to
female connector male connector internal Game socket

[1] [4] and [5] ----------[2] +5V [ 1]
[2] ----------------------[7] Button 0 (PB0) [ 2]
[3] ----------------------[5] X-axis (PDL0) [ 6]
[6] ----------------------[8] Y-axis (PDL1) [10]
[7] ----------------------[1] Button 1 (PB1) [ 3]
[3] Ground [ 8]

On the Apple II side ... 9-Pin 16-Pin

add 680 Ohm resistor between [7] & [3] [ 2] & [ 8]

add 680 Ohm resistor between [1] & [3] [ 3] & [ 8]

add .01 uF cap* between [5] & [3] [ 6] & [ 8]
Optional: for fine-tuning,
add a 500k trim pot
in series with the cap.

add .01 uF cap* between [8] & [3] [10] & [ 8]
Optional: for fine-tuning,
add a 500k trim pot
in series with the cap.

*Note: The Capacitors compensate for smaller R range of PC sticks.
The C values are approximate. There is some variation in the
built-in capacitance for each Apple II and a ".01 uF" cap may be
off by 20% or more.

For standard 100k Ohm PC sticks, picking a ".01 uF" cap pretty
well guarantees you will be able to cover the full Apple II
X and Y range (0-255). To make sure and to get a wide active
swing, it's a good idea to use clips to attach caps and check
performance using the program below.

A pictorial 'diagram' of this converter is available. For the
pictorial, see FAQs Resource R029PCA2XRF.GIF.

For checking and adjusting stick performance on your Apple II, use a program which continuously reads and displays X and Y stick values. The program below does this and displays "B0" when Button 0 is pushed and "B1" when Button 1 is pushed. Do a CTRL-C to exit.

20 PRINT "X= "; PDL(0); TAB(15); "Y= ";PDL(1); TAB(30);
30 IF PEEK(49249)>127 THEN PRINT " B0";
40 IF PEEK(49250)>127 THEN PRINT " B1";
50 PRINT: GOTO 20

Note: If your Apple II uses an accelerator chip or board, make sure that it "slows down" for joystick accesses or just set Speed to "Normal" (1MHz).

Most likely, after X and Y centering is set (around 128) you will find that the a stick tops-out too early in the X-max and/or Y-max direction. For best control precision, what you want is for extreme values to occur near the extremes of stick movement:

X (horizontal) Left= 0 Right= 255
Y (vertical) Up= 0 Down= 255

This way, you have lots of active swing which makes graphics work and playing most games much easier.

If you included the trim pots in your converter, adjusting for maximum active swing will be easy so long as you can get to the max 255 values with the pots at lowest resistance. (Increasing the resistance acts like lowering the value of the connected capacitor.) If your converter does not include the trim pots, experiment with swapping in capacitance values between .002 uF and .01 uF to get the best control 'spread'.

The converter I built fit inside heat-shrink tubing. Putting it in a small plastic box may be better. You could mount the trim pots (and/or switches with fixed "trim resistors") and select between settings for a 'Fast', short swing, 'hot' Game Stick and a 'Normal', full swing, 'cool' Game/Graphics Stick.

----------------------------

005- I have a great Apple II joystick I'd like to use on my PC.
How can I do an Apple-to-PC Joystick conversion?

If you've compared the pinouts and info for Apple II and PC joysticks, then you know there are some important differences:

The Apple II stick uses a 9-pin plug vs. the PC's 15-pin plug. (Older Apple II sticks may use a 16-pin plug which fits in an IC socket.)

The Apple II stick's X, Y controller potentiometers are a bit larger.

The buttons are wired differently.

You can use an Apple-to-PC adapter (such as the one supplied with the Epyx A2/PC joystick) to handle plug conversion; or, you can replace the entire cable with one from an old PC stick.

The PC's joystick interface will work with the Apple2 150k pots; but, in some applications, you may notice a tendency to max out early in the stick swing. You can correct this by connecting a 300k resistor across each pot (from the center to the end with a wire going to it).

The difference in button wiring is the main reason an Apple-to-PC conversion involves opening the joystick and making changes. (The Apple stick has a slightly more complex, less flexible circuit. Apple2-to-PC is not as easy as PC-to-Apple2.)

Basically, you need to change the Apple stick's button wiring so that it looks like the PC stick's button wiring.

The mods mentioned above are not difficult, especially if you swap in a PC cable. If you want to be able to use the stick on an Apple II, then some kind of switching will be required.

Apple II Joystick
(9-pin male connector) (Old 16-pin IC-style plug)

[2]--------------- +5V ------- 1
[7]--------------- Button 0 ------- 2
[5]--------------- X-axis ------- 6
[8]--------------- Y-axis ------- 10
[1]--------------- Button 1 ------- 3
[3]--------------- Ground ------ 8

PC Joystick
(15-pin male connector)

[1]--------------- +5V
[2] -------------- Button 0
[3] -------------- X-axis
[6] -------------- Y-axis
[7] -------------- Button 1
[4] and/or [5] Ground

Both sticks tie one end of each X, Y potentiometer to +5 and send the center (wiper) to the an output. (Or the wiper may go to +5V and an end to the output; it doesn't much matter.) The standard Apple II pot is 150K Ohms; most PC sticks use 100k Ohm pots.

The buttons are wired differently.

On the Apple II stick (see below), each button switch goes to +5V. The other end goes to GND through a resistor (one resistor for each button). A button's Output is from the junction of the switch and its resistor. When the button switch is not closed, its Output is near 0V (=logic 0). Pressing a button sends +5V to the output (= logic 1).

+5V
|
|
X Button Switch
|
|_____Button output to Apple (Press => "1")
|
Z
Z 680 Ohm resistor
Z
|
GND

As shown below, a PC stick button Output is normally an unconnected wire. Most likely, inside the computer, a PC or compatible Game Port has this line tied to a 1k-3k resistor going to +5V. So, the line will normally be at something close to +5V (= logic 1). Pressing the button grounds the line and pulls it down near to 0V (= logic 0).

_____Button output to PC (Press => "0")
|
|
X Button Switch
|
|
GND

Apple2-to-PC Joystick Conversion: Step-by-Step

DOING THE CONVERSION

To convert an Apple2 joystick for PC use you will need a cable from an old PC stick (or a 6-wire cable and 15-pin male connector). You can find junk PC sticks with good cables at flea markets and lots of other places. You will also need two 330k resistors.

1. First, open the Apple joystick case and mark each wire going to the cable. The best way is to use small self-stick labels. Label each wire by function (e.g. "+5", "X", "GND", etc.).

You can use an Ohm meter to, for example, verify that the wire you think is Button 0 really goes to pin 7 on the Apple 9-pin connector (or pin 2 on the old 16-pin IC style connector). Pinouts for both kinds of A2 sticks are shown below:

Apple II Joystick
(9-pin male)

[2]---- +5V
[7]---- Button 0
[5]---- X-axis
[8]---- Y-axis
[1]---- Button 1
[3]---- Ground

Apple II Joystick
(16-pin IC-style plug)

[1]---- +5V
[2]---- Button 0
[6]---- X-axis
[10]--- Y-axis
[3]---- Button 1
[8]---- Ground

The +5V wire is easy to find. It will go to each pot and to one side of each Button switch.

The Apple2 Ground wire goes to the 'bottom' end of each fixed resistor. You do not need to label it; because it will be removed.

2. Once the wires are labeled, cut each about 1 inch from the point it goes into the cable. Remove the cable. (Keep the cable; it may come in handy for some later Apple2 project.)

Now, is the time to rewire the Buttons.

3. Remove (snip or unsolder) the two fixed resistors. If the Button 0 or Button 1 lead becomes disconnected from its switch during removal of a resistor, reconnect the lead.

Check to see that, now, the Button 0 wire is the only one going to one side of the Button 0 switch. The same goes for the Button 1 wire.

Snip off or unsolder the +5 leads going to the other side of each button switch at the non-switch end. If a wire runs from one switch to the other, leave it alone. If not, connect a wire from switch to switch. This is the "common" side of the switches.

You want to end up with a single wire going to the common side of the switches and separate Button 0 and Button 1 wires going to the other side:

____Button 0 wire
|
|
X B0 Switch
|
|
------- COMMON Wire
|
|
X B1 Switch
|
|____Button 1 wire

Label the COMMON wire as "GROUND"

4. The 330k resistors will help bring the outputs of the Apple2 X and Y 150k Ohm pots closer to the 0-100k range PC prefers. Connect a 330k resistor 'across' each pot-- i.e. from the center post to the post going to a +5 lead.

5. Label each of the leads coming from the PC cable. If it is still connected to a joystick, the following pic will help identify each lead:

PC Joystick
(15-pin male connector)

[1]--------------- +5V
[2] -------------- Button 0
[3] -------------- X-axis
[6] -------------- Y-axis
[7] -------------- Button 1
[4] and [5] ------ Ground

If the cable is still connected, snip the the leads once they are all labeled. If both Ground ([4] and [5]) leads are present, twist them together and treat like a single Ground lead.

FINISHING UP

6. You have six labeled wires in the Apple2 joystick case: +5, GROUND, B0, B1, X, and Y. The same six leads are labeled on the PC cable. Splice each Apple2 wire to the corresponding PC cable wire. Use heat-shrinkable tubing to cover each connection.

7. Seat the new cable in the joystick case, arrange leads to avoid mounting posts, etc., and close up the case. Viola!

CHECKS

If you have an Ohm meter here are some checks you can do:

X (Horizontal) Check- check R between cable pins 1 and 3. As you move stick left to right R should go from 0 to about 100k.

Y (Vertical) Check- check R between cable pins 1 and 6. As you move stick up to down R should go from 0 to about 100k.

Button 0 Check- (Button 0 is the main, "Fire" button.) cable pins 2 and 4 or 5. It should be very high and go to 0 when Button 0 is pressed.

Button 1 Check- check R between cable pins 7 and 4 or 5. It should be very high and go to 0 when Button 1 is pressed.

TRYOUT

Plug in the stick and try it with a game.

Some games (such as Elite Plus) will claim no joystick is present if the stick is badly out of adjustment. If this happens, try the stick on a game which is less picky and includes pre-play stick adjustment.

Once adjusted, your 'new' stick should work fine with all PC wares.

____________________________

From: Alberto Roffe

006- Can someone tell me the dip-switch settings for the
"BITMOUSE" card by Sequential Systems?

The following comes from the BitMouse card manual, which I have installed in my //e:

Switch 1- This switch controls mouse tracking sensitivity

OFF: Slow
ON: Fast

Switch 4- CPU speed

OFF: 1 to 4 MHz
ON: 5+ MHz

Switches 2&3 currently have no function.

____________________________

From: David E A Wilson

007- How can I switch my IIe keyboard layout to Dvorak?

There are a number of ways to set the NTSC //e keyboard to Dvorak.

1- If you have a Rev A motherboard cut X1 and join X2. This will allow AN2 to control the keyboard layout (default will be Dvorak).

2- If you have a Rev B motherboard and want AN2 to control the keyboard layout cut X2 and solder a short wire between the back half of X2 and the back half of X3 (do not join X3).

3- Obtain a 24 pin IC socket. Solder 3 fine wires to pins 12, 19 and 24. Solder the other ends to a SPDT switch (pin 19 to the centre/common terminal). Remove the keyboard ROM, insert the switch+socket and then insert the keyboard ROM. Cut X1 (if Rev A) or X2 (if Rev B) to isolate pin 19. Mount the switch somewhere convenient.

All the above was taken from "Understanding the Apple IIe" by Jim Sather. I recommend it to you.

____________________________

From: Bradley P. Von Haden, Supertimer, Chippy

008- My stock GS keyboard has been acting flaky; and, now
I'm looking for a GS keyboard replacement.
What's available?

