Re: Help with Zip Drive and the IIgs

[MarkWesty@hotmail.com]

In article <34BEAEB3.5097@swbell.net>,
  rubywand@swbell.net wrote:
>
> EDavis write ...
> >
> > I have just purchased a Zip drive to attach to my IIgs.
> > (SCSI External Zip with Mac=formatted disks)
> >
> > Could anyone walk me through the steps to format the zip disk to
> > 6.01?
> >
> > I currently have a Syquest 45 meg HD attached through the SCSI card,
> > and 1-3.25" drive.  Do I need to boot the floppy, and initialize the
> > disk from the Install Disk?  Does it get partitioned before or after
> > being initialized?  I remember some issue about a max of 32 Meg per
> > partition, but was that just with ProDos?
> >
>
>      If you want to be able to boot System 6.0.1 from the Zip drive
> and/or launch applications stored on a Zip disk, then you will need at
> least one ProDOS partition. The max size of a ProDOS partition is 32MB.
> There is room on a Zip disk for nearly 3 max-size ProDOS partitions.
>
>      You should not need to format a new Zip disk because they are
> already formatted. So, for example, there is not much point in letting
> the Sys 6 Finder do a format. (It can produce a single large HFS volume;
> but, this is no help if you want full Sys 6 use of the Zip disk.)
> Specifically, if there is a new "blank" Zip disk in the drive when you
> start Sys 6 and you are told the format is not recognized and asked if
> you want to format the disk, the answer is "No". Eject the disk if
> necessary.
>
>      Mainly, it sounds like the main barrier to using your Zip drive is
> getting a disk partitioned. You do need to do this before any files can
> be stored on a Zip disk.
>
>      If your SCSI card is a RamFAST, try using the utilities accessed
> via Ramfast.system. Once you're in the utils under ProDOS-8 (e.g. you
> have the typical 80-col text screen), you should be able to insert the
> Zip disk without being pestered about unrecognized formats.
>
>      If you have some other kind of SCSI interface, try starting the GS
> Advanced Disk Utilities. Insert a Zip disk and try creating three ProDOS
> partitions. (You can get two max-size ProDOS partitions and one more
> which is a smidgen less than max size.)
>
>      Once you have a Zip disk with, say, three ProDOS partitions, it
> should show up on the Finder as three volumes.
>
>      Originally, you asked about 'formatting a Zip disk to System
> 6.0.1'. If you mean just having Zip disk space which is fully accessible
> and useful under Sys 6, then, once your new Zip disk ProDOS partitions
> show up on the Finder, you're probably 'home free'. There is nothing
> special to install on the partitions.
>
>      If you want to be able to boot Sys 6 from a Zip disk, then you will
> need to install System 6.0.1 onto the first partition of your Zip disk.
> You can install System 6.0.1 using the INSTALL diskette and feeding-in
> diskettes as requested or you can just copy all of the Sys 6 stuff from
> your current Sys 6 hard drive boot volume. (If you are using some Easy
> Launch, etc. Finder add-on, you will have to change volume name
> references for programs you want to launch from the Zip disk.)
>
>      Probably, it will be necessary to swap the SCSI ID numbers of the
> hard disk and Zip drive in order to have the Zip recognized as the first
> device to try upon power-up. (Do this after shutting down and turning
> OFF power to the computer and Zip drive.) With Sys 6 on the first ProDOS
> partition of a Zip disk, you should be able to boot Sys 6 from the Zip
> drive when you next power-up the GS.
>
> Rubywand

What about drivers? I thought that in order to use a ZIP drive, I would
need a driver for it. I also thought that the chances of finding a driver
for the IIGS were slim to none. My new Macintosh came with a built in ZIP
drive, and I have been using AppleTalk (really just my priter cable
connecting the printer ports of both machines :) ) to access the ZIP
disks with the IIGS.

-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
      http://www.dejanews.com/     Search, Read, Post to Usenet