Re: Boot disk set-up question.

[jonINTERNETrelayCHAT@napaVALLEYnet.CLARInet (Jon Bettencourt)]

In article <38A433E5.50650B4A@mbnet.mb.ca>, Mike Pfaiffer
<pfaiffer@mbnet.mb.ca> wrote:

> Ernest wrote:
> > 
> > What files are necessary on an Apple II boot disk, for Dos 3.3 or Prodos?
> > For instance, if had a standard Dos 3.3 boot disk, are there any files that
> > I could delete, and still have a bootable disk?
> > 
> > On an MSDos boot disk, you only need three small files to boot, leaving the
> > rest of disk available for other files. Does Dos 3.3 or Prodos work that
> > way?
> > 
> > Thanks,
> > 
> > Ernest
> 
> This brings back memories... For Prodos you need two files. Prodos (aka
> P8 on the GS) and BASIC.SYSTEM. They have to be the first two files on
> the disk. You can specify a startup file by placing (I presume) an
> Applesoft program on the floppy and call it "STARTUP".

Actually, the STARTUP file could be any type of file. It doesn't have to
be an Applesoft BASIC program.

You don't need the BASIC.SYSTEM file, but you have to have at least one
SYS file ending in .SYSTEM. Most disks use the BASIC.SYSTEM file as the
.SYSTEM file anyway, so just keep it.

PRODOS and the .SYSTEM file don't have to be the first files on the disk.
The only time when that matters is if you have more than one file named
PRODOS and/or more than one file ending in .SYSTEM. When you start up a
ProDOS disk it runs the first program on the disk called PRODOS, then the
PRODOS program runs the first file on the disk ending in .SYSTEM.

If you use BASIC.SYSTEM (Applesoft BASIC), it will run the file named
STARTUP in the current directory. GEOS.SYSTEM (GeOS) looks for a file
named DESK TOP in the SYSTEM directory, and DESKTOP.SYSTEM (Apple II
Desktop) looks for a file named A2DESKTOP. I don't know about any other
.SYSTEM files that could be out there.

>         DOS 3.2 and 3.3 have the operating system stored on the first three
> tracks (0-2). You have the option of specifying a "startup" program when
> you format the disk. What you do is load an Applesoft program into
> memory. Determine what the startup file will be called (it is
> traditionally called "HELLO"). Then issue the command "INIT HELLO". If
> there is already something on your disk it will wipe it out. There were
> a couple of programs which would format a floppy without putting the
> operating system on the first tracks (these disks were called data
> disks).
> 
>         I'm not going to touch GSOS because there are people who know it far
> better than I do here.

GS/OS requires a lot more files than you think. You can delete all the
Fonts, CDevs, FinderExtras, INITs, Sounds, and Desk Accs., but it needs
ProDOS, Start, Start.GSOS, Error.Msgs, at least one "FType." file in the
Icons directory, all the Tools that are on a minimal disk, the Pro.FST,
the Console.Driver, and I forget what else is on there.

>                                 Later
>                                 Mike

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jonrelay@napanet.net                        dimension18.cjb.net
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