Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for comp.sys.apple2, part 4

[nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates)]

The usual monthly posting

 This part 4 of 4 of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) posting of the
 comp.sys.apple2 newsgroup. Copyright (c) 1996 by Nathan Mates
 (nathan@visi.com) This document can be freely copied so long as 1) it
 is not sold, 2) any sections reposted elsewhere from it are credited
 back to this FAQ with the FAQ's copyright info and official WWW
 location left in place.
 
 This FAQ is posted on the WWW for 24 hour a day (barring system and/or
 internet malfunctions) availability from
 http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/csa2.html. As I am constantly
 updating and fixing sections of this FAQ, making a link to the
 document over the WWW is preferred-- that way, there aren't obsolete
 versions floating around.
                               
--- Begin part 4 of 4
                                    
Some Common Questions (with answers!) 9/29/96

 Q#52 Can my Apple II connect to the Internet?
 
 A: Short answer: yes, any 80 (maybe even 40) column Apple II with a
 serial card (and almost always a modem) can connect to an Internet
 Service Provider that provides a shell account. (Please note that
 "connect to the internet" is the better term for it; avoid the media's
 popularizing of metaphors related to driving or surfing.)
 
 Longer answer: As of 9/14/96, the only available method is to have a
 serial (modem or null modem) connection to another computer which can
 translate and run stuff on it. Most of the time, this means that you
 will need to find an Internet Service Provider (ISP) which supports a
 plain "shell" connection. (Telling them you have an Apple II will
 likely confuse them; just tell them that a VT-100 shell is what you
 want). For a list of ISPs, try checking local newspaper
 advertisements, or drop by http://www.thelist.com.
 
 This will give you a straight text connection to the internet; no
 fancy graphics. Yes, it's a lot less eye candy, but the advantage is
 that files transfer faster. You can still download files, pictures,
 and the like, and deal with them later. Once you are signed up for a
 shell account, you will need to connect up, usually via modem and
 terminal program. 99% of shell accounts are in unix systems; you
 should talk to the tech support desk of wherever you get your
 connection from for information on how to do items such as email,
 usenet, and the like.
 
 The program 'lynx' runs on unix/vms/etc machines and lets people
 access the World Wide Web and display it on VT-100 terminals. It's not
 on every system by default; if not, ask your sysadmins to install it.
 The default ProTerm setup for VT100 is not too friendly to Lynx-- you
 will need to turn off inverse text for 'bold' and 'underlined' text if
 on. (Consult your manual for information on how to do so).
 Alternatively, when starting Lynx, you may want to start it with the
 "-show_cursor" option. As noted above; you can download graphics to
 your Apple II and view a number of formats-- see the section on
 dealing with graphics for more information.
 
 Connection types more fancy than straight serial, such as SLIP or PPP,
 require a fair amount of programming to do so. Only one package is
 near completion: GS/TCP for the GNO/ME unix-like environment for the
 IIGS. As of 9/14/96, it is NOT completed yet. This FAQ will be updated
 when it is released; please do not email me asking about its status.
 GNO/ME requires 1.5-2MB of RAM and a HD on your GS to use, so you may
 not be able to run it with your current setup. For more information
 from the author, Derek Taubert, see
 http://www.winternet.com/~taubert/gstcp.html
 
 Q#53 What is 8 bit and 16 bit?
 
 A: That indicates how big the chunks of data are that the CPU can
 manipulate at once. The Apple IIGS is a 16 bit machine and all other
 Apple ]['s are 8 bit machines. (It is possible to put a 65802
 (extremely rare nowadays) as a replacement for a 6502 or 65C02, and
 get limited 16 bit functionality, but as the GS has a lot of extra
 chips to support what it does, you still would not be able to run
 99.9% of GS software on such a machine)
 
 Q#54 How can I tell what version my computer is?
 
 A: Look at the case of the computer to determine which Apple II you
 have, then look above (sections #4-10) for that model. The methods of
 determining the versions of each model are integrated into the other
 information for that model.
 
 Q#55 How much RAM is in my Apple II?
 
 A:This is easiest to determine with an Apple IIGS. Go to the text
 control panel by pressing the control, open apple, and escape keys at
 once, then select the RAM Disk option under the Control Panel option.
 Note the 'Largest Selectable' entry, and add 256K to that-- that's how
 much RAM is available to GS programs. (The GS reserves a minumum of
 256K for programs, though pretty much only older Apple II software
 will run in that space). Note that this does not count ram on cards in
 slots 1-7, though you're pretty much limited to only using RAM Disks
 or Appleworks addons in there.
 
