re: Installer issue -- Need a hand

["Steve Quarrella" <Steve.QuarrellaNOSPAM@f9005.n393.z1.fidonet.org>]

 MC> From: "Mark Cummings" <NOTfigjams@primus.com.au>

Hi, Mark...thanks for the note!

 MC> On my ROM-1 AHS setup, I can't access a drive in Slot 7 when
 MC> AppleTalk is on. Could this be your problem with the RamFast ?
 MC> I think ROM-3 are a different story with Slot 7/Appletalk.

As far as I remember, you're spot-on.  I think the "write protected" thing is a 
bunch of hogwash, given that I'm doing all kinds of r/w operations on the hard 
disk on a regular basis.  So why either the drive thinks it's protected under 
the circumstances, or the Installer thinks the drive's protected, and that's a 
job for Inspector Columbo or Maigret. :-)

There are some "what ifs" here, and I don't know that I'm going to go down this 
road.  I picked up a couple of 80 meg hard disks the other day for $1 each, so 
for grins last night, I put one into my external case and disconnected the 
naughty drive.  Other than not being able to create larger than 32 MEG 
partitions -- I thought I could create large partitions to format with HFS 
(which I've patched :) -- the Installer behaved as I would expect it to behave.  
I got System 6.0.1 on the drive, I got AppleTalk on the drive, we're happy.  Off 
the top of my head, I wondered: The original drive was partitioned and created 
on a different
system altogether, although the RamFAST was in Slot 7.  Would there be any 
reason that a move from another system -- in this case, an old Woz limited 
edition to a ROM03 -- would make a difference?  The original system lacks a 
power supply, so I don't have the luxury of putting everything back into the old 
system.

I'll probably plug the old drive into the chain and suck the data off of it.  It 
was a friend's hard drive, I don't know its idiosyncrasies.

 MC> The Apple IIGS System 6 User's guide has info on AppleTalk you are
 MC> looking for, I've never heard of a AppleTalk User's guide.

That's the one book that's hiding right now in all of my boxes.  Figures. <heh>

I have to laugh:  I wrote to Apple the other day and said "Why not get someone 
to scan these old Apple II manuals and spec sheets?"  The response was a typical 
canned text message about checking with their resellers and looking on the web 
site, even though I indicated in my original note that I found it unlikely that 
any resellers would have this, today in 2001, and that it -wasn't- on the web 
site ("Why do you think I'm writing, ya dummy?!" <heh>).  It was called the 
AppleTalk Network User's Guide for the Apple IIgs, and shipped with some product 
or another. A search on google.com came up with part number 030-1633.

 MC> From memory the Network:Appleshare is all you need on the GS end.

I am a victim of RTFHS -- "Help Screens."  I was surprised that the Installer 
had a basic explanation of each option, and you're right about that being all 
you need.  What's embarrassing about this is that I used to support these 
systems for a living, and it's a comedy sometimes, trying to remember how to do 
things that you once took for granted.  In all my years with the Apple II, 
though, I never worked with AppleTalk from the II side, so last night, here in 
the 21st century, was the first time I saw an Apple II communicating with a 
Macintosh.  Now, let's see which of my disks have survived the years...it's CD 
burn time. :-)

 MC> drive from the Mac server. The Mac has to be set up too, but that's
 MC> another story.

I beat that one, easily.

Thanks again!