The FAQ I found 3/3

[preston@spud.dtinet.or.jp (Pres Nevins)]

Q#72 What can you do with an Apple ][?

A: As if the above weren't impressive, how about: Optical Character
recognition, Desktop publishing, Integrated Spread sheet, Database and Word
Processing, Interactive fiction adventure games, Arcade quality games,
Educational games, Programming, Telecommunications, Inventory, Accounting,
Money Management, and that's not even scratching the surface.

Q#73 What can the //e can "borrow" from other computers?

A: GS bitmapped fonts, Mac Disks, MacPaint pictures, GIF pictures, just
about any Mac/PC SCSI device (Hard Drives, Tape backup), Mac sounds with
IISound (sounds are stored in the resource fork), many archive formats (like
uudecode), any serial device (EPROM burners, FAX modems, mega-fast modems w/
MNP5), etc.

Q#74 What can the GS can "borrow" from other computers?

A: Mac bitmapped fonts, Mac Icons, Mac and Windows TrueType fonts, Mac
Disks, Amiga Mod songs, MacPaint pictures, MacWrite documents, GIF pictures,
WordPerfect documents, just about any Mac SCSI or ADB device (including Hard
Drives, Pen Mice, etc), Mac sounds, Many archive formats (.uu, .zip, .arc,
.sit, .hqx, etc), any serial device (EPROM burners, FAX modems, mega- fast
modems w/hardware MNP-5), IDE hard drives (check out a card called "Turbo
IDE". Mail J.LANGE7@genie.geis.com for details)

If you are interested in doing any of the above, feel free to e-mail me
(dmag@umich.edu). Someday, maybe I'll fill in the specific software or
hardware you need to do any of the above. If you have any additions, let me
know too!

Q#75 Resources for the Apple II 2/8/95

Listed below are some places to get information about the Apple II. You
should also try your local user group (and the user group library), friends,
relatives, library, school, FTP sites, books, and etc. One good book is "The
Whole Internet Users Guide & Catalog" by Ed Kroll, published by O'Reilly &
Associates Inc.

Q#76 Apple II Groups

You can become an associate in the Apple Developer Program for $350 (for Mac
and Apple II) or a mere $150 (for Apple II only) by calling 1-408-974-4897.
That gets you Develop magazine, Apple Technical notes, the Apple Developer
CD, discounts on Apple products, and more! If you want to license Apple
Software for distribution with your product you can get information by
calling 1-408-974-4667. (Note: You need a license to distribute Apple System
Software, including ProDOS, and the Installer.)

USUS (Keith Frederick (Secretary), P.O. Box 1148, La Jolla, CA 92038) is an
international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and influencing
software standards to aid in the development of portable software. They have
a large software library including a lot of source code (for almost every
language or computer).

NAUG, the National AppleWorks Users Group (313-454-1115, 313-454-1965 FAX,
615-359-8238 BBS) is a group devoted to that wonder program, AppleWorks.

Q#77 Getting Parts & Software

Redmond cable (206-882-2009) makes and sells all sorts of custom cables.

Quality Computers (800-777-ENHAnce or 313-774-7200, 313-774-7740 Tech
Support, 313-774-2698 FAX) not only sells Apple II products, but maintains a
list of user groups and publishes an informative newsletter geared towards
educators (called Enhance). They also published AppleWorks 4.0! To get a QC
catalog and a free subscription to Enhance, just call! Contact QC (on
GEnie), QualityCom (on AOL) or quality@pro-quality.cts.com.

Alltech (800-995-7773 orders, 619-721-2823 FAX, 619-721-7733 Technical
Support/inquiries) sells all kinds of replacement parts for Apple II's. They
are also pretty knowledgeable about the II. and inquiries)

Sun Remarketing (800-821-3221) also sells used Apples parts and books.

Parkhurst Micro Products (510-837-9098) sells ANSITerm, a GS-only
communications program that supports X/Y/Z-Modem (plus variants), Kermit,
VT-100, Color ANSI, and offers features like a text editor, a large
scrollback buffer, and macros.

Sequential Systems (800-759-4549 or 303-666-4549,800-999-1717 tech,
303-666-7797 BBS) announced software for the GS that will let you use many
(but not all) CD-ROMs. Audio, Still Pictures and searching text are
supported. Contact SEQUENTIAL@genie.geis.com

The Big Red Computer Club, (402-379-4680) or BRCC, (formerly the Big Red
Apple Club, sells all kinds of good software that you can't get anywhere
else. (including discontinued games, etc.)