 With earlier models of the Apple II, this is a much more difficult
 problem, because any software that wants to take advantage of extra
 RAM has to be written to recognize any RAM past the first 64K of
 memory. [Applesoft BASIC, for example, only cares about the lower 48K
 of RAM unless you use addon packages.] As noted in the sections on
 Apple II models above, the system has a default of anywhere from
 4K-128K built in. The extremely common 'Extended 80-column card' for
 the //e added 64K to the //e's default 64K.
 
 Most Apple II RAM cards did come with a diagnostic disk and possibly
 patcher programs to allow them to determine how much RAM is in the
 system, as well as allowing programs like Appleworks access to the
 extra RAM. If you suspect you have more than the defaults, but can't
 be sure, asking on comp.sys.apple2 is probably the best bet.
 
 Q#56 Can I use High Density disks on my double density Apple II
 drives?
 
 A: Only if you don't care about what's written to them. Basically, the
 magnetic properties of High Density disk media is different, and
 though you may be able to write to them and immediately read it back,
 after a few months, odds are pretty good that the disk is unreadable.
 In short, I strongly recommend not using anything other than Double
 Sided, Double Density (DSDD) disks in Apple II 140K 5.25" drives.
 
 Some people report that they have successfully used HD 3.5" disks in
 their 800K drives without problems, while others have had some
 problems. Use them with some caution; as with everything else, making
 sure that there are adequate backups of all files you care about is a
 good insurance plan in case of any problems.
 
 Of course, should you have a high density drive (1.2MB 5.25" or 1.44MB
 3.5"), then use high density disks in it. Although the local computer
 store may not carry DSDD disks, many national mailorder places do
 carry them. Check them out.
 
 Q#57 Why do partitions have a maximum size of 32MB?
 
 A: ProDOS, the usual choice for Apple II disks (Hard Drives, CD-ROMs,
 etc), is limited to 32MB per partition. It would require rewriting
 large chunks to get it to work with larger partitions. Just use the
 partitioning tools (included with the SCSI card or the like) to make
 several 32MB partitions.
 
 If you have a GS with System 6.0, you can install the HFS FST (you
 must do a customized install, not the Easy Update), which lets you
 have partitions larger than 32MB. The System 6.0.1 HFS FST should have
 the patch applied to it before it is used with volumes larger than
 96MB, but I (Nathan Mates) have had volumes smaller than 96MB
 corrupted and don't really trust the HFS FST. (See the System 6.0
 Minifaq in this FAQ for details on where to download the patch.
 
 The differences between HFS and ProDOS are as follows:
 
 ProDOS partitions: Limited to 32MB, your boot (first) partition MUST
 be a ProDOS volume. Disk integrity checkers exist (ProSEL by Charlie's
 Appleseeds, Salvation by Vitesse) to make sure your disk remains
 uncorrupted as possible.
 
 HFS partitions: Requires GS/OS System 6.0 or higher, and therefore
 1.5MB RAM. You can not boot a HFS disk on an Apple II. Maximum volume
 size is either 2 or 4 gigabytes (pretty darn big either way). System
 6.0.1's default HFS FST has bugs that are know to corrupt disks >96MB;
 even with the Apple-approved patches it may not be stable. The only
 way to verify that a partition is uncorrupted is to take the HD to a
 Mac and run Apple's Disk First Aid or Norton Utilities on it-- no GS
 HFS disk verification programs exist.
 
 Keeping good backups of your files is a real lifesaver when problems
 happen, no matter what filesystem they're saved to.
 
 As a side note, DOS 3.3 volumes are limited to 400K each; my having
 multiple 400K volumes per disk (same theory as multiple 32MB
 partitions on a HD), patched DOS 3.3s can access up to approx 100MB
 (254 volumes * 400K each) at once. Such patches are not really
 available to the general public to my knowledge, however. There were a
 few DOS 3.3 patches that let them use 2 400K volumes on a 800K drive,
 though I've never used them.
 
 Q#58 How do I convert from an Appleworks file to a text file without
 formatting codes?
 
 Appleworks lets you 'Print' to a file on disk-- hit Open-Apple-P, and
 select "A file on disk." That should do a reasonable job of
 translating the Appleworks file into text without formatting such as
 boldface and italic, but leaves in the centering.
 
