Re: trying to get an Apple II GS going for fun...

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

wizard@direct.ca (R. Priestley) wrote:

>Hi, wow! Thanks for all the help! Looks like I really hit a goldmine
>here. With this information and links to resourses, I now understand
>my little ][ GS a lot more. Purchasing resourses over the internet
>seems to be the way to go. I'd like to get one of those hard drive
>deals Supertimer mentioned, but I think the first step I will take is
>to order a set of system disks and just get it up and running. Then
>hopefully I will be able to tell how much RAM is in it and if it is
>stable enough to warrant purchasing a hard drive for it. I will be
>able to add to it over time and it will make an excellent computer
>science project for me.

One test to run to test stability is Command-Option-Control-Reset.
This runs the self-test which should yield "System OK" if the
IIGS is stable.  The Command key is the one with the Apple on
it, by the way, and the reset key is the big key on the top border
of the keyboard.

>What I would love to do is use my PC to download software for the ][
>GS over the internet> But it seems that one of the problems with this
>is that my contemporary PC 3.5" floppy drive can not physically read
>an 800kb 3.5" floppy, nor could it format it for the ][ GS even if it
>could read it.

Yes, this is true.  The two reasonable possibilities is to get a PC
controller card for the IIGS so that it can read and write PC
1.44MB 3.5" floppies.  ///SHH Systeme makes such a controller,
called the BlueDisk.  They have a web site that can be found
on the search engines.  Plug the card into the IIGS, plug any
PC 3.5" drive (even 2.88MB ones) into the card.  Read your
MS-DOS FAT formatted floppies.  Or you can get a SuperDrive
and SuperDrive controller card for the IIGS.  These can be
found used.  The SuperDrive can read and write PC floppies
even though it is an Apple drive (in fact, internal SuperDrives
are in Macs, which is why they can do this).

An even better option, if you have an external Zip Plus drive,
is to use the Zip drive to transfer data.  You'll need to find a
new or used SCSI card for the IIGS.  Only the RamFAST or
the Apple High Speed SCSI cards should be looked at for
this purpose.

Let's assume a Zip Plus external drive on your PC.  The drive
can also work using SCSI.  You find a used Apple High Speed
SCSI card.  The drive can then be used with the IIGS.  Since
the IIGS using the MUG! desk accessory can read PC FAT
formatted Zip disks, Zip disks can be used as a transfer medium.
You will of course need the OS to use SCSI.

>A few questions come to mind about this come to mind for me...
>1] Can you still buy 800kb 3.5" Floppies?!?!?!?

By mail order, yes.  http://www.allelec.com/ Alltech sells them.

>2] Could I somehow attach the Apple 3.5" external floppy drive to my
>PC and use it to store files?!?!?! (I know: this is a super-big
>long-shot!!!)

This you can't do.  You can do the reverse: attached a PC 3.5"
drive to the right controller (BlueDisk).  You can also use an
external Apple SuperDrive connected to a SuperDrive
controller card.  The SuperDrive gives the IIGS the same PC
reading/writing abilities as the Mac.

>3] Can I use one of the aging Power Macs, like a Performa 5200 CD, at
>my workplace to read and write 800kb 3.5" floppies? I could download
>files there onto the Mac and drop the files onto disks to use for the
>][ GS?

Yes you can.  After you get System 6.0.1 in the mail, set it up
and install the HFS FST.  Once you do that, you will be able
to read standard 800k format Macintosh HFS disks on the
IIGS.

>I only list these questions from the computer science perspective
>[after all I am only an intermediate] and I do realise that I have
>other options including hooking up a modem to the ][ GS etc...

Good luck with your project!  You can even connect the IIGS
directly to the internet if you wanted, now that's neat computer
science...browsing web pages with the IIGS.  Amazing but true,
some IIGS users do this.  ;-)