Chuck Orem (PO Box 1014, Benton City, WA, 99320-1014 USA) distributes a
5.25" disk with a terminal program (Comm.System 2.5), Shrinkit 3.4, BinSCII
1.0.3, UU 1.1, Sneeze 2.2 and UnShrink 2.1 in ready to run format. Also
included are all the docs for the above programs, plus Zlink (in archived
format). The disk is distributed for $2, to cover postage and materials.
Contact Chuck for more information at: corem@pro-greens.cts.com or
progreens@delphi.com

Digisoft (digisoft@aol.com) has a CD called Golden Orchard that is full of
Apple II-specific programs. 18MB is accessable from 8-bit //e's, the rest is
in HFS partitions that can be accessed with GS/OS System 6. Cost is around
$60.

Edlie Electronics (800-645-4722 or 516-735-3330) is selling "The ProDOS
User's Kit". It seems to be your basic ProDOS operating system and a manual.
I doubt that it's a current version, but it's worth a look if you need
ProDOS on 5.25". Heck, for $1.95, you can't go wrong. [there is a minimum
order, and I have never tried it... Let me know if you try it.]

Washington Apple Pi (301-681-6136, 301-593-0024 BBS [7 bits, odd parity])
has an extremely active Apple /// Special Interest Group. They have 250 PD
disks and have funded a new revision of the OS. Contact Dave Ottalini at
72457.2401@Compuserve.com

Educational Resources (800-624-2926) sells educational programs for the II.

MECC (800-685-MECC) is a well-known educational software shop.

The Cynosure BBS (410-549-2584 Settings: 8 data bits, No parity 1 stop bit,
up to 14400 bps) has a license to distribute system Apple software (ProDos
and GS/OS). Contact Doug Granzow at dig@pro-cynosure.cts.com

You can also get system software off of Apple Computer's FTP site. It is
maintained by DTS in their spare time. Thanks guys!

ftp://ftp.apple.com/aii/sys.soft/

The Apple User Group Connection (800-538-9696 ext 500) can tell you the
closest Apple II (or Macintosh) User Group. (Check Quality Computers too..)

Resource-Central (913-469-6502, FAX: 913-469-6507) publishes an 8-page
monthly newsletter. It's small but packed with information. It has technical
discussions and philosophical discussions. It is also available on disk,
with many PD/SW programs each month. Resource Central also publishes many
monthly disks, including ones for HyperStudio users, TimeOut users,
HyperCard users, and probably others. All are on 3.5" disk only. They also
have taken over APDA's job of keeping the latest and greatest from Apple and
some 3rd party vendors. They have programming tools and manuals not
available anywhere else (like the Video Overlay Card Development kit, Tool
35/SynthLab docs, etc). Contact A2-CENTRAL, UNCLE-DOS, or DENNIS.DOMS on
GEnie.

Q#78 Fun hardware add-ons

SSH Systems (Write to: SHH SYSTEME, Dipl. Ing. Joachim Lange, Bergstrasse
95, 82131 Stockdorf, Germany) is selling a card for your Apple that will
allow you to use cheap IBM drives for storage. Price is around $100. Contact
J.LANGE7@genie.geis.com.

Night Owl (913-362-9898) makes a slide-on battery for ROM 01 GS's. You need
a replacement if the time and system settings go back to their defaults
whenever you turn the computer off.

Conversion Technology (801-364-4171) sells a drive that allows you to hook
up cheap IBM 3.5" and 5.25" disk drives to you Apple II.

Silicon Systems (714-731-7110) makes that 22 pin DIP DTMF decoder chip that
Apple-Cat modem owners are always looking for. Part #: SSI 75T201 -
Integrated DTMF Receiver.

Q#79 Periodicals & Books

Quality Computers and Resource Central (previously mentioned above) also
publish periodicals.)

Shareware Solutions II (166 Alpine Street, San Rafael, CA 94901) is a new
Apple II magazine with the latest scoops, written by long time Apple II
writer Joe Kohn. Mail joko@crl.com for details. You can also finger him, or
check out his WWW homepage (see FTP).

Adam Barr (barr@railnet.nshore.org) and Cindy Field (former InCider/A+
editor) are starting a new Apple II newsletter, only this one is only
available via e-mail.

GS+ Magazine (800-662-3634 orders, or 615-843-3988 or 913-469-6507 FAX) is
published bi-monthly, as a magazine and as an accompanying disk. They are a
great source for unique programs, which are not available anywhere else.
They also have reviews of new software. Of course, it's GS specific.
Contact: GSPlusDiz (on AOL orDelphi), JWANKERL (on GEnie), or
jwankerl@pro-gonzo.cts.com.

Hyperstudio Network (609-446-3196) is a quarterly newsletter about
HyperStudio. They put out an annual 'Best of HyperStudio' disk of stacks,
and have discounts on HyperStudio accessories. They even do some
teacher-oriented stuff.

Computist (P.O. Box 110846, Tacoma, WA 98411) is a publication devoted to
gathering and distributing information on removing copy protection from
Apple II software.