 Others have reported that setting up a special printer entry can yield
 slightly better results. (The exact procedure for that depends on the
 version (1-5) of Appleworks. Consult your manual for more
 information.) Make a new printer, which is identified as a 'Silentype'
 printer, but prints to disk. Make sure the printer interface code is
 empty.
 
 Q#59 What programming languages are available for the Apple ][?
 
 A: Larry W. Virden (lvirden@cas.org) maintains The Apple II
 Programmer's Catalog of Languages and Toolkits. It's archived on
 several FTP and HTTP sites.
 
 http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/langs.html
 
 Q#60 Can I install DOS 3.3 stuff on my hard drive?
 
 A: This mostly depends on what you're trying to do. As noted in the
 section on HD partitions above, DOS 3.3 volumes are limited to 400K
 each. Thus, they can be highly inconviencing trying to put those on a
 regular HD. (And no publically available software really exists to do
 that)
 
 A far better solution is to use DOS 3.3 Launcher. It lets you copy
 unprotected DOS 3.3 140K disks to your hard drive, and run DOS 3.3
 under ProDOS. Such functionality does have some requirements, though:
 programs must only use 48K of RAM (the upper 16K is reserved for
 ProDOS, which is running at the same time), not do any copy protection
 or disk hackery, and generally behave themselves. DOS 3.3 Launcher is
 available from the normal Apple II ftp sites.
 
 Q#61 Can I connect my Apple II to an Appletalk or Ethernet network?
 
 A: Appletalk support is pretty much available for the //e and GS only;
 the functionality never made it into the //c or IIc+ models. There is
 no publically available Ethernet setup for any Apple II model. There
 are also rumors of an independently designed Ethernet board, but it's
 not released.
 
 To get Appletalk running on a //e, you will need a //e Workstation
 card, which provides an Appletalk port, and the associated software,
 which is bundled with it. That way, you can connect to an Appletalk
 network and use shared drives and/or printers.
 
 From a GS, Appletalk is slightly more complex in terms of deciding
 which slots you want to dedicate to it. In a ROM 01, Appletalk
 requires turning slot 7 to 'Appletalk' (use the control panel,
 accessible by pressing Control-Open Apple-Escape), and either one of
 slots 1 or 2 set to 'Your Card'. If you have something in slot 7 that
 you care about (usually a hard drive controller), what you can do is
 move that card to slot 1 or 2, and set the boot slot to 1 or 2. A ROM
 3 is simpler-- set one of slots 1 or 2 to Appletalk. The Appletalk
 cable plus into the back of your GS in the printer port (ROM 1 if slot
 1 is 'Your Card', ROM 3 if slot 1 is Appletalk) or the modem port
 (slot 2 is Your card/Appletalk).
 
 (Apple designed and made an ethernet card to be released at about the
 same time as GS/OS 6.0.1, but canned the project when they decided to
 try and write off Apple IIs as a bad memory, and shoved the cards
 produced in a warehouse or worse. Fewer than five of these cards are
 known to be owned by people outside of Apple. That's very stupid,
 considering Apple could have made a nice profit on those things. Don't
 ask me where to get one of those; I don't know, and if I did, I'd get
 one for myself before telling any of you-- Nathan :)
 
 There are a number of SCSI - Ethernet transcievers available for Macs
 and the like, but they are EXTEMELY unlikely to work at all on the GS.
 Essentially, the RamFAST SCSI card does not support interrupts or
 devices feeding it data. In addition, all of these transcievers use
 proprietary (and info is not publically available) protocols.
 
 Q#62 Ok, I'm on Appletalk. What can I do now?
 
 A: Share printers and files. While this is not intended to be a
 substitute for reading the manuals, it can be done. File sharing
 requires a Mac running either System 7's personal filesharing or a
 Appleshare running off a Macintosh. Please note that booting an
 Appletalked Apple II off a server requires a Mac running Appleshare
 2.x or 3.x (very pricey, unless you could find a used version; 4.x
 removed Apple II boot support). Starting a GS with a minimal system
 disk and running all applications over Appletalk is much more
 possible.
 
 Q#63 Is there any form of Unix that I can use on my Apple II?
 