Work with an Apple IIgs

Apple ADB Keyboards I and II
AppleDesign Keyboard (approx. price: $85)
Apple Extended Keyboard (original)
Apple Extended Keyboard II (approx. price: $155)
Adesso 105 Extended Keyboard (approx. price: $80)
Adesso 102 Extended Keyboard w/ Trackball [Trackball does NOT work]
(approx. price: $100)
AlphaSmart Pro ADB keyboard (approx. price: $270)
AlphaSmart 2000-3000 (approx. price: $200-$230)
Arriva Extended (approx. price: $40)
Datadesk Lil’BigBoard (approx. price: $60)
Interex Mac-105A Extended (approx. price: $55)
Key Tronic MacPro Plus (approx. price: $130)
OptiMac Extended Keyboard
PowerUser 105E Extended Keyboard (approx. price: $60)
SIIG, Inc MacTouch Model 1905 (approx. price: $100.00)
SIIG, TrueTouch [ROM 03 only]
Sun OmniMac Ultra [extended, ADB type]
Suntouch ADB Extended Keyboard (approx. price: $75)
VividKey Extended Keyboard (approx. price: $60)

Do not work with an Apple IIgs

Apple Adjustable Keyboard
MacALLY Peripherals Extended Keyboard
MicroSpeed Keyboard Deluxe MAC

____________________________

From: Rubywand

009- What is a Koala Pad and how do I test it?

The Koala Pad is drawing pad peripheral. It 'looks like' a two-button joystick to your Apple II. So, any software which accepts joystick input can use the pad. This includes the paint program originally included with the pad (the "Koala Micro-Illustrator"), "Blazing Paddles", "Dazzle Draw", "816 Paint", and many other programs.

The Koala Pad has the old 16-pin game plug. It is supposed to be plugged into the Old Game Port socket. This is an 'IC socket' near the back right side of the Apple II (II+, IIe, IIgs) motherboard. The cable end should be facing toward the back.

It's a good idea to get a 9-pin plug -to- 16-pin socket converter cable so that the pad can be plugged into the newer, external, 9-pin Game Port. This makes it much easier to unplug the pad when you want to swap-in a joystick for games. The converter cable is not hard to build; or, you may find one at a swap meet.

You can test your KoalaPad using software which checks joysticks. For example, touching the stylus to the upper left corner outputs X,Y readings close to 0,0; touching the stylus to the lower right corner outputs X,Y readings of 255,255. Near the center of the pad, the output is about 130,130.

Some indication of shrinkage or stretching on the pad seems to be normal. Our pad does not present a 'slate flat' look either; but, it works fine. Before deciding that your pad is defective, try it out on a joystick checker program. If you are using some kind of accelerator on your Apple ][, be sure to set speed to 1MHz.

Similarly, you can check your software by substituting a joystick for the KoalaPad.

------------------------------

010- I have a Koala Pad with a 9-pin DIN female plug. I guess it's
a C-64 model. Can I convert a C-64 Koala Pad to work on my
Apple II?

Since the standard Commodore-64 9-pin DIN port is male, it looks like your Koala Pad (with a female plug) is, indeed, intended to work on a C-64, VIC-20, etc. machine.

As to whether or not the C-64 Koala Pad can be used on an Apple II, it looks like, probably, it can, if you can find or build an adapter. This is, really, a guess. It is based upon the capabilities of the C-64 Game port, time constant capacitor values used in the C-64, and the probability that Koala Pad's makers would not wish to make major design changes between Apple and C-64 models.

Although C-64 joysticks are of the simple "switcher" type which connect to Game port switch inputs, the C-64 Game port also includes X and Y analog "paddle" inputs. These are at pin 9 (X) and pin 5 (Y).

The C-64 manual does not ever seem to specify an optimal max R value for the pots connected to these inputs; but, the capacitor part of the expected R/C circuit is 1000 pF in each case and the caps go to ground just as they do in the Apple II.

In short, the C-64 "paddle" inputs look very much like the Apple II joystick inputs. A _try_ at an adapter would look something like the following ...

To C-64 Koala Pad To Apple II Game Port
(9-pin male DIN) (9-pin male DIN)

1 ?
2 ? 2nd Button -> 1
3 ?
4 ?
5 <- PDL1 (Y) -> 8
6 <- main button -> 7
7 <- +5V line -> 2
8 <- GND -> 3
9 <- PDL0 (X) -> 5

The above assumes that the C-64 Koala Pad will use C-64's "Fire Button" input for its main button. The second button would, then, connect to one of the four joystick switch inputs. (Actually, since all of the switch inputs, including the Fire Button, are just inputs to a port IC, any two may be the ones used to handle Koala Pad's buttons.)

It should be possible to detect the button lines on the Koala Pad connector using an Ohm meter (on R x 100 range) with one lead connected to the GND pin (pin 8) and using the other lead to check pins 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. A button lead similar to one on an Apple II should show up as a 500-700 Ohm resistance.

Again, we are dealing with guesses. If you decide to try making a converter, be sure to post what you discover. Good luck!

____________________________

From: Mark Wade

011- Does anyone have the pin-to-pin mapping that would allow me
to construct a suitable internal cable for a IIe numeric
keypad?

You need a female Dsub-15 to 11 pin female header. If the female Dsub-15 is numbered like this:

__________________________________________
\ /
\ 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 /
\ 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 /
\__________________________________/

And the 11 pin header is numbered like this:

_______________________________________
| |
| 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 |
|_____________________________________|

Then:

DB-15 | Header
__________|_____________

12 11
11 10
10 9
9 8
NC 7
7 6
6 5
5 4
3 3
2 2
1 1

The header is as viewed on the motherboard. The DB-15 is the female connector that you would plug the keypad into.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

012- Is there some cable or card which lets a II user connect
two joysticks?

Yes. One is Paddle-Adapple from Southern California Research Group. It is a small external card with sockets for the joysticks. A ribbon cable runs into the Apple II and plugs into the 16-pin Game socket.

As noted in the "for Apple II, //e, & Franklin" model's data sheet, Paddle-Adapple lets you switch between two sticks; or, with the switch set to "A" plus proper jumper settings, you can access two two-button sticks. The jumpers also allow programming the card for different X-Y and button configurations.

____________________________

From: Oliver Schmidt and Guillaume Tello

013- How do I write programs for the Apple Graphics Tablet?

The Apple Graphics Tablet I know of is rather large and heavy; its pen is attached to it with a (too short) cable; it makes funny sounds that change when the pen is moved in/out the reach of of the tablet.

A long time ago I patched a few programs to make use of this tablet. To make it clear in the first place - I don't have these patched versions available anymore :-(. But I found a listing from which I can tell you this:

To detect the interface card, I looped over all slots to check in its firmware for

$B0 at location $Cx01 and
$20 at location $Cx09

x being the slot number. I never found this 'signature' in any other firmware.

To check for the pen position one has to poll the tablet (again x being the slot number):

LDA $CFFF ; switch off all extension ROMS

LDA $Cx00 ; switch on the extension ROM of the tablet

LDA #$Cx

STA $07F8 ; initialize some hidden text screen data area for the tablet firmware

JSR $CBB9 ; call well known location ;-) in tablet firmware

When the pen is in reach of the tablet (up or down) this routine will return immediately. Else it will block - fortunately, the routine checks the keyboard strobe ($C010) too and will also return if a key is pressed, even if the pen remains out of tablet's reach.

After the routine has returned one can get the information:

$0280 pen state:

bit 0 = 0 Pen down, bit 0 = 1 Pen up
bit 1 = Previous pen state
bit 4 = 0 Pen has been localized, its state and positions are valid.
bit 4 = 1 Pen out of reach but key pressed and then X=Y=0

$0281 Low byte of X pen position
$0282 High byte of X pen position

$0283 Low byte of Y pen position
$0284 High byte of Y pen position

X and Y have 13 bits resolution from 0 to 8191. Using my Apple Tablet, I get values from 300 to 6350 and the bounds are not reached.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

014- My II+ keyboard acts like the CTRL key is always pressed
when it isn't. (Press 'G' get beep....press 'M' get CR, etc..)
Is there a way to fix this problem?

Are you sure that your CTRL key is not stuck? Try diddling the key. You can, also, pull the keytop and shaft and see whether (carefully) lifting out the small crossbar wire makes any difference. (If it does, a squirt of Radio Shack Control Cleaner into the switch and a wipe with a cotton swab may de-gunk things and help restore normal functioning.)

Another possible source of the problem is a KB Controller IC pin making poor contact with the line coming from the CTRL key circuit. (Try removing and re-socketing the KB IC.)

U1, a 7400 quad nand gate IC, could have gone bad or be making poor contact at some pins. This could result in an 'always-pressed CTRL key' signal at pin 11.

When the CTRL key is not pressed, pins 12 and 13 of U1 (connected to the CTRL key switch) should be at nearly 5V and pin 11 (which goes to pin 19 of the KB Controller IC) should be at logic "0" (roughly 0V - 0.25V).

If U1 pins 12 and 13 are at 0V (or very close) when the CTRL key is not pressed, your CTRL key switch is, probably, stuck.

If U1 pins 12 and 13 are at/near 5V and pin 11 is not near 0V, U1 is probably bad or making poor contact at some pins.

If U1 pin 11 is near 0V and pin 19 of the KB Controller IC is not, then, there is either a break in the line connecting the pins or one or both IC's are making poor socket contact.

If pin 19 of the KB Controller IC is near 0V when the CTRL key is not pressed and near 4-5V when the CTRL key is pressed, then, if you still have 'stuck CTRL key' symptoms, there is a good chance that the KB Controller IC is messed up.

Note: all of this assumes that your KB is like the one diagrammed in the Apple ][ Reference Manual on page 101.

____________________________

From: Owen Aaland

015- Can I replace my bombed IIe keyboard with one from another IIe?

All four styles of the early keyboards are interchangeable. The first production machines have the keyboard mounted to the base pan while later ones are mounted to the underside of the top of the case. The mounting holes for all the keyboards except the platinum models are located the same.

____________________________

From: Bruce R. Baker

016- At my school we have a IIe that has some problem with its
keyboard. When you push a key it keeps on repeating until
you push another, which also repeats. Is there a cheap easy
way to fix this?

My experience is that this is more simple than it looks. You have one stuck key. It is stuck down. Have you opened the machine and moved the keyboard? If so you may have replaced it wrong, it is rubbing on one of the edges. The key that is stuck is next to the edge.

If this does not apply to you, often pressing all of the keys until it stops (because by pressing on the right key, it comes unstuck) will work.

----------------------------

From: Dave Althoff

My first suspicion is a stuck key, and if this is a beige ][e, the first place I'd look is the [`/~] key, adjacent to the power light.

----------------------------

From: Owen Aaland

The escape is a likely key for this as it is located where it can easily contact the case but does not exhibit any problems until another key is pressed and then that key will repeat.

----------------------------

From: Rubywand

If the KB Encoder IC or the IOU IC is loose or has pins making poor contact, you could get the symptoms described.

Open the case and locate the KB Encoder (a big, 40-pin IC on the right side of the motherboard just to the right of three ROMs). Use a small, thin-blade screwdriver to scootch up the IC. (You want to get some lifting for all pins, even if you end up just removing the IC.) Press the IC back into the socket.

Do the same with the IOU (a big, 40-pin IC just to the left of the three ROMs).

The idea of lifting up and re-socketing each IC is to let the socket contacts scrape a fresh connection with each pin on the IC.

____________________________

From: tgeer@pro-gumbo.cts.com (System Administrator)

017- A while ago someone posted about how to read the joystick on
a GS in native mode. They said that it was possible to read
both paddles at once and therefore get much more accurate
readings?

Only the high bit of these locations is valid. When the high bit of either location becomes 0 then the corresponding analog input has timed out.