Softdisk and Softdisk GS (800-831-2694 or 318-221-8718) are monthly disk
magazines containing a variety of software (PD/SW, clip art, reviews, etc).
Softdisk is available on 5.25" or 3.5" disks. Softdisk GS is available only
on 3.5" disks. Contact zak@aol.com.

Q#80 Misc Resources

If you need a IIc upgrade, it should be free. Try a few Apple dealers or
call Apple to seek help. The number is 1-800-767-2775 (SOS-APPL).

Sequential Systems (1-800-759-4549 customer service 1-800-999-1717 technical
support) have taken over CVTech's products.

Larry Beyer (312-735-9010) likes to fix InnerDrive hard drives.

Apple has a toll-free customer assistance line for handling sales questions
and user concerns. This toll-free line is not designed to be a technical
support hotline, but instead is an extension to the comprehensive Apple
customer relations effort. The Customer Assistance Center is open Monday
through Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time by dialing 1-800-776-2333.

A new ShareWare-Fee payment service has been established for info, write to:

Some Assembly Required                  shareware@uwo.ca  OR
   1132 Adelaide St. N.  #719              hackett@gaul.csd.uwo.ca
   London, Ontario  N5Y 2N8
   Canada

     Email suggestions to dmag@umich.edu. As always, let me know of any
     mistakes, updates, corrections, additions, etc.

Q#81 General guidelines on How To Troubleshoot

Q#82 General troubleshooting

*First, resist the temptation to install all your new toys at once. Take it
one step at a time and test everything after adding each item. (i.e. Run the
diagnostics and try your old programs.)
*Leave the computer plugged in, but turned off when installing cards. Touch
the top of power supply before and often during your work. Better yet, use a
wrist strap tied to ground through a 1 Megaohm resistor.
*When asking others for help, it is essential to know the EXACT error
message you are getting. Also, be as specific as possible. Saying "It did
not work" or "I could not get any farther" is not helpful. Exactly which
screen did it stop at? Does it respond to any input at all? What had you
done up to that point? Is it reproducible any other way?
*Make sure you have the required components for the program. Does it
require an Enhanced //e? More RAM? A separate boot disk?
*Never use your original disks. Make a backups and store the
write-protected originals in a safe place.
*Be sure to keep your disks away from stray magnetic fields emanating from
phones, monitors and speakers.
*If you have an accelerator, try to disable it or take it out entirely. It
may not be compatible with the new item.
*Is the problem re-producible? If so, what are the MINIMUM actions to
reproduce it?
*Check all your cable connections. Do not disconnect or connect any cables
with the computer on.
*Try pulling out other cards and disconnect your joystick. If you have a
lot of cards, you might consider a Heavy-Duty Power Supply from A.E. It
supplies 6 Amps instead of a measly 2.5 Amps. Test the power supply with a
voltmeter while the computer is on.
*Call the manufacturer to see if there is an upgrade or a fix.

Q#83 Trouble shooting and good maintenance

*Try the system self-test: hold down the Control key, the Open Apple key,
and the Option (or Solid Apple) key. Then press and release Reset. Lastly,
let up on the other keys. Sit back and 'Watchen Der Blinken Lighten.'
*Most RAM cards come with a memory tester. Try running it in continuous
mode for several hours, even if your RAM seems to be working.
*Write down your configuration when you have it working (for future
reference).
*Verify your disk(s) with Copy ][+ or the Finder to see if you have any bad
blocks.

Q#84 GS Trouble shooting

*Check your control panel settings: What is the startup slot set to? Is the
slot set to "Your Card"? Check your RAM disk setting. Is it taking up all
your memory? Try setting the speed to normal if it's a non-GS program.
*Take out or disable your INITS, CDAs, NDAs, and CDEVS. (With System 6,
just hold down Shift while booting).
*If you have a hard disk, try booting from a System Disk and/or re-install
the latest system software. Many random problems can be traced to corrupted
or improperly installed system software.
*Never connect/disconnect an ADB device when the computer is on.
*AppleWorks GS comes with a memory tester (try it).
*The TransWarp GS has a continuous test on the CDA (try it too).

Q#85 SCSI

SCSI is a protocol (kind of like serial or parallel) that lets you hook up
several devices (up to 8) on a SCSI bus (a bus is just a series of wires).
You must give each device it's own unique ID number from 0-7. The SCSI card
is usually set to 7. There are two types of SCSI cables: the 50 pin
Centronics-type (like on parallel printers) or the 25-pin "D" connector. The
50-pin is the SCSI standard, the 25-pin is the Apple standard. On a SCSI
chain, there must be a Terminator at each end. A Terminator is just a bunch
of resistors. Some drives have internal terminators (3 small yellow-orange
packs), and some drives come with an external terminator (a "plug" to put on
the back of the drive). Also, somebody on the bus must supply terminator
power (one of the SCSI lines). If There are any problems (multiple things
with the same ID, too much termination or not enough, or no terminator
power), you may be able to use the drive, but your data will get corrupted.
Most of the time, the computer will refuse to recognize the drive.