 A: Yes, a pretty good commercial variant exists, but only for the GS:
 Procyon's GNO/ME. See
 http://www.hypermall.com/companies/procyon/gnome.html for more info,
 including pricing. Since the GS (nor any other A2 model) doesn't have
 any forms of memory protection or virtual memory, and the 65816 is
 limited to a maximum of 64K of stack space, programs that assume they
 can use whatever amounts of ram they want (gcc, X Windows, etc) can't
 be run at all.
 
 Q#64 Can I generate Postscript from my Apple II?
 
 A: The GS most certainly can with the right software; certain packages
 like Publish-It (at least versions 3 and 4; maybe also earlier
 versions as well) for the //e or //c also have such functionality. [I
 believe that maybe the Springboard Publisher can do that also; more
 info would be appreciated]
 
 To print to a postscript file on the GS with any program that follows
 the GS's methods for printing (Print Shop GS and pretty much all
 non-GS programs won't work), install the Laserwriter driver to System
 6.0 or 6.0.1. You do not need to have a Laserwriter; just install the
 driver. [This will install Appletalk as well; to avoid the annoying
 message about Appletalk not being available at boot, disable the
 'SCC.Manager' file in the drivers folder inside the system folder on
 your boot disk.]
 
 Once this is done, select the Laserwriter as your printer driver.
 Select 'Print' from within a GS application, and at the standard
 dialog which appears, do not press return to print. Instead, hold down
 the Open Apple and 'f' keys while you click on the 'OK' button with
 the mouse. That will force a print to disk. The resulting postscript
 file is saved to the Drivers folder inside the system folder on your
 boot disk with the name 'Postscript.GSxx', with 'xx' being a 2-digit
 number that starts at 00. You can then take the postscript file to
 another system and view or print it.
 
 Note that this Laserwriter driver does not properly handle Truetype
 fonts in documents (which requires 'Pointless' from Westcode
 Software), so you may want to use only the fonts your postscript
 printer knows. [Those lists vary; everything knows Times, Courier and
 a few more, but check your printer's manual for info on what it
 supports.]
 
 Q#65 How do you copy from a 5.25" disk to 3.5" disk?
 
 A: ProDOS has no problems with this, as long as you copy by files.
 Note that ProDOS can only have 51 files in the main directory. If you
 try to exceed that, it will give you a cryptic 'Disk Full' error. If
 there really is space left on the disk, you can copy all the files
 into a subdirectory to get around the 51-file limit. In theory, you
 can put an unlimited number of files in a Subdirectory, but in
 practice, you should limit them to a few hundred.
 
   _________________________________________________________________
                                    
Strange problems:

 Q#66 How do I get out of Basic (that little "]" prompt and cursor?
 
 A: Type the word "BYE" and press return. For more information, the
 Apple manual 'A Touch of BASIC' should cover that and more.
 
 Q#67 What are the problems with GSCII?
 
 A: GSCII is a great program, but has two subtle problems: First, it
 won't work correctly if you extract to a HFS disk (so extract to a
 ProDOS disk). Also, it won't set the size correctly on S16 files. This
 should only be a problem when downloading Shrinkit GS. In that case,
 use BINSCII. The rest of the time you will be extracting .SHK files,
 which don't care about extra bytes at the end.
 
 Q#68 AppleWorks won't print to my printer. What gives?
 
 A: AppleWorks will refuse to print to a slot that has a disk device.
 In the past, this worked well because if you try to print to a slot
 that has a disk controller in it, you will re-boot. But now, this can
 cause problems when a disk device is 'mapped' into your printer slot
 (due to a limitation in ProDOS, you can only have 2 drives per slot.
 Extra partitions on your hard drive will be re-mapped to other slots).
 If you have a RamFast, you can re-map the drives to different slots.
 Otherwise, (for AW 3.0) use this patch:
 
POKE 768,128: POKE 769,10
BSAVE APLWORKS.SYSTEM,TSYS,A$300,L2,B$AE3

 If you didn't understand that, e-mail me, or look into John Link's
 SuperPatch program, which includes many more patches.
 
 Q#69 My GS control panel keeps resetting to the defaults and/or
 forgetting the date-- the battery is dead.
 
 A: It's probably your battery. If you have a ROM 03 GS, can you just
 pop it out an get another. On the ROM 01, you will need a Slide-On
 Battery Replacement Kit from Night Owl Productions. See address in
 'Resources' section.
 
 Q#70 I'm getting Error XXXX or YY. What's it mean?
 