You will actually get more accurate results by reading them one after the other with the accumulator set to 8 bits wide and the index registers used to hold the counts (16 bits wide). This allows for a much faster loop, giving better resolution. Assuming that this routine is called from full native mode, the following code will do the trick:

strobe equ $C070 ; analog input timing reset
pdl0 equ $C064 ; analog input 0
pdl1 equ $C065 ; analog input 1

start php ; save processor status register
phb ; and data bank register
sep #%100000 ; make accumulator 8 bits wide
lda #0 ; make data bank = 0
pha
plb
ldx #0 ; initialize the counters
txy
lda strobe ; strobe the timing reset
loop1 inx ; increment pdl0 count
lda pdl0 ; is high bit = 0?
bmi loop1 ; no, keep checking
lda strobe ; yes, strobe the timing reset again
loop2 iny ; increment pdl1 counter
lda pdl1 ; is high bit = 0?
bmi loop2 ; no, keep checking
plb ; yes, restore data bank
plp ; and processor status register
rts ; return to caller (could be RTL)

Notice that the actual counting loops are only 9 cycles long. This gives the best possible resolution. You will need your counters to be 16 bits wide as the results will easily overflow the capacity of an 8 bit counter.

Using memory locations as counters will only serve to slow the counting loop down. If X and Y contain valid data before entry, you will need to save them off to the stack and pull them back in after interpreting the joystick results. I have used this exact method to read the analog inputs on my Science Toolkit box which connects to the joystick port.

The results have been extremely accurate (much more than would be needed for a game which reads the joystick).

____________________________

From: Dan DeMaggio

018- Is a Y-adapter available for my GS keyboard?

Yes. Redmond Cable has an ADB Y-connector cable for separating your mouse from the side of your keyboard.

____________________________

From: Mark Wade

019- How do you use the Kensington TurboMouse with a IIgs?

The Version 3.0 Kensington TurboMouse ADB works fine on a later model IIgs (such as a mid-late 1987 true ROM-01 IIgs). It will not work correctly on a ROM-00 IIgs even after the standard ROM upgrade to ROM-01. The Version 4.x TM will not work on any IIgs.

Dip switches:

Right handed use: (L but click, R but click lock) SW1 Up
Left handed use: (R but click, L but click lock) SW1 Down

The other switches are for what they call "chording" and are listed as:

SW2 SW3 SW6
Command N Dn Dn Up
Command O Dn Up Dn
Command W Dn Up Up
Command S Up Dn Dn
Command P Up Dn Up
Command Q Up Up Dn
Command Z Up Up Up

____________________________

From: Rubywand

020- My mouse feels very bumpy. Everyone says it needs cleaning but
when I look inside there is just a little dust and the rubber
treads on the rollers look okay. So, how am I supposed to get
my mouse any cleaner?

It does sound like you have a gunked-up mouse. Rollers are whitish plastic, black plastic, or metal-- they do not have treads. The "tread" is gunk.

It is best to clean a mouse with the computer OFF. The main reason is that, otherwise, it's hard to avoid unintended clicking on stuff that could cause problems. There is no need to disconnect the mouse unless you want to move to a better work area for the cleaning.

First, get together a few supplies and tools:

A wooden desoldering stylus or flat-tipped plastic TV technician's tool is handy for dislodging gunk. (Probably, a small jeweler's screwdriver is okay. However, you do not want to scratch a roller.)

Small skinny long-nosed pliers are good for picking out globs of gunk and dust.

Windex or some relatively safe spray cleaner.

Paper towels and a cotton swab.

To open the mouse use fingernails to rotate the panel insert around the ball opening on the bottom. The panel and ball should come out. Spritz the ball and panel with cleaner (or put them in a glass with soap and water). Wipe dry.

Dampen a paper towel with cleaner and wipe the outside case. With a cleaner-dampened paper towel, clean the cord for at least a foot or so near the mouse.

Look inside the mouse. You may see globs of dust and gunk. Remove these-- pick them out-- as best you can.

Inside, there should be 3-4 rollers. If it's been a month or more since the last cleaning each will probably look like it has a dark gray rubber tread. Use the desoldering stylus, etc. or a fingernail to dislodge gunk on each roller.

The best way to dislodge gunk is to push the 'tread' sidewise (kind of like removing a tire) as you work your way around the roller. Use the skinny long-nosed pliers to pick out strips of the 'tread' as it unpeels.

Use a cleaner-dampened swab to finish cleaning each roller.

Use the swap to wipe around and pick out any remaining dust or gunk, replace the mouse ball, and rotate the plastic panel into place.

One way to simplify mouse cleaning is regular timely use of an Ergotron "Mouse Cleaner 360" or similar kit. The Ergotron kit includes a couple velcro balls, cleaner, wipe cloth or shammy, and a mouse cleaner track pad. You squirt cleaner on the proper size ball, stick it in your mouse, run it around in a circular motion on the track pad, and finish up with a wipe using the cloth or shammy.

Such kits do not seem to be much help in removing established gunk 'treads'. (Actually, the Ergotron might get the job done; but, it would take a _lot_ of revolutions. It is easier to dislodge 'treads' by hand and use the Ergotron to get rid of residue.) Cleaning kits can avoid tread build-up if used every week or so.

----------------------------

021- What is the best kind of mouse pad?

The best mouse pads are cloth-covered 1/8" - 1/4" rubber foam. The cloth should have a slightly prickly feel when brushed by your finger tips. Such pads offer some resistance to mouse movement. This makes positioning easier and helps reduce fatigue.

The worst mouse pads are plastic or plastic coated. These usually offer little resistance to movement and transfer hand oils, dust, and other gunk into the mouse so rapidly that cleaning becomes a nearly daily chore.

Cloth-covered pads do get dirty. It's a good idea to wash your mouse pad every couple of months. (Use warm soapy water, rinse, blot with towel, and let dry.)

-----------------------------

022- Does anyone know what is the best way to clean a keyboard
after several months of using it without affecting the
imprinted letters or numbers on the keys?

First, if you do not have a picture of the keyboard, it's a good idea to make a diagram of key locations.

If the keyboard is a separate unit, remove the keyboard cover-- i.e. the 'shell' that surrounds the keys. Spritz it with a cleaner (like Windex, Fantastik, etc.), wipe, and let soak in warm soapy water.

What you need to do next is pull the key tops. A puller tool which lets you get around and under a key on two sides is very helpful; or, you can use fingers and a small screwdriver or leter opener to pop off the key tops. For SPACE and other large keys, take care to unhook stabilizer bars and pay attention to how the bar for each is connected.

Spritz each key top with Windex, Fantastik, etc., wipe, and let soak in warm soapy water. The letters, numbers, etc. on key tops are, usually, solid plastic and should not be in any danger of getting wiped off. For sure, you would not want to use any petroleum distillate or other solvent which attacks plastic for cleaning.

Everything is rinsed, blotted with paper towels, and allowed a couple hours to dry.

Once the KB interior is de-dusted you can blot away remaining moisture from key tops, etc. and put everything together. Install the large key tops with stabilizer bars first, then press on the others. If the keyboard is a separate unit, wipe/clean the cable.

A different approach suggested by some is to remove the keboard and wash it in a dishwasher. Using a dishwasher might be okay if you use liquid detergent. (Grandular stuff shreds glass-- not good for plastic or circuits-- and may leave deposits.)

Main things would be make sure any gunk gets washed away so that it doesn't get stuck inside a switch, etc. and that everything thoroughly dries.

It's probably best to remove the KB after the rinse cycle. Do not go through a heat dry cycle; that could lead to streaks and blotching, even partial melting, of the plastic.

Afterwards, dunk the KB in a sink of warm water. Submerge and lift out several times to suck out any glop. Shake the KB and dry what you can with paper towels to avoid streaking and blotching of plastic. Remove any globs of gunk you find; and, put the KB someplace to dry for a few days. (Avoid direct sun light; it's not good for the plastic.)

-----------------------------

023- Is there a fix for a bad trigger on a CH Products Flight Stick?

If the trigger on your "Flight Stick" doesn't always fire when squeezed, the problem is likely to be too much space between the trigger and the PB0 microswitch. A simple fix is to apply two or three layers of self-stick label bits to the back of the trigger piece (easily accessed once the handle is opened). To check your work, use an ohmmeter connected across the button output or plug in the stick and RUN a two-liner to display PB0 status:

10 IF PEEK(49249)>127 THEN PRINT "X";
20 GOTO 10

Pressing the trigger should spit out X's. Once you know your stick is fixed, just slap it together and you've got the hair-trigger snap-action response "Flight Stick" is supposed to deliver.

____________________________

From: Mitchell Spector

024- How can I improve the feel of my original (beige-key) IIc keyboard?

You can improve the feel by removing the black rubber mat. This is a spill-guard; but, people complained it hindered their typing so it was removed in next generation IIc's. You can safely remove yours by just lifting it up; it's attached by a few drops of glue.

Some people claim typing is even further improved if you remove the small metal clips in between each key stem (these produce a click sound when you type). You can reverse all this if you do it carefully, I did myself.

____________________________

From: Supertimer

025- Can I replace my broken GS mouse with one from a Mac?

Yes, if it is a Macintosh ADB mouse. The "teardrop" ADB Mouse II that comes on newer Macs works great on the IIGS and can be found for a few bucks in Mac for-sale groups. Third party ADB mice should work too.

Note: Mice for Mac Plus and before are not ADB so won't work. Mice for the new iMac won't work because they are for the USB interface.

____________________________

From: David Empson and David Wilson

026- What is the pinout for the IIe, //c, Laser and similar 9-pin mouses?

The IIe/IIc/Mac Plus mouses can plug into the //c or IIc+ Game/Mouse Port or, on a IIe, into the 9-pin socket of a Mouse Card. When plugged into the //c or IIc+, several Game Port pins are redefined for use with a mouse.

Dsub-9 Female Socket on Computer Dsub-9 Male Plug on Mouse
,---------------------. ,---------------------.
\ 5 4 3 2 1 / \ 1 2 3 4 5 /
\ 9 8 7 6 / \ 6 7 8 9 /
`-----------------' `-----------------'

Mouse Usual //c, IIc+ Game Port Function

1 MOUSE ID Pushbutton 1
2 +5V +5V
3 GND GND
4 XDIR no Game Port function on //c, IIc+;
this TTL-compatible input can be read at $C066
5 XMOVE Game Control 0 or PDL0 (Joystick X-axis)
6 n.c. (no Game Port function on //c, IIc+)
7 MOUSE BUTTON Pushbutton 0
8 YDIR Game Control 1 or PDL1 (Joystick Y-axis)
9 YMOVE no Game Port function on //c, IIc+;
this TTL-compatible input can be read at $C067

____________________________

From: David Empson

Related FAQs Resource: R034MOUSEPRG.TXT (Text file)

027- How do I write programs which use the mouse?

The assembly language interface to the mouse firmware is documented in the reference material that was supplied with the IIe AppleMouse card, the IIc Technical Reference Manual, and the IIgs Firmware Reference Manual.

For a 'how to' discussion, see FAQs Resource file R034MOUSEPRG.TXT.

____________________________

From: Alberto Cavalcoli

028- My IIe has a bad keyboard encoder IC. Where can I get a
replacement?

The AY-5-3600 PRO keyboard encoder is not easy to find, but it can be replaced by the KR-9600-PRO keyboard encoder. The 9600 IC has more features, such as the bounce fix. I have installed one in my IIe and it works fine.

____________________________

From: David Empson

029- Can I use an Apple III joystick on my Apple II?

No. The Apple III joystick port has very little in common with the Apple II one. The Apple III joystick's internal circuit arrangement and plug pinout are very different from that for an Apple II joystick.

Do not attempt to connect an Apple II joystick to an Apple III, or vice versa. At the very least, it will not work. At worst, you could damage the computer. Here are the joystick port pinouts, for comparison:

II III

1 SW1 GND
2 +5V +5V
3 GND GND
4 PDL2 Joy-X
5 PDL0 SW0
6 SW2 +12V
7 SW0 GND
8 PDL1 Joy-Y
9 PLD3 SW1

____________________________

From: Rubywand

030- How can I be sure my joystick is properly adjusted?

