Re: Hard Disks (and controllers), Connectivity with PC

[willie@singapore.com (Willie Yeo)]

In article <gBUj8.13832$mp.63282@news-server.bigpond.net.au>, "Mr-T"
<jonthorp@-no-spam-bigpond.net.au> wrote:

> 1.) As I understand, there's a wealth of IIGS programs on the Internet, but
> given my GS doesn't have any additional cards and I don't have access to a
> Mac, is there any way at all I can connect the IIGS to my PC? Is there some
> way I can connect the IIGS between the wierd communications port it has and
> the communications port on the PC?

   You have to get a cable made for a "null modem" cable transfer. i.e.
directly from the GS comms port to the PC comms port. Then you need to get
communications program such on both the GS and PC to do a Send Zmodem
(Xmodem or Ymodem too) and Receive Zmodem on the other end.

   The local Apple Users Group around should be able to give you a hand,
and it depends on where you are located in Australia.

> 2.) Is there any way that I can get software onto my IIGS since I don't have
> access to any means of getting even a terminal program onto my GS?

   If you are lucky to find one of those SuperDrive 1.44Mb 3.5" drives,
you can put files onto a 720k low density disk (NOT 1.44Mb !) into the
drive, and have the MS-DOS FST driver in GS/OS system 6 to read the disk.
I cannot remember if you need the SuperDrive card or not for that
operation, but I think you don't for a 720k floppy.

> 3.) I have many old IDE (ranging from 40Mb-4.3Gb) hard drives (and possibly
> one or two SCSI - but they would be too big, about 1Gb). Is there any way I
> can utilise these disk drives on a IIGS?

   Not unless you have a controller card.

> The hard drives are fine, but what about the controllers? Anyone know about
> their availability in Australia? I honestly don't want to pay obscene
> amounts of money for an old SCSI/IDE controller for a IIGS, so price is
> definitely an issue.

   Rare ... as another GS friend in Brisbane puts it, "impossible". Those
who do own the cards knows that it is hard to find another one; and if
they are keeping their system (like me), they would keep them. Hardly
anyone has a spare SCSI card that they would part cheaply.

   There are still Apple IIGS users in Australia, you just have to
nominate your city to us, and I believe that someone will greet you
nicely.