 A: Some common errors and their cause:
 
 A larger list of all error messages, but not always the best
 description of the cause is at
 http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/gserrors.html.
ProDOS Errors:
UNABLE TO LOAD PRODOS   - You can't boot a disk unless it has ProDOS and a
                        something.SYSTEM file on it (Pre-1.9 ProDOS)
$27    I/O Error. Possibly a bad disk?  Verify it with Prosel or Copy II Plus
$44    Path not found (You gave an invalid directory name)
$45    Volume not found (you didn't type in the right disk name)
$46    File not found (you didn't type a valid filename)
GS/OS errors:
0201   Out of memory
0911   Either your GS is overheating, or the ADB port is having problems
0301   Bad TransWarp
0308   (Also see 8021) Something has trashed critical parts of memory
11xx   GS/OS could not successfully load an application or program
8020   Either random TransWarp, or SCSI (try using different SCSI connector)
8021   If you get this at random times and you have a HS Apple SCSI, it's
     probably a version conflict. Install the SCSI drivers from your GS/OS
     disk, not your HS Apple SCSI disk.

 Q#71 Why does my Apple II lose characters when I'm using the modem?
 
 A: Check the following: 1) Your software may need interrupts enabled.
 Examine DIP Switch 2-6 on your Super Serial Card. 2) If you have an
 unenhanced //e, you need to enhance your //e. 3) If you have a //c, it
 may be one of the ones that had a serial port problem. Talk to your
 dealer about upgrading it for 2400 baud support. Also, to use a modem
 faster than 9600 on a GS pretty much requires a 'Hardware Handshaking'
 cable, not a cheap one.
 
 Q#72 Where do I get support for AE boards now that they are closed?
 
 A: Bruce BABB, ex-AE bench tech, is offering support out of his home
 for customer support of AE's boards. He also hints that another
 company is opening that will sell many of the Apple II products the AE
 made. You can reach Bruce via Email at 76004.1575@compuserve.com
 
 Q#73 Is there a QWK reader for the Apple //e?
 
 A: Yes, it's called 2qwk!. To use 2qwk! you must patch ProDOS to allow
 filenames sent by MS-DOS machines. The Apple II version is now
 available via ftp from ground and caltech.
 
Q#74 I've got a problem. How do I troubleshoot it?

   * Asking others for help is fine, but if you do, please provide the
     following information. (And the act of finding out this
     information may help you find the cause on your own)
       1. Is it reproducible? One system crash that happened out of the
          blue and never reoccurred is almost impossible to track down
          and fix.
       2. When did the fault appear? During boot? After a fixed amount
          of time? Whenever you do X in program Y?
       3. Any and ALL error messages reported by the system. Copy them
          down and repeat them exactly; saying "it gave an error" is
          not useful.
       4. How dead the system is. Does the mouse still work, but clicks
          do nothing? Does it do anything at all?
       5. System configuration. What cards in what slots, how much RAM,
          which SCSI controller and rom version (if applicable), what
          size HD, etc.
   * If you have just purchased a bunch of new hardware and/or
     software, 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.)
   * If you have an enhanced //e, //c, IIc+, or GS, 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.' If you run into a problem, please see the next section
     on self test errors and what they mean.
   * 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.
   * 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 backup and store the
     write-protected original in a safe place.
   * Be sure to keep your disks away from stray magnetic fields, such
     as those 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. (This is
     actually rare; the one consistent thing accelerators have problems
     is the GS's self test)
   * Check all your cable connections. Do not disconnect or connect any
     cables with the computer on-- this includes disk/hard drives,
     keyboards, mice, etc.
   * 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 with
     the program.
   * 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.
   * Verify your disk(s) with Copy ][+ or the Finder to see if you have
     any bad blocks. A better choice is ProSEL, which provides a
     comprensive set of disk verification and fixing errors.
   * On a GS, check your control panel (control-open-apple-escape)
     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.
   * On a GS, try take out or disable your INITS, CDAs, NDAs, and
     CDEVS. (With System 6, just hold down the shift key while
     booting). If the system is fine when shiftbooted, then there is
     probably a conflict between some of them. Try manually disabling a
     few at a time, and seeing if the problem disappears. You can
     narrow down a problem to an init or few that way.
   * If you have a hard disk, try booting from a System Disk and/or
     reinstalling the latest system software. Using the installer that
     came with the system software the the best and safest way to
     install system software; hand installing parts can cause problems.
   * AppleWorks GS 1.1 comes with a memory tester (try it).
   * The TransWarp GS has a continuous test on the CDA (try it too).
     