To check and fine-tune your joystick, run an Apple II joystick adjustment program such as the one on the TNILUTIL disk available from Ground or GSWV (see Q&A 001 in Csa21MAIN4.txt). If you get a range of 0-255 for Horizontal and Vertical with centers around 128 and both buttons work, the stick is properly adjusted and ready for use.

If you can not reach extreme values (0 or 255), the stick will not work for some applications. For example, you will not be able to guide your worm in the game "Serpentine".

____________________________

From: Delfs and Rubywand

Related FAQs Resource: R033EMUJSMOD.GIF (gif pic file)

031- Many games with a joystick option do not work with joystick
on the Apple II emulator I'm running on a PC. Is there some
way to use my PC stick with these games?

The problem is that PC sticks do not have the required resistance range. (They top out around 100k Ohms; whereas, A2 sticks top out at 150k.) As a result, the emulator will not detect a value indicating extreme Down or Right.

One fix is to go to the PC Control Panel, select "Gaming Options" (or whatever it's called), and re-calibrate your joystick. The trick is to under-calibrate. So, when, told to move the stick in a circle, do not go out as far as you can. Instead, move it in a small circle.

A different fix is to modify your PC joystick to increase its range. Adding a 0.01uF capacitor from each pot's non-ground tab to ground will do this. Running the leads through a small DPST switch mounted in the joystick lets you switch out the caps for regular PC use. (For details see R033EMUJSMOD.GIF.) Since the joystick's range is extended by flipping the switch to connect the caps, there is never any need to under-calibrate when in the PC Control Panel.

Either way, to check and fine-tune your stick for emulator use, run an Apple II joystick adjustment program on the emulator. (See Q&A 030 above.)

If you do the joystick modification, set the switch OFF, to the PC position, when doing any PC Control Panel calibrations. (Doing a calibration with the caps switched ON would defeat the range-extending function of the modification.) Set the switch ON, to the Apple II position, when checking and fine-tuning joystick adjustments on your Apple II emulator and for playing Apple II games on the emulator.

____________________________

From: George Rentovich

032- Today my IIgs started "stuttering"-- i.e. working for a bit then
freezing for a bit then working again. Anyone have a fix?

I have seen this before. The cause was a bad connection to the keyboard's mini-DIN-8 connector. One of the leads from the connector to the keyboard circuit board had broken its solder connection; and, the line was intermittantly connecting.

When one or more lines is broken or loose, information is not getting back to the computer or is interrupted. Seems like the computer is waiting for it; and, you get "stuttering".

The solution was to resolder the mini-DIN connection(s) on the keyboard. I did it and all is fine.

The keyboard's min-DIN connectors are fairly well known weak spots on the IIgs; and, I have repaired more than one keyboard for bad connections. In one a copper trace going to a connector was broken-- repaired that by soldering in a jumper made from a bit of solid copper wire.

____________________________

From: Roger Johnstone

033- How can I use a PC mouse on my Apple II?

I have developed a small adapter which lets you plug a PS/2 mouse (mechanical, optical, cordless, etc. as used with IBM PC-compatibles) into an Apple mouse port. It works with the mouse port on the AppleMouse card and the built-in mouse ports of the Apple IIc, IIc+, and Laser 128. (It should also work with older Macintosh models (128K, 512K, Plus); but, I don't have one to test it on.)

The adapter, which was demonstrated at KFest 2003, has a pair of microcontrollers which translate the PS/2 protocol into the Apple mouse format. No software changes or drivers are needed on the Apple side.

I've set up a web site with pics and info for selling the adapter via PayPal at ...

http://vintageware.orcon.net.nz/ .

Database Administrator · #8 07-05-2008, 01:07 AM

Archive-name: apple2/faq/part18
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/06/01
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2008. Administrator: Steve Nelson

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2PRINTER.txt rev123 June 2008

Printers & Interfaces

001- How do I do the ImageWriter II self-test?
002- What are the DIP switch settings for IW-II and IW-LQ printers?
003- How do I do the ImageWriter-LQ alignment test?
004- Can I use a 'straight-through' cable to connect my IW-II?
005- My Imagewriter II doesn't print! What's wrong?
006- How can I keep paper from jamming in my Imagewriter II?
007- The bottoms of letters don't get printed. How can I fix this?
008- What is the 'trick' for restoring a printer ribbon?
009- How do I connect a "Centronics interface" printer to my Apple?
010- Where can I get a Grappler+ cable? What is the pinout?
011- What are the DIP switches on my Grappler+ for?
012- What printers will the Harmonie drivers work with on my GS?
013- What's the best GS interface for connecting a parallel printer?
014- How can I use my Epson Color Stylus 800 with my IIgs?
015- Why aren't fonts found after being moved to a new GS volume?
016- When I run Platinum Paint I get error $1301. What's wrong?
017- Can I clean the nozzles on an Epson Stylus printer?
018- What is the pinout for a GS to ImageWriter I cable?
019- Where can I get Imagewriter II ribbons?
020- How can I connect my Imagewriter II to a PC?

From: Mike McElfresh

001- How do I do the Imagewriter II self-test?

With the printer OFF, hold the Form Feed button down while pressing down the ON switch. Release both buttons when the print head starts to move. To stop, turn the printer OFF.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

002- I bought an ImageWriter II and an ImageWriter LQ. What are
the DIP switch settings for these printers?

While a number of settings are the same; there are some differences between IW-II and IW-II LQ in DIP switch settings as well as which DIP switches are present. Unless there is a note attached or a setting is labeled "IW-II" or "'LQ", the indicated setting applies to both printers.

IW-II DIP switches are located near the left front side, inside the printer. Lift the cover to get access. 'LQ DIP switches are located near the left rear of the printer under the rear cover. When changing switches, power should be OFF.

ImageWriter II & II LQ DIP Switch Settings

In Imagewriter manuals, "SW-1" refers to DIP switch module 1. Each such module has several individually numbered switches. For example SW-1 #5 refers to switch #5 on the SW-1 module.

When a switch is UP (pointing toward the back of the printer)
it is open or OFF.

When a switch is DOWN (pointing toward the front of the printer)
it is closed or ON.

When a setting is labeled "usual" this refers to the usual setting
at the time a printer is shipped in the USA.

The settings for SW-1 have to do with printout format. ImageWriter control codes can override these settings. The codes for a particular setup could be sent in a character string by your program or an application.

On SW-1 all of the switches are normally open (UP) except #8 which is closed (DOWN). These settings work for printouts under Appleworks and several other programs which take care of page breaks. For tasks like listing a program, doing a hex dump in the monitor, etc. you may want SW-1 #5 to be DOWN for automatic skipping over perforations between pages.

Character Set
SW-1 #1 #2 #3

American U U U default
Italian D U U
Danish U D U
British D D U
German U U D
Swedish D U D
French U D D
Spanish D D D

Form Length
SW-1 #4

11 inches U default
12 inches D

Auto Perforation Skip
SW-1 #5

No U default
Yes D

Character Pitch
SW-1 #6 #7

10 cpi U U
12 cpi D U default
17 cpi U D
160 dpi D D (proportional)

Line Feed with Carriage Return
SW-1 #8

No U CR only
Yes D CR plus LF

The settings for SW-2 are concerned with hardware interfacing. #1 and #2 set the baud rate the printer will expect:

SW-2 #1 #2

300 (on IW-II) U U
19200 (on IW-II LQ) U U 'LQ default
1200 D U
2400 U D
9600 D D IW-II default

You should set the switches to match the speed of your printer interface. For the IIgs serial Printer Port, the Port and the DIP switches would normally be set for the maximum speed the printer can handle (e.g. IIgs Port at 9600 baud and DIP switches set DOWN DOWN for the IW-II).

SW-2 #3 is usually set UP to enable DTR hardware handshaking. If your interface wants to use XON/XOFF handshaking, set #3 DOWN.

SW-2 #4: If you have the 32K Memory Option, LocalTalk card, etc. installed, SW-2 #4 should be set DOWN. Otherwise, it should be set UP (the usual setting).

IW-II: SW-2 #5-#6 on the IW-II are factory-set to optimize hammer firing and should be left alone by the use (On my IW-II #5 is DOWN and #6 is UP.)

'LQ: SW-2 #5-#7 (#7 is only on the 'LQ) on the IW-II LQ are used to set the number of cut sheet feeder bins attached to the printer.

'LQ SW-2 #5 #6 #7

1 U U D
1 and 2 D U D
1, 2, and 3 D D D
1 and envelope U U U default
1, 2, and envelope D U U
1, 2, 3, and envelope D D U

'LQ: SW-2 #8 (only on the 'LQ) sets Auto Paper Load position.

To print line U default
To paper bail D

'LQ: SW-3 #1-#5 (only on the 'LQ) are factory-set to optimize printer operation and should be left alone by the user.

'LQ: SW-3 #6-#8 (only on the 'LQ) control vertical alignment of dots in bidirectional printing mode. Set for best alignment.

----------------------------

003- How do I do the ImageWriter II LQ alignment test?

The 'LQ Alignment Test

With printer OFF, press Select, Line Feed, Form Feed. Hold them pressed, turn ON printer, and release buttons after printer head starts to move.

The printout shows four possible switch settings with six lines of vertical bar printouts for each setting.

Settings are indicated like this: 1 0 0 (which means DOWN UP UP). An asterisk by a setting means it is the current setting.

Set the switches to the setting which best lines up the vertical bars in the printout.

---------------------------

004- Will a 'straight-through' cable work for connecting an
ImageWriter II to my GS?

No. In the ImageWriter cable, Pins 1 & 2, 3 & 5, and 6 & 8 are supposed to be swapped from one end of the cable to the other.

----------------------------

005- My ImageWriter II doesn't print! The head moves, and I can hear
the pins striking the paper, but I get nothing. What's wrong?

Check ribbon positioning. If the ribbon is properly positioned, then, you may need to adjust the the print head - to - roller distance (sometimes called the "paper width" adjustment). There is a small lever near the lower right side of the roller. Click-position it in a notch or two.

----------------------------

006- How can I keep paper from jamming in my Imagewriter II?

A surprising number of Imagewriter users go for years putting up with paper jams during long printouts. A nearly 100% cure is to just pop up the top rollers so that they do not press the paper against the roller.

----------------------------

007- I notice that the bottoms of letters on my ImageWriter II's
printout are not showing up. How can I fix this?

A likely explanation is that the printhead needs to be moved in (toward the big roller) a notch. This is a standard "Paper Thickness" adjustment on many printers. On IW, you do it with a lever to the right of the roller.

Another possibility is that the printhead needs cleaning. Be careful what you use to clean a printhead because some solvents can dissolve the mask which lines up the pins. Light oils and gasoline seem to be especially bad. A fine bristle toothbrush plus some standard detergent in warm water or a household cleaner (like Fantastik, etc.) should remove most dust and gunk. Whatever you use, avoid soaking the printhead in anything very long-- i.e. get it reasonably clean and then blow/blot dry.

Changing settings on the DIP with the factory settings which "users should leave alone" _may_ have some effect on firing of the bottom pins. I don't know. Probably, you would want to try everything else first.

----------------------------

008- What is the 'trick' for restoring a printer ribbon?

For cartridge ribbons, such as the one in ImageWriter II, it is easy to 'restore' a ribbon to dark printing with a few spritzes of WD-40. Using a pocket knife, pry off the lid of the cartridge, and, as evenly as possible, lightly spritz the bunched-up ribbon. Restore the lid and roll the tape back and forth a few inches. Let the cartridge sit for several days in a plastic bag.

The idea is that the WD-40 spreads unused ink into the ribbon's print area; so, it will not work for restoring multi-Color ribbons. Since you are adding no ink, this trick is good for only one or two 'restorations'.