At first, there was the Apple Rev 'C' SCSI card (named after the final ROM
version--all previous versions MUST be upgraded to work with current
software). There were several clones from the likes of CMS and Chinook. Then
Apple came out with it's High Speed DMA SCSI card. This has the ability to
do Direct Memory Access to the RAM in your computer, which speeds things up.
This created a lot of problems with cards that were not DMA compatible. CV
Technologies also has a DMA SCSI card called the RamFast. This card has 256K
or 1MB of on-board RAM to make it even faster than Apple's card. It can also
supply terminator power if you drive does not supply it. Both of the new
cards support things like SCSI tape backup units, removable SCSI drives,
SCSI CD-ROM, and of course SCSI hard drives. Both the new cards also require
an Enhanced //e.

Q#86 Tips on setting up a SCSI system:

*You can have multiple drives on one SCSI card, just make sure you remove
the termination on all the drives but the last one. This is because the
newer SCSI cards are terminated (and they count as a SCSI device).
*Always check that the cords are plugged in properly. Never
connect/disconnect anything when the computer is on.
*The computer will boot the hard drive with the highest SCSI ID, which
should be ID 6.
*Try letting the drive 'warm up' for 15 seconds before turning the computer
on. The SCSI cards look for drives only at startup, and may ignore any
drives that are not ready.
*Try turning off DMA. If this helps, you may have a non-DMA compatible
card, such as the early versions of the TransWarp, early versions of the GS
RAM, or any 8-bit accelerator. Alternately, try setting up a RAM disk for
all but 4 MB. Some RAM cards can only do DMA in the first bank.
*Check that each device has a unique ID. Most drives have a thumbwheel on
the back to set the ID. Your SCSI card (yes, it counts too) is probably ID
7. Number your drives from 6 downwards for best compatibility. The IDs have
nothing to do with what slot the card is in.
*Is there a terminator at each end of the SCSI bus? (the DMA cards are
terminated, and some drives are internally terminated.)
*Try the software that came with the card. It may give helpful diagnostic
messages (I.E. the Apple DMA SCSI utilities-- Does it say "No Apple SCSI
card found" or "No SCSI devices found"?)
*Do you get the message "Unable to Load ProDos"? If so, it's booting your
drive but you have no system software on it. Try hitting Control-Reset, then
PR#5 (or PR#6) to boot a floppy. Then install the system software (i.e.
ProDos or GS/OS).
*In extreme cases, try reformatting the drive, repartitioning, and
re-installing the System software.
*If the drive access light blinks in a regular pattern before the computer
is turned on, it is telling you that it has a hardware malfunction. It needs
to be serviced.
*Did you try re-installing the System software? Many times, the data on a
drive will get corrupted if you run the drive with improper terminators or
conflicting SCSI ID's. Sometimes you will not notice the corrupted data
until after you fix the problem. If re-installing the System software helps,
it was probably a software problem, not a hardware problem.
*The Apple HS DMA SCSI card requires an Enhanced //e. It will not work on
the older //e without an Enhancement Kit.
*To really put a drive through it's paces, copy a LOT of stuff from one
partition to another (copy the entire partition if you can). If there is a
problem with DMA or SCSI ID's, it will probably show up as a strange GS/OS
error. (GS only)
*Make sure you do not have the Apple SCSI drivers installed if you have a
RamFast. It may cause random problems (they leave an interrupt handler
dangling if they can't find their card.) (GS only)
*Make sure you are booting the right slot. If the card is in slot 7, you
can set the startup slot to Scan or 7. (GS only)
*If you boot up and only 1 partition shows up, you need to install the SCSI
drivers. (GS only)
*If you boot up and it says "Drive XXX is already on the desktop" over and
over: Probably a SCSI ID problem. (GS only)
*If you add a CD-ROM, drivers are availiable from Trantor Systems LTD, 5415
Randall Place, Fremont, CA 94538 (415)770-1400 (GS only)
*At least one device must supply terminator power to the bus (Pin 26). The
Apple Cards do not supply this, and some drives don't either. Result: The
drive won't be seen by any software.
*Some CMS Platinum drives had pin 40 disconnected for obscure Mac
compatibility reasons. This can cause problems with the Apple IIs.
*Make sure you use the drivers from GS/OS, and not the ones that ship with
the Apple HS SCSI card. (Doesn't apply to RamFast).
*To low-level format an AE Vulcan drive, go into PART.MANAGER, move the
highlight to "format" and type "AE". Then say yes to all the prompts.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CopyLeft 1994 by Dan DeMaggio (dmag@umich.edu)