Q#75 My GS reported a problem with the Self Test. What do the numbers mean?

 The full list with explanations of these codes are available from
 Apple at ftp://ftp.apple.com/dts/aii/tn/iigs/tn-iigs-095. In short,
 the error code should be an 8-digit number in the form AABBCCDD. Look
 at the AA number, and check the following table:
 
 01: Failed checksum in motherboard RAM/ROM.
 02: Failed ram on motherboard.
 03: Failed softswitch and register test.
 04: Failed RAM address test
 05: Failed Speed test
 06: Failed serial port test
 07: Failed clock test
 08: Failed Battery RAM test
 09: Failed Apple Desktop Bus (ADB- usually keyboards & mice) test
 0A: Failed shadow register test
 0B: Failed interrupts test
 0C: Failed Sound test
 
 Please note that with a Zip GS in the system, the system will always
 report an error, even if none exists. You will get an 05xxxxxx if DIP
 switch 1-4 is ON, but if that's off, you're likely to get 0Bxxxxxx
 (not on all Zips) or 0Cxxxxxx errors. If you suspect a real problem,
 then you can either switch off the Zip (1-6 off), or remove the Zip
 from the system and try with the normal processor. Do all
 modifications to DIP switches or cards in general with the computer
 off, as usual.
 
Q#76 My Apple II goes into a self test or reboots when I turn it on.

 Try unplugging any joysticks, paddles, or anything else plugged into
 the back joystick port or the internal game port. Since the primary
 and secondary joystick buttons appear the same to the system as the
 open and closed (option on the GS) apple buttons, if your joystick's
 buttons are misreported as down, the system can assume you're trying
 to continually do a self test. If your system works without the
 joystick plugged in, your joystick is defective.
 
 This is a general rule of thumb for troubleshooting, as noted above.
 Pull out EVERYTHING not needed for the problem (go down to computer,
 monitor, and optionally the keyboard for the base problems), and
 slowly add components until the problem reappears. When it does,
 you've isolated the problem. [As usual, only plug or unplug devices
 with the power off.]
 
Q#77 My Hard Drive (or other disk) crashed! What do I do?

 If you have adequate backups, reformat it, and copy the data back. If
 you don't have backups, this would be a good time to start praying.
 Dead disk recovery is a delicate art at best; be forewarned that there
 is a good chance that some to all data will be lost.
 
 Reminder: Keep good backups of any files you care about!
 
 There are two commercial programs that can do a decent job at
 recovering as much as possible from a ProDOS disk: ProSEL (8 and 16
 bit versions published by Charlie's Appleseeds) and Salvation:
 Deliverance (published by Vitesse). ProSEL-8 is the only package that
 runs on non-GS Apple IIs, so it may be your only choice. ProSEL-16 and
 Salvation both require GSs.
 
 Refer to their manuals for the specifics on how to attempt volume
 restoration with them, though from what I've heard, they have a much
 better chance of restoring files in subdirectories, not the top-level
 directory. Thus, it may be prudent to store important files in
 subdirectories so that they can restored later. [With a limit of 51
 files in the top directory, you'll be forced into using subdirectories
 sooner or later on hard drives.]
 
 If you managed to repartition or erase your drive, at least with
 ProSEL (and possibly also Salvation, though I have not used that or
 heard from any owners), you have a decent chance of restoring most
 files if you repartitioned it EXACTLY as it used to be partitioned:
 same partition sizes in the same order. Do NOT reformat the drive or
 partitions-- that'll write to all disk blocks, which will make
 recovery essentially impossible. Then, run ProSEL on it and tell it
 not to assume a valid volume bitmap for each partition. You'll
 probably lose files in the root directory, but it's a better than
 nothing.
 
   _________________________________________________________________
                                    
GS System 6.0 mini-FAQ

Q#78 Where can I get System 6, and what fixes are there for the known bugs in
it?

 First off, if you don't have it on your GS, you may want to consider
 upgrading to System 6.0.1. Although you may be able to get it to boot
 in less RAM, 1.25MB of RAM is pretty much a minimum; 1.5-2MB RAM is
 recommended if you want to run a lot of the fun addons. Secondly, an
 800K floppy is rather cramped for space as a boot disk; a Hard Drive
 helps immensely. (If you're looking to strip a boot disk down to get
 as much space as possible, please see
 http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/mini.601.html.)
 