----------------------------

009- Can anyone tell me how to connect a printer with a "Centronics
interface" to my Apple II?

The Centronics interface is the standard parallel interface for many printers. To connect such a printer to an Apple II, you need a printer interface card and cable. Since the cards were a popular item in the early 80's and were produced by several different companies you should be able to get a good one without too much trouble.

The cards turn up fairly often at swap meets, should be easy to find on comp.sys.apple2.marketplace, and are still sold by regular A2 vendors. MC Price Breakers (360-837-3042 Mon-Fri 9:30am-5:30pm Pacific Time) offers a "Full Text & Graphic Interface" w/cable for Centronics type parallel printers for $29.95.

____________________________

From: Mitchell Spector

010- I bought a Grappler+ printer interface card at a swap meet.
Where can I get a cable? What is the pinout for the cable?

The cable you need is the very common "Centronics cable". It is sold by several Apple II vendors. The pinout is shown below:

Grappler+ Pin Assignments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STB 1
D0 3
D1 5
D2 7
D3 9
D4 11
D5 13
D6 15
D7 17
ACK 19
BUSY 21
P.E. 23
SLCT 25
N/C -
GND all others

----------------------------

011- What are the DIP switches on my Grappler+ for?

The DIP switches are used to configure your card for a series of different printers out there. I'll list those settings:

DIP switch settings:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DIP SWITCH POSITIONS 1 2 3 4

Epson Series and Star Gemini OFF ON ON ON
NEC 8023/C, Itoh 8510/DMP 85 OFF ON ON OFF
Centronics 739-1 OFF ON OFF ON
Anadex Printers OFF ON OFF OFF
Okidata 82A, 83A, 92, 93, 84 OFF OFF ON ON
Okidata 84 w/o Step II Graphics OFF OFF OFF ON
Apple Dot Matrix OFF OFF ON OFF
IDS Printers (Any position)

Notes: DIP switch ON = "+" side or set to right.
Switch 1 controls MSB, the 8th bit. Setting switch 1 to 'ON'
makes MSB _not_ transmitted...

----------------------------

From: Joe Kohn

The Harmonie printer drivers are available from Shareware Solutions II. As the publisher, the most frequently asked question I get is "Which Grappler+ dip switch setting should I use for an HP DeskJet?"

According to those who use a Grappler+ to connect a DeskJet, the dip switch settings are:

1-ON (up)
2-OFF (down)
3-OFF (down)
4-ON (up)

----------------------------

From: Beverly Cadieux

Joe, I've checked hundreds of Apple II Mail Group messages, and every time Grappler+ dip switches are mentioned in connection with DeskJets, people say they use OFF ON ON ON-- i.e. - + + +

Since you are calling ON "up," we are probably using about the same setting. We call ON "down," (pushed in, toward the +). So your ON is probably our OFF.

When switch 1 is ON the MSB is not transmitted to the printer. When the Switch 1 is OFF, MSB is under software control. AppleWorks requires that switch 1 be OFF to allow high ascii characters (enabled with a Control-I H in the interface code) to print. If it were ON, they would be prohibited.

Switch one doesn't matter unless you want to send a high bit through. If you don't care about printing high ASCII (language characters, legal and math symbols, box edges), then it can be set either way.

_________________________

From: Scott G

012- What printers will the Harmonie drivers work with on my GS?

The 4550 automatically senses Epson LQ code and turns on emulation. It is like if the DIP switch were set to automatic in older BJC models.

----------------------------

From: Jim Stafford

My Canon BJ 600 works fine with the above driver. The only thing the driver doesn't do is color!!! Make sure you have the epson dip switch set on your printer(see the manual).

----------------------------

From: Joe Kohn

I know for a fact that Harmonie supports HP LaserJets, DeskJets, and DeskWriters.

Tony Diaz (of Alltech Electronics) brought home an Epson Stylus 600 and connected it to the IIGS. Of all things, the first thing he tried was Print Shop GS, and he said it printed out beautifully, in full living color. The margins were all correct, and everything else about it was right...using the PSGS Epson LQ driver.

He was also able to output text at 360 x 360 from EgoEd, using Harmonie's Epson LQ4000 driver; and, he could dump text to the printer with a PR#1 from the Applesoft prompt. So, apparently these Epson Stylus printers do have internal fonts and can be used from ProDOS-8.

Tony was able to print out a graphic from Platinum Paint at 360 dpi; but, only in grayscale. In Fact, so far, everyone reports that they can print in full glorious color from Print Shop GS, but that, when printing from GS/OS via Harmonie's EpsonLQ drivers, the printout is limited to grayscale.

See also Q&A 011 above.

____________________________

From: Supertimer

013- I have recently acquired an Apple IIGS and I want to use my
Panasonic PanaPrinter parallel dot matrix printer with it.
What is the best parallel card to use with my IIGS?

The best parallel card is no parallel card. The IIGS is has serial ports and the best way to use parallel printers is with a serial to parallel converter.

Global Computer Supplies, http://www.globalcomputer.com/ , has a bi-directional model (TAC6180) that is excellent. It supports serial rates of 300-57600 bps, so using a fast serial driver on the GS can get you printing at 57600 bps. I doubt most printers go faster than this.

----------------------------

From: Michael Pender

The later-model PanaPrinters included both serial and parallel ports. They shipped with an external parallel interface, but the interface is part of a parallel-to-serial daughterboard that plugs into an internal serial interface.

It is not necessary to add a parallel card. Open the case, remove the daughterboard and plug the serial printer cable into the Dsub-25 serial connector on the main board.

____________________________

From: Ronald Clark

014- How can I use my Epson Color Stylus 800 with my IIgs?

I have an Epson 800 and it works with PrintShopGS and Proterm 3.1 with a Grappler+ card.

----------------------------

From: Supertimer

You can also use the Epson 800 on the GS serial printer port. You need an ImageWriter II serial cable and the Epson LQ4000 driver from the Harmonie package of printer drivers sold by Shareware Solutions II.

____________________________

From: Owen Aaland

015- I have a problem with getting fonts recognized. I copied the
entire contents of one PRODOS Volume (named "AA") to another
hard drive with a different volume name for use on another GS.
When I launch AWGS or any other GS word processor on the second
GS, I am told to "insert disk AA" when a font is requested. Is
this a Pointless problem? A Typeset problem? Should I reinstall
the fonts or what?

Reinstalling them should make them work but an easier thing to try first is to go into the FONTS folder inside the SYSTEM folder and trash the 2 files called TrueType.List and Font.Lists. When you restart your computer it will search through your Fonts folder and rebuild these lists. This is the procedure to use if you install fonts by dragging to the folder instead of using an installer.

----------------------------

From: Joe Kohn

If you are using Pointless, the problem is not a bug; it's a feature ;-)

When you open the Pointless Control Panel and click on a font name, you'll notice that pathname information (where the font is stored) is displayed. So, you could always open the Pointless Control Open, click on a font, click the Remove button, and then click the Add button in order to let Pointless know where on your other system the fonts are located.

____________________________

From: Jim Pittman

016- When I run Platinum Paint I get error $1301. What's wrong?

Yes, I got the same error message when I tried to run Platinum Paint with Bernie ][ The Rescue on a G3 Power Mac. The error code refers to a missing driver, meaning, I assume, a printer driver. But even if the correct printer driver is present, what Platinum Paint really wants is for the D C Printer settings to be correct.

1) Be sure you have an appropriate printer driver in
*/System/Drivers.

2) Go to the Control Panel. Open D C Printer. Be sure the
appropriate port or slot is checked, as well as the
appropriate printer driver.

(If you have a cable connecting the printer port to the printer, then "Select a Port" would be "Printer" and "Select a Printer Type" would be "ImageWriter" or whatever you have. If you have a parallel card in Slot 1 then "Select a Port" would be "GrapplerPlus" or whatever, and "Select a Printer Type" would be "DeskJet560C.HAR" or whatever you have.)

____________________________

From: Douglas Taylor

017- Can I clean the nozzles on an Epson Stylus printer?

If you've got an Epson Stylus with clogged ink nozzles (anyone with a Stylus that sits idle for a couple of months), check out http://www.weeno.com/art/0899/140.html .

Basically, Blake W. Patterson explains that you may be able to unclog the nozzles using isopropyl alcohol. Here is a snip from the article on WEENO:

"I simply removed the black print cartridge from the printer and dropped 7-10 drops of alcohol down in the ink-recepticle area where the ink cartridge normally sits (there should be a little hole down in there where the ink actually flows from the cartridge into the head), replaced the ink cartridge, and ran a few sessions of the printers head-cleaning routine. It took quite a few cleaning sessions (probably 15-20) with a few pages of text prints thrown in there just to try and move some ink, before it cle
ared up."

"It actually had to sit overnight, with the last few cleanings done the next morning, before all was well--but well it is. Everything works perfectly now, and I don't have to go out and buy a new printer."

____________________________

From: David Empson

018- Can anyone tell me what the pin to pin throughput is on the
GS to ImageWriter I cable?

Looking at the IIgs serial connector, the pins are numbered as follows:

8 7 6

5 4 3

2 1

The signals on each pin are:

1 Handshake Out (DTR)
2 Handshake In (DSR)
3 Transmit Data minus
4 Signal Ground
5 Receive Data minus
6 Transmit Data plus
7 General purpose input (DCD)
8 Receive Data plus

Shield is frame ground.

The ImageWriter I or DeskJet 500 has a female DB-25 connector, arranged in the standard order for DTE (Data Terminal Equipment):

1 Frame Ground
2 Transmit Data
3 Receive Data
4 Request to Send (output from printer, probably not used)
5 Clear to Send (input to printer, probably not used)
6 Data Set Ready (input to printer)
7 Signal Ground
8 Carrier Detect (input to printer, probably not used)
20 Data Terminal Ready (output from printer)

The pinout of the cable is:

IIgs (Mini-Din-8 male) Printer (DB-25 male)
1 (HShk Out) 6 (DSR)
2 (HShk In) 20 (DTR)
3 (TxD-) 3 (RxD)
4 (Gnd) 7 (Gnd)
5 (RxD-) 2 (TxD)
6 (TxD+) no connection
7 (DCD) no connection
8 (RxD+) must be conected to signal ground (IIgs pin 4, printer pin 7)

If you have a shielded cable, also connect the cable shield to the Mini-Din-8 plug's shielding, and to pin 1 and the shield of the DB-25.

____________________________

From: Mike Ford, Sandra Warnken, michaelhint, Donald L Johnson

019- Where can I get Imagewriter II ribbons?

Several common printers use this same ribbon: the NEC 8023, some Citoh, etc.. Office Depot sells the black ribbons-- Nu-kote brand, part# NK160-- for about $5 each. They also carry the Color ribbon. Sams Club may still sell them; or, you can order the ribbons through Staples and Hallmark stores.

Another source is michaelhint@wycol.com. In a newsgroup posting he offers to supply black ribbons for about $.75 each plus shipping ($3.55 for up to around 10) and color ribbons for about $3.00 plus shipping.

____________________________

From: Rubywand, M Kelsey, Mark, Glynne Tolar

020- How can I connect my Imagewriter II to a PC?

You can do Text printouts from your PC to IW-II by selecting the C-Itoh 8510 as your printer in Windows 3.1 up through at least ME. (Just go to settings: printers: new and select the c-itoh 8510.) The connection from the IW-II must go to a serial port-- e.g. COM-1 or COM-2.

The cabling information shown below is from the the Imagewriter II manual. It's the connection to an RS-232C port. Including pin 5 in the jumpered pins on the 25-pin side is an addition. I'm not sure how important it may be. Perhaps it is added to allow diagnostic testing.)

If you make your own, you need an 8 pin mini-DIN circular male connector, a DB25 female connector, and 5-conductor shielded cable. Up to 20 meters should be OK.

