Re: Need Help with IIgs

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Jen writes ...
> 
> Hi, I'll be honest right up front, I'm a newbie to Apple and Mac
> systems. I've been a PC user for 10 years, and have always wanted
> my own Apple computer to learn. Yesterday I picked up a IIgs
> system, rgb color monitor, keyboard, mouse, 3 1/2 and 5 1/4 disk
> drives and an ImageWriter II printer for $25 (hope that was a good
> deal) at a garage sale.
>

     The 3.5" drives plug in first-- i.e. the 5.25" drives are at the end of
the chain of drives.

 
> I got it home and it seems to work though it keeps trying to boot to
> the 5 1/4 drive and then says "CHECK STARTUP DEVICE"
> 
> Is it looking for a boot disk?
 ....

     Yes.


> I tried unplugging the disk drives and booting without them
> and it still gives me the same message.

     That's because it wants to boot a disk. (By the way, in case you
wondered, the disk drives should be plugged/unplugged only with the IIgs
turned OFF. That goes for Slot cards, too.)

     You can get rid of the message by doing a Reset-- press Control-Reset
(hold down the Control key and press Reset).  This should leave you in
Applesoft BASIC; but, with no DOS, you will not be able to load or save
files.


> 
> I did see on the initial boot screen it said ROM 3, from what
> I've gathered from the various sites I've been on since yesterday,
> this is a good thing.

     In most respects, yes. The ROM 3 is the latest model IIgs.

> 
> Also, aside from actually opening the case is there any way to
> determine if there is a hard drive inside?

     You could go to the Control Panel and set the Boot Slot to "Scan". Press
OpenApple-Control-Escape and select "Control Panel". (OpenApple is the key
with an apple outline on it.)  In the Control Panel select "Slots" and set
the startup Slot to "Scan".
 ....

     Then, exit the panel back to BASIC and force a boot with
OpenApple-Control-Reset. If there is a bootable hard disk, it should boot.

     Looking inside the case would still be a good idea. It's the easiest way
to find out what other cards may be plugged in.

     You can find more information about your IIgs in the newsgroup FAQs at
http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html .



Rubywand