Cable details as follows...

8 pin 25 pin

DTR 1 --------- *- 5 CTS * 5,6,8 are jumpered
*- 6 DSR together at db25 end.
*- 8 DCD

DSR 2 --------- 20 DTR

TD- 3 --------- 3 RD

SG 4 **------- 7 SG
RD+ 8 **
** 4 and 8 are
jumpered
together
at 8-pin end.

RD- 5 --------- 2 TD

Connector SHIELD or pin 1 (PG)
connected to cable shield
on DB25 end. (Only one end of
the cable shield needs to be
connected to the connector shield.)

One alternative is to use a IIe (SSC) to IW-II cable (part #590-0335) plus a standard NULL modem cable plus any gender changer connector (or 25 to 9 changer) necessary to connect to the PC COM port you want.

The standard basic NULL modem 'cable' (or 'adapter') is two Dsub 25-pin female sockets, call them "A" and "B", wired back-to-back as follows (arrows indicate signal direction):

Socket-A Socket-B

TXD 2 -> 3 RXD
RXD 3 <- 2 TXD
RTS 4 -> 5 CTS
CTS 5 <- 4 RTS
DSR & DCD 6&8 <- 20 DTR
GND 7 -- 7 GND
DTR 20 -> 6&8 DSR & DCD

The two cables (plus gender/9-pin adapters as needed) give you the connection described in the IW-II manual.

A CrossWorks cable (plus adapters as needed) is supposed to work, too.

Either the homebrew cable or one of the combinations of existing cables mentioned should allow a hardware handshaking connection at 9600 baud.

For the C-Itoh 8510 printer, go to "Properties" (in the Files menu). For Port settings, select the correct COM port. Data bits, parity, stop bits should be the usual 8-N-1. Speed or baud rate should be 9600. Flow control should be Hardware. On your IW-II, DIP switch 2-3 should be Up (open).

Yet another alternative is to use a IIgs or Mac high-speed modem cable (e.g. part 950-0109) connected to a NULL modem plus adapters as needed. This works fine; but, you will lose the hardware control lines and need to switch to Xon/Xoff handshaking. In "Properties", Flow control should be Xon/Xoff. On your IW-II, DIP switch 2-3 should be Down (closed).

Database Administrator · #9 07-05-2008, 01:07 AM

Archive-name: apple2/faq/part21
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/06/01
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2008. Administrator: Steve Nelson

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2T2TCOM.txt rev123 June 2008

Telecom-2: Downloading & Uploading

001- What's the easiest way to download files from Apple II sites?
002- Some of my downloads are bad; what's wrong?
003- Are there download files I should process on the PC (or Mac)?
004- How do I upload files?
005- What kinds of files should I upload to which sites?
006- How can I read & send email and newsgroup msgs with my A2?
007- With a fast modem, how can the IIe connect to the internet?
008- I'm running the Lynx web browser. Where do I put the URL?
009- How do I download an .SHK file through Lynx?
010- Can I send and receive FAXes using my Apple II?
011- What is a "Binary II" header?
012- Should I add a Binary II header to files I upload?
013- How can I use my Apple II on the internet?

From: Rubywand

001- What is the easiest way to download files from Apple II sites?

Modern PC internet browsers like netscape and Internet Explorer have spoiled much of the challenge of connecting to sites on the net. For example, entering

http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/gro...apple16/Games/

in IE's "Address" box gets you to Ground's IIgs games folder ready to download with just a mouse click.

Downloading via a Browser

Some major Apple II sites are FTP sites-- places you get to via an ftp:// URL. FTP connections tend have a pretty raw look-- instead of colorful backgrounds, pictures, fancy buttons, etc., what you see is mainly text showing folder and file names. You may get folder icons and, perhaps, some simple icon next to each file name.

Today, many Apple II sites are web sites with pages you get to via an http:// URL. Often, web download sites will offer a relatively fancy display listing titles with descriptions and, by each title, a button to click to do the download. Other web sites may do without html pages and not be much fancier than an FTP site.

Whether FTP or HTTP, you usually just click a button or file name to start the download process. An exception might be when the file is a Text file you wish to download; for Text file downloads you may need to right-click or SHIFT-click on the item to get some sort of 'Save file' dialogue.

If the file is some binary type (like .shk, .dsk, .zip, etc.), just clicking on the download link or button should bring up a Save dialogue-- like an alert asking if you wish to Save the file-- or take you immediately to a Save window.

When regular (left) clicking gets you to a Save dialogue or window, it indicates that the download page's server knows that the item is not Text or that your browser is one which defaults to binary mode when the filetype is not recognized. Either way, the odds favor getting a good download.

Many Apple II sites are on servers which have no difficulty recognizing PC filetypes like .zip and .bin but do not recognize popular Apple II filetype designations such as .shk, .sdk, and .dsk If a regular click on a download link or button for a shk, or other binary file results in a dump of garbage text to your screen, it means your browser thinks it is supposed to download some kind of Text file.

Right-clicking or SHIFT-clicking should allow you to avoid the garbage and get a Save dialogue and download the file. However, since the browser thinks it's Text, the resulting file will probably have the linefeed character code ($0A) added after every $0D in the file which is not followed by an $0A. So, almost certainly, the download will be corrupted.

One try at a workaround if you are on an http:// site is to try the place's ftp:// URL if it has one. If that doesn't help, contacting the FTP site via an FTP program will almost certainly work.

If you are using an older browser, going to a newer version of IE or Netscape could get the job done.

If you have not defined the particular Apple II filetype in Windows and/or your browser, that may help. (See Geoff Weiss's page which talks about making web browsers aware of Apple II file types for ftp connections at http://www.gwlink.net/geoff/IIdownload.html .)

If the item is available from another place, you may find that going there for your download solves the problem.

Another pretty good alternative is to go ahead and download the .shk, etc. file and use a PC utility named "Uncook" to try producing a copy with the corruption removed.

Uncook was 'discovered' by GS Ed (manager of the ACN Florida archive); and tests indicate that it usually succeeds when the file is corrupted. If the file is not corrupted, Uncook may produce a messed up copy! Fortunately, it is pretty easy to tell when the latter occurs.

If the result of Uncook is a file just 2-4 or so bytes smaller, the original is probably good and the Uncook is bad. If the new (Uncooked) file is known to be the correct size (like it's a 143,360-byte .dsk file) or if it is many bytes smaller, or if the site is known to deliver corrupted files, then the Uncooked file is probably good. And, if there is any doubt, you can always try using both files-- e.g. the .sdk file which gets you a "bad data" error during unshrinking is the bad one.

Uncook.zip is available from GS WorldView's "Download Help" page at http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/DownloadHelp.htm . To get Uncook, click on "Download" near the bottom of the page.

Downloading via an FTP Program

A slightly different approach is to use a good FTP program (often called an "FTP client"), such as WS_FTP or Cute FTP. It is easier to download (or upload) multiple files, speed is usually a bit better, and, since you can force binary mode, direct FTP is not much bothered with file type recognition.

To connect to an FTP site you can run a dial-up program to establish contact with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and start your FTP program. If you are on the net under Netscape, 'Explorer, etc., then you are already connected to your ISP and can start your FTP program as a new task.

After starting your FTP program, you can select the FTP site you want from a list you've created. The list, also called a "profile list", contains ...

o- the site's internet name-- such as "ftp.apple.asimov.net" (Note: there are no "/" folder separators in this entry.)

o- the particular folder or directory you want to begin with-- such as "/images"

o- and the folder on your computer for downloads-- such as "C:\Downloads".

Other information, such as the kind of connection (usually "Unix standard") and the password you send to the site-- usually you will log-in as "anonymous" and use your email address as the password-- are entered more or less automatically when you first create a site's profile entry. (To create a new entry you will usually just click "New", "Create New", etc. instead of picking a site to contact.)

When the connection is made, you will see a list of files and folders in the folder you have entered. If you open one of the folders, you will get a new listing of files and folders contained in the selected folder.

You can, also, change the the drive and folder on your hard disk to which you wish to download. For example, the default "local" folder may be C:\Downloads whenever you connect to Asimov. If you want downloads to go into D:\TempStuff, you can pick this destination. Another situation in which you may wish to change the local folder is when uploading files to a site.

Practically all programs and compressed disks will be in .SHK, .SDK, .DSK, or some other "binary" form. In fact, "Binary" should nearly always be your download/upload mode setting, even when downloading (or uploading) Text files. About the only exception would be when dealing with a binscii archive site which can not handle binary.

In general, when downloading an Apple II .SHK, .ZIP, etc. file, it is best to avoid letting any "helper" applications process the file during download. Usually, it is best to unZIP .zip and .gz files on the PC but, still, after you have completed the download. Your Apple II can take care of un-Shrinking and most other kinds of processing which may be required after the file is downloaded and transferred from the PC (or Mac).

To download one or more files you click-highlight each file you want. Then, you click some button-- such as an arrow symbol pointing to your C:\Downloads folder-- to start the download.

Usually everything will go smoothly and the files will appear on hard disk in your target folder (e.g. C:\Downloads). If you use a dedicated ftp utility you will, usually, be able to see the exact length of a file on the site's file list. One good check for a successful download is to compare file lengths displayed in your target folder with those shown in the FTP site's file list. If you do straight downloads with no processing, there should be no differences for binary transfers. (Text file transfe
rs in Text mode often result in small length changes.)

----------------------------

002- Some of my downloads are bad; what's wrong?

If the exact length of a downloaded file is different than its exact length on the download site (e.g. as shown via your FTP client program), the download is probably corrupted. (Text files are something of an exception-- i.e. the download length may be different and the file may have characters added; but, usually, the "corruption" has no damaging impact.)

A common reason for getting a bad download is that a binary file-- e.g. a .shk, .dsk, etc. file-- was downloaded in Text mode. (See discussion about this in Q&A 001 above.) An FTP program should be set to "Binary" before doing most downloads from ftp sites. If using a browser, pick one which defaults to binary mode for unrecognized file types (e.g. a current version of Internet Explorer).

Some files may seem to be corrupted-- i.e. 'not work right'-- even if a length check shows that the download size is identical to the file's size on an ftp site. One possibility is that the file was corrupted somewhere in the upload process. This is fairly rare for files made available for download.

A few Apple II files still include a Binary II prefix. This may cause the file to appear corrupted to some utility you try to use on a PC; but, it will work fine once transferred to your Apple II. (Normally, a modern Apple II telecom program such as Spectrum or ProTERM will be set to automatically strip off the Binary II prefix during transfer. GS-ShrinkIt and 8-bit ShrinkIt will remove a Binary II prefix from .shk, etc. ShrinkIt files.)

The file may be okay but incorrectly named. For example, an .sys or .bin file may be shrinked but still uploaded as an ".sys" or ".bin" file (instead of ".shk"). Or, an .shk file may be uploaded in binscii form as an ".shk" file. (Such a file should end with ".bsq".) When a downloaded .shk or .sdk file is rejected by ShrinkIt, it's a good idea to try running it through Binscii or GScii. Sometimes the result will be a genuine .shk or .sdk file.

Other kinds of files are just misunderstood. A user who downloads a 'disk image' file named NarfGame.dsk.gz" may conclude it is "corrupted" when it is rejected by an emulator program or fails to convert to diskette with DSK2FILE or ASIMOV. But, all that's required is to decompress the .gz file using WinZIP or similar utility to produce a true .dsk disk image file.

A source of possible confusion for IIgs users is the occasional .shk or .sdk file which looks fine but is rejected as damaged by GS-ShrinkIt. The problem may be that the file was created by a Mac owner. Sometimes these Mac-created Shrink files unShrink fine using GS-ShrinkIt; sometimes, not. Before trashing a "damaged" .shk or .sdk IIgs file, try running it through Balloon.

----------------------------

From: Greg J. Buchner

Balloon is a IIGS desk accessory that was put out by Ego Systems...it handles ShrinkIt archives from anywhere you can access a New Desk Accessory on the IIGS. For the Mac, you'd use Shrink II.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

003- Are there any kinds of files I should process on the
PC (or Mac) before transfer to my Apple II?

Yes. Many old games and other interesting wares downloaded from "emulator" sites like Asimov will arrive as .gz files. These will, almost always, be compressed 5.25" disk image (DSK) files. They should be un-compressed on the PC via WinZIP before being sent to your Apple II. This avoids a messy de-compression process on the Apple and makes the DSK file available on the PC (or Mac) should you wish to use it with AppleWin or some other A2 emulator program.

Note: If you are running an FTP program under plain DOS or Windows 3.x, long file names will be truncated to fit PC's old "8 and 3" format. A .gz file may not show up in your C:\UPDOWN (or whatever) directory with the ".gz" suffix. It is still a .gz file and will not be useful as a disk image (DSK) file until it is uncompressed. The usual size of a 5.25" disk image file is about 143kB.

Other chores you will want to handle on the PC before sending a file to your Apple II include converting .HTM (HTML) files to text and splitting up very large Text files. Similarly, it will be easier to view, process, and convert most large graphics files on the PC.

----------------------------

004- I need some help with uploading. I uploaded a large file to
an Apple II ftp site but nobody seems able to download it
without ending up with garbage. What's wrong?

Uploading files to an FTP site is a fairly simple process-- basically, it's pretty close to the reverse of downloading described above. For example, to upload a group of Apple IIgs files named "NARFGAME" you would ...

o On the GS, use GS-ShrinkIt to created a single compressed file
containing the NARFGAME files. The new .SHK file could be named
"NARFGAME.SHK". (On an Apple IIe or other 8-bit Apple II, you
could use an 8-bit version of ShrinkIt to compress the NARFGAME
files.)

o Use Spectrum or some other A2 telecom program to NULL modem
NARFGAME.SHK to, say, the PC's C:\UPDOWN folder using Z-modem
protocol.(Z-modem is easiest; but, other protocols, like X-modem,
are fine. Mainly, both telecom programs involved in the transfer,
Apple II and PC, need to be set to the same protocol.)

o Dial-up your ISP-- no need if you are already connected via
Netscape, 'Explorer, or some other browser or application.

Uploading via a Browser

o If you are running Netscape or some similar browser, you can do
the upload very easily to one of several ftp sites. (Some ftp
sites may not permit uploading from a browser. A major Apple II
site which will is Asimov.)

Go to the site's upload URL-- e.g. you might type in
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/ (or click your bookmark
for "Asimov") and click on the incoming/ folder to open it.

Note1: The folder for uploads will usually be named "upload",
"uploads", or "incoming". Sometimes, there will be folders inside,
like apple2/, apple2gs/, etc. which you should open depending
upon where you think your stuff fits.

Note2: Some sites will show the current contents of the uploads
folder and some will not. Often you will see a nearly blank
screen.

Open a window for the folder on your system which has the file or
files you want to upload. For example, you may want to upload the
file NARFGAME.SHK which is in the C:\NeatGames\ folder on your
hard disk. So, you would open a window for C:\NeatGames\.

Select (click on) the files to upload and drag them onto the
uploads page display-- you would click on NARFGAME.SHK and drag it
onto the part of your screen showing the uploads page display
(which may be blank).

Click "Yes" when asked if you want to upload the file(s).

If the site accepts your upload you will get some kind of message
indicating this somewhere on your screen-- maybe at the bottom--
saying "upload successful", "upload done", etc..

Uploading via an FTP program

o If you prefer using an ftp program (e.g. WS_FTP, Cute FTP, etc.)
or the ftp site will not permit browser uploads, start your ftp
program.

Select the desired FTP site's name in your "profiles list" (or,
if necessary, create the profile entry) and connect with the
FTP site.

Navigate to the FTP site's uploads folder-- usually, it will be
named "upload", "uploads", or "incoming". There may be folders
inside this one (like apple2/, apple2gs/, etc.) to open depending
upon what sort of stuff you are uploading.

Note: you may or may not see any files listed when in a site's
Uploads folder. Some FTP sites hide file names in this folder
and/or restrict folder access to upload-only.

For .shk, .dsk, and most other program files you upload, make
sure 'transfer mode' is set to "binary". (For Text files, mode
can be "text" or "ASCII"; however, "binary" mode is fine for
Text uploads.)

Highlight "NARFGAME.SHK" (and any other binary mode files to
upload) in the listing of files in your C:\UPDOWN folder.

Click an arrow button (or whatever) to start the transfer to
the FTP site's uploads folder.

If the upload is successful, you will usually get a message like
"transfer complete" on your ftp program's display.

With a little experience everything is nearly 'automatic'. However, there are a few common mistakes which can ruin an upload:

o Probably, the most common error is failing to make sure "binary" is set (check-marked, etc.) as the transfer mode when an .SHK file or other non-Text file is uploaded using an ftp program. Basically, you should use binary mode for all uploads to modern ftp sites. If some site complains when a .txt file is uploaded in binary mode, use "text" (or "ASCII") mode for the Text file.

o Many Apple II users seem to feel that, because "Binary Up"-- an option which adds a Binary II header-- is available on their telecom program, it should be used for all transfers. It is best to turn OFF any Spectrum (ProTerm, etc.) option which adds a Binary II header. (Also, you should _not_ use GS-ShrinkIt's option to add a Binary II header.) A Binary II header renders a file useless until the header is stripped off; so, for example, any Text file with the header will be un-readable by a PC. If a down
loader does not have an A2 telecom program which automatically strips off the header during NULL modem transfers (or if "Binary Down" is turned OFF), the Text file will look like garbage on the Apple II as well.

o Too many old-time Apple II users still insist upon doing a binscii conversion of all .SHK files before uploading them. When, as sometimes happens, a binscii'd .SHK file is uploaded as an ".SHK" file, downloaders end up with a ".SHK file which ShrinkIt cannot unshrink". Except for uploads to text-oriented services like comp.binaries.apple2, binscii is not necessary on the modern internet.

o Sometimes, a user will NULL modem an Apple Text file to PC using a block transfer protocol (like Z-modem) and, then, upload the file as Text intended to be readable on-line. Such a file will, usually, be a mess when viewed on a PC.

o Mac owners sometimes use the Mac version of ShrinkIt to create a ".SHK" archive of Apple II files which is then uploaded to an Apple II FTP site. The result is another 'mystery .SHK file' which Apple II users cannot unshrink. .SHK files uploaded to an Apple II FTP site should be created on an Apple II using an Apple II version of ShrinkIt.

In short, most of the common uploading errors are the result of carelessness or of doing something which is unnecessary. A good uploading 'rule of thumb' is "Keep it simple".

----------------------------

005- What kinds of files should I upload to which sites?

I. Many Apple II ftp sites

These sites prefer .SHK files for stuff intended to run or be accessed on an Apple II. For example, a game which includes a program file, text Readme file, and folder of pic files would be shrinked into an .SHK file. To facilitate server compatibility, it is usually best to place files with .shk, .sdk, .dsk, and similar Apple II-specific filetypes in a .zip file.

It is best to Shrink even compressed picture, small binary, and icon files and upload them as .SHK files because everyone is used to dealing with .SHK files and the filetype of shrinked files is preserved.

ProDOS diskettes should, usually, be uploaded as a collection of files in a regular .SHK file. This uses less space than a whole-disk archive file.

DOS 3.3 diskettes should be uploaded as whole-disk archive .SDK files. (That is, you have an .SHK whole-disk archive but you change its name to end with ".SDK".)

Pictures and diagrams you want to be both useable on an Apple II and viewable on-line should be converted to .GIF form (e.g. via Super Convert) and uploaded in this form.

If you have several pictures or diagrams you want to be accessible off-line on an Apple II as well as a PC, Mac, etc., you can convert them to .GIF form, place them all in a .ZIP file on your PC, and upload the .ZIP file.

All of the above would be uploaded in "binary" mode.

Text which is intended to be readable on-line should be uploaded as plain Text in "ASCII" or "Text" mode or, on most sites today, in binary mode.

Whenever you upload a game, utility, etc. to an ftp site, it's a good idea to also upload a brief Text file with a description of the uploaded item. For example, after uploading NARFGAME2.SHK (in binary mode), you could upload a brief description in a Text file named NARFGAME.TXT (in Text or binary mode).

II. Asimov and other Apple II emulator ftp sites

Upload files will, generally, be individual DOS 3.3 or ProDOS disk image (.DSK) files created on an Apple II by DSK2FILE or ASIMOV. Upload in binary mode.

III. Comp.binaries.apple2

Programs, etc. posted to this newsgroup are normally .SHK files which have been Binscii'd-- i.e. after Shrinking, the file is changed to Text form via a binscii utility.

IV. Comp.sources.apple2

Source files posted to this newsgroup are normally plain Text.

____________________________

From: Brian Hammack

006- How can I read & send email and newsgroup messages
with my Apple II?

You can use a program by Tom Larson named "2qwk!". Many PC-based BBS's and other servers have hidden among the door programs a "maildoor," which will package all unread messages in a user's chosen news groups and make them available for download as a single compressed file, called a QWK packet. (Hence "2qwk", QWK access for Apple II; get it?!)

So, you have a QWK packet sent to your machine, which takes a few seconds to a few minutes depending on how fast the modem is and how many messages there are. Then, you can go off-line and launch 2qwk!. Selecting "Archiver" lets you start the utility of your choice (such as Angel 0.81b, available separately) to unpack the QWK packet and return to 2qwk!.

Now, you may select "Messages" to view your news groups, scan messages by author and subject, and, finally, read individual messages. When you find a post that needs a reply, you can decide how much of the message to quote and type-in your words of wisdom. You can also haul in text from disk and, even, pick just the right tagline (snappy words at the very end of many messages seen on-line nowadays). Naturally, 2qwk! allows complete freedom to change a message title along with the group to which it is
to be posted and to originate new messages.

When you are done reading and replying, you exit the program and it creates a reply file, called a REP packet. The next time you connect, you simply upload the REP to the maildoor. The maildoor will decide what goes where and your messages will enter cyberspace pronto!

To use 2qwk! you will need an enhanced Apple IIe, IIc, or IIgs, with at least 128k RAM and drive space to hold the QWK data. The program itself will fit on a 5.25" disk with plenty of room to spare. Of course, the server to which you connect must have a QWK-compatible maildoor. 2qwk! runs under ProDOS 2.x. It comes with QuickFix, a program to patch ProDOS, and other utility programs to handle MSDOS-legal names.

____________________________

From: Richard Der

007- With a fast modem, how can the IIe connect to the internet?

Get an Internet Service Provider that has the option of a text based shell account. For email, Proline and METAL BBS's work well too.

----------------------------

008- I'm on the Internet and running the Lynx web browser.
It dosn't look like Netscape Navigator at all. Where do
I put in the URL?

Type "g" which will bring up a URL dialog. You can then type in the URL and hit return.

----------------------------

009- How do I download an .SHK file through Lynx? Selecting the
link gives an unusable text dump.

Just highlight the link, but do not press return. Press "d" instead, which will bring up the download dialog.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

010- Can I send and receive FAXes using my Apple II?

If your Apple II is a IIgs, yes. There are two GS FAXing programs: FAXination and PMPFAX.

----------------------------

011- What is a "Binary II" header?

A Binary II header is a small block of code tacked onto some Apple II files. Sometimes, this is referred to as a "binary wrapper". Mainly, the Binary II header contains filetype information. The purpose of Binary II is to allow Apple II users to download files and have them show up with the correct filetype. (Otherwise, a downloaded file tends to show up as a TXT type file.)

In order for a Binary II header to be recognized and used to supply the filetype info, the Apple II downloading software must have its "Binary Down" option set to ON. The problem with this is that, at least on a few popular telecom wares (like Spectrum), setting "Binary Down" to ON will turn OFF Resume Transfer, something you probably do not want to do when downloading over phone lines.

When you use a PC or Mac to handle downloads and, then, NULL-modem the files to your Apple, it makes sense to leave "Binary Down" ON for the telecom program running on the Apple II. Resume Transfer is not necessary because you have a direct, noise-free connection between two machines. Meanwhile, Binary Down will automatically recognize and strip-off any Binary II header and save the resulting file with the correct filetype.

----------------------------

012- Should I add a Binary II header to files I upload?

In general, no. Binary II is an Apple-only device which, today, is largely unnecessary and can cause problems. Virtually the only valid use for Binary II is to retain filetype information for .SEA self-extracting archives. (An .SEA file with a Binary II header is a .BSE file.) The only file which significantly benefits form a Binary II header is a self-extracting archive of GS-ShrinkIt.

____________________________

From: Adalbert Goertz

013- How can I use my Apple II on the internet?

So, you have been told that you cannot get ftp or http files or images, right? Of course, you cannot read .pdf files either because you have an obsolete computer, right? Well, you are told wrong!

There is a list that you can subscribe to which tells you all you need to know about emailing efficiently. It is called "ACCMAIL". To subscribe write to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM with message in body:

subscribe accmail your.id

and you should be on. You can change the setting to digest, too, (which I recommend).

So, how do you get ftp files? There are a number of addresses which will send you ftp files which accmail tells about. I use bitftp@pucc.princeton.edu to get ftp files by email. I think that by sending HELP to that address you will get the rules of how to do it.

How about surfing the net? Well, I send messages to www4mail@unganisha.idrc.ca or www4mail@web.bellanet.org with SUBJECT anything (it will be ignored) and message:

get http://www .... .html (i.e. the URL of the document)

You can expect to receive the www-document in your email box.

If you need to look at the source files of the www-page, send message:

get http://www .... .html

You also may simply send message HELP to the above addresses, if your request fails. This way you will find out whether or not you made a mistake in sending your request. If the http-URL is too long (more than one line), you may expect problems.

Some of the servers will send you image files, too, like .gif or .jpg files. I get these files as file attachments in my mailbox. You have to experiment to see what works for you. Some files are ready to use, others (uuencode or mime) need to be decoded with BISCIT.

Search engines? Yes, they are available, too.

You need to know about http-URLs on keyword1 and keyword2? Send message to www@kfs.org. In the body write this:

search keyword1 keyword2

Voila, you are in business.

If the http-URL contains a pdf-file, send message to pdf2txt@adobe.com or to pdf2txt@sun.trace.wisc.edu with message:

http://www .... .pdf

and you will get the file back in text format.

If you want the pdf-files back in html-format, that can be done by replacing "txt" in the URLs with "htm".

I use Proterm 3.1 for surfing by email and have my favorite addresses available as macros.

Database Administrator · #10 07-05-2008, 01:07 AM

Archive-name: apple2/faq/part22
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/06/01
URL: http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html

The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2008. Administrator: Steve Nelson

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2USERGRP.txt rev123 June 2008

Users' Groups

001- How can I find out about Apple II users' groups?
002- Where are Apple II users' groups I might contact?
003- How do I get our Apple II group listed?

From: Rubywand

001- How can I find out about Apple II Users' Groups?

Many Apple II users groups continue to meet, especially in major cities and on university campi. If a local group listing is 'missing' from your phone book, check for a Mac users group-- a number of Apple II groups merged with their Mac counterparts often as one or more SIGs (special interest groups).

The Apple User Group Connection (800-538-9696 ext 500) may be able to steer you to a nearby Apple II (or Macintosh) User Group. You can find a listing of users' groups below.

Of course, you can always post a question to comp.sys.apple2.usergroups and/or to Csa2 main (comp.sys.apple2).

____________________________

From: Rubywand, Willi Kusche

002- Where are Apple II users' groups I might contact?

Here is a listing of Apple II users' groups:

A2Central.com (on-line only)
http://A2Central.com/

AAAC- Aurora Area Apple Core (Aurora, IL- Chicagoland area)
http://www.syndicomm.com/~a2.howard/aaac.html

ABUG- Apple Bits Users Group (Kansas City, MO)
http://ChappellClan.com/abug/

AGGB- Apple Gebruikers Group Belgie (Belgium)
http://www.apple.com/be/usergrps/aggb/homepage.html

Apple BC Computer Society (Burnaby, BC, Canada)
http://www.applesbc.bc.ca

Apple Core of Memphis (TN)
http://memphisapplecore.com/

Apple Core of Siouxland (Sioux Falls, SD)
http://cdb.apcug.org/rdrem.asp?EID=2453&ML=0
email: artsd@aol.com

Apple Corps of Dallas (Dallas, TX)
http://www.acd.org/

Apple Franklin Laser Users Group of Spokane (WA)
http://www.aflug.org/

Apple IIs of Tacoma (WA)
contact: Steve at 253-565-7172 (evenings and weekends)

Apple Mousse (Alaska)
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~jesse/mousse/

Apple Squires of the Ozarks (Springfield, MO)
http://applesquires.com/

Apple-Q (Brisbane, Australia)
http://www.apple-q.org.au/

Applebyters (Quad Cities Iowa/Illinois area)
may try: PO Box 2092 Davenport, IA 52809 USA

AppleLinc (Lincoln, NE)
http://www.AppleLinc.org
email: Roy Miller millers@inetnebr.com

AppleSiders of Cincinnati (OH)
http://www.applesiders.com/ (see "Legacy" Apple II sig)

AppleVan (Vancouver, WA)
http://applevan.org/

The Atlantic Computer and Gaming Club (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)
http://www.chebucto.ca/Technology/ACGC
email: ab616@chebucto.ca

AUG Sweden- Apple User Group of Sweden (Göteborg, Sweden)
http://www.appleusergroup.org/

AUGE- Apple User Group: Europe
website gone; may try contacting ...
email: Martin.Kaeser martin.kaeser@auge.de (II sig)
email: Florian Delonge florian.delonge@auge.de (emu sig)

AUSOM- The Apple Users' Society of Melbourne
http://www.ausom.net.au/

BAUG- Big Apple Users Group (New York, NY)
http://www.panix.com/~joreilly/baug.html
email: joreilly@panix.com

Blind Apple II Users- new (2005) mailing list for blind Apple II users
email: subscribe blindapple-subscribe@jaybird.no-ip.info
email: Jayson Smith blindapple-owner@jaybird.no-ip.info

CAC- Carolina Apple Core (Raleigh, NC)
may try: P.O.Box 31424 Raleigh, NC 27622

CALL A.P.P.L.E.- Apple PugetSound Program Library Exchange (on-line only)
http://www.callapple.org/

CIAMUG- Central Illinois Apple and Macintosh Users Group (Peoria, IL)
http://www.ciamug.com/

Dayton Microcomputer Associatopn (Dayton, OH)
http://www.dma.org/ (See "Classic Computers" SIG.)

E.A.G.L.E- Edmonton Apple Group Learning Experience (Alberta, Canada)
email: tturner@ecn.ab.ca
BBS: 403-481-3133

EAC- Erie Apple Crunchers (Erie, PA)
http://www.user-groups.net/EAC/
http://members.aol.com/ljsilicon2/index.html

Eamon Adventurer's Guild (NC)
http://www.lysator.liu.se/eamon/
email: eamoncd@bellsouth.net

Frederick Apple Core (Walkersville, MD)
http://www.frederickapple.com/

GAAB- Greater Albany Apple Byters (Troy, NY)
http://homepage.mac.com/applebyters/

GSAUG- GravenStein Apple Users Group (Petaluma, CA)
(Merged. See NCMUG entry.)

HAAUG- The Houston Area Apple Users Group (TX)
http://www.haaug.org/

HMAUS- Hawaii Macintosh and Apple users society (Honolulu, HI)
http://www.hmaus.com/

HyperPomme-Paris- includes A2 sig (France)
http://www.hpparis.org/

Klokhuis (Netherlands)
http://www.klokhuis.nl/

Lancaster County Apple Corps- Apple II and Mac (Lancaster County, PA)
http://cs.millersville.edu/~katz/lcac/

LOGIC User Group (Toronto, Canada)
http://www.logicbbs.org/

mini'app'les- Minnesota Apple Computer Users' Group (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN)
http://www.miniapples.org/

Mountain View Computer Users Group- multiplatform (Sierra Vista, AZ)
http://www.mvcug.org/

NCMUG- North Coast Mac Users Group: ask about Apple II group (CA)
http://www.ncmug.org/sig.html

Northern Virginia Apple II Users (Arlington, VA)
email: bob@racepacket.com or donaldbrown@earthlink.net

OACC- Orange Apple Computer Club (Costa Mesa, CA.)
http://www.oacc.org/

PACUG- Polk Apple Core Users Group (Polk County, FL)
http://www.afn.org/~pacug/

PAMUG- The Pennsylvania Macintosh Users' Group; includes Apple II
(Central PA, Penn State's University Park campus)
http://www.pamug.org/

PAUG- The Planetary Apple Users Group (Wichita, KS)
no current contact info

Princeton Apple II Users Group (Hamilton, NJ)
email: PAUG@mac.com

RIAG- Rhode Island Apple Group (Providence, RI)
http://www.riapple.com/index.html

S.W.A.C.K.S.- Apple II users in S.W. Florida
jsprickett@att.net

SAUG- Stockton Apple Users Group (Stockton, CA)
http://www.saug.net/

SBACC- South Bay Apple Computer Club (Torrance, CA)
A2 email contact: Jack Kells jckells@attbi.com

Small Computer Users Club (Central IL)
http://www.scusers.org/

SNAC- The Southern New Hampshire Apple Core (Nashua, NH)
http://homepage.mac.com/applepower/

South African Apple II Users Group (South Africa)
email: Stephen Shaw stephen@apple2.org.za

T Apple- Tallahassee Apple Users Group (FL)
http://www.tapple.org/

TAC- Tucson Apple Core (Tucson, AZ)
http://tmug.com/tac/

Topeka Macintosh Apple User Group (KS)
http://members.aol.com/TopekaMUG/

USA2WUG- Apple II World Users' Group (on-line only)
http://apple2.org.za/gswv/USA2WUG/

WAMUG- Wadajima-net Apple & Macintosh User's Group (Tokushima, Japan)
http://www.mandala.co.jp/WAMUG/

Washington Apple Pi Users Group (Washington, DC)
http://www.wap.org/

WAUC- Wisconsin All-computer Users Club (Milwaukee, WI)
http://www.wauc.info/
http://forums.delphiforums.com/wauc/start- Delphi on-line

WAUGnz- Wellington Apple Users Group (New Zealand)
http://www.welmac.org.nz/
A2 email contact: David Empson dempson@actrix.gen.nz

Wausau Area Apple Users Group (WI)
http://www.dwave.net/~dpregont/UG/WAAUG.html

Other Users' Group Lists

http://dmoz.org/Computers/Systems/Ap...I/User_Groups/
http://www.a2central.com/ugl/index.html
http://www.apple.com/usergroups/find.html
http://www.user-groups.net/resources/MEMBERS.html
http://www.wap.org/external/wapusergrouplist.html
http://www.wbwip.com/a2web/a2usegrp.html

____________________________

From: Rubywand

003- How do I get our Apple II group listed?

It's easy to let everyone know about your Apple II group (or "special interest group" if part of some larger club). Send an email to the Apple II FAQs Keeper with this information:

o- Name of the club (or club and SIG)

o- Location (may omit if you meet only on-line)

o- Web page or forum URL if you have one (necessary if you
meet only on-line)

o- Email contact address (may omit if you have a web page)

Apple II FAQs Keeper email address: rubywand@swbell.net (Include "Apple" in the message title.)

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