 System 6.0.1 has a number of bugfixes and small addons from System
 6.0; they both have similar RAM requirements, so you should consider
 moving to System 6.0.1 if at all possible. Also, many problems that
 existed in System 6.0 and 6.0.1 have only been fixed in patches to
 System 6.0.1, such as the HFS FST and programs that GUPP fixes. (See
 below)
 
 Next, you'll want to download them. On the internet, they're available
 from Apple's FTP site at ftp://ftp.apple.com/dts/aii/sys.soft. There
 are 6 disks to either System 6.0 or System 6.0.1; you should download
 and unpack them (with Binscii and Shrinkit. Then, boot the Install
 disk.
 
 When unpacking the .BSQ files from Apple's FTP site without a hard
 drive, you'll notice that some of the disks can be larger than 800K,
 even when partially unpacked. Creating a Ramdisk from the control
 panel greater than 800K will let you unpack these big disks without
 any problems. (Remember to kill off that ramdisk before trying to run
 GS/OS if you have less than 1.5MB of RAM)
 
Q#79 Common Problems

 If you are still using System 6.0, it is recommended that you upgrade
 to the latest and greatest version, 6.0.1. It is available at Apple's
 FTP site (see section for the address).
 
 The HFS (Macintosh) FST (File system translator) included with System
 6.0.1 does contain at least one bug. If you have a HFS volume of 96MB
 or larger, it is strongly encouraged that you download and install the
 patch. (You'll need to copy all the files off to non-HFS volumes,
 install, and copy back for safety). The patch is available from
 ftp://apple2.caltech.edu/pub/apple2/addons/patches/patchhfs.shk
 
 I (Nathan Mates) have had HFS volumes If you care about your files,
 make sure you have backups!
 
 Despite the hard work of the Apple Computer programmers, some bugs
 slipped through in System 6.0.1. Both as a recommendation for system
 stability, and as a plug for a program of his, Nathan Mates
 (maintainer of this FAQ) has found and fixed a number of them. Get the
 free program 'GUPP' (Grand Unified Patch Program) from a major Apple
 II FTP site, or directly from Nathan's ftp site for his programs:
 ftp://ftp.ucgs.caltech.edu/pub/nathan
 
 Copy ][+ may be a great program for making the one personal backup
 copy of a piece of software that you are legally entitled to, but its
 file copy, delete, and directory sorting functions will corrupt a disk
 when used on a directory with GS/OS 'forked' files. (Pretty much all
 of the system software is forked, as are most GS applications). Do NOT
 use it on disks or HD partitions with such files. ProSEL 8 or 16 can
 repair some of the damage done, and provide safe disk and file
 utilities.
 
 If the mouse cursor wipes out everything it moves over, you may have a
 software conflict with Closeview. To deactivate it, from within the
 Finder, open the 'System' folder on your boot disk, then the
 'System.Setup' folder. Find the icon named 'Closeview', and click once
 on it. Then, from the 'Special' menu, choose 'Icon Info...'. A window
 will open up, with a check box for 'Inactive' in the top right. After
 setting it to inactive, reboot. You can do the same thing for any
 other Desk Accessory, Control Panel (CDev), or Init (in the
 System.Setup folder, should you decide not to want to run it.
 
 Easy Access also can and does cause lockups with programs, especially
 on the ROM 01. Deactivate it just like you did with the Closeview
 program; it's in the same folder.
 
 Missing features of system 6? Perhaps you just used easy install,
 which doesn't install all the bells and whistles. Try clicking on the
 'Custom' install (versus the easy install) in the Sys 6.0 installer
 and add the nifty things like Calculator, Find File, HFS FST, etc. You
 can also read the Shortcuts file on the 'SystemTools2' disk for some
 great keyboard shortcuts.
 
 Finder 6.0 icons that match by name and have a leading wildcard
 require uppercase letters. For example, a name like "*.txt" never
 matches, but "*.TXT" works fine (it matches regardless of a file's
 actual capitalization). (This was accidental; the 5.0.4 Finder did not
 care about capitalization in icon files.)
 
 Two misconceptions about System 6: The A2.RAMCARD is not for the GS's
 /RAM5. It only works with "slinky" (i.e. standard slot) cards. Also,
 the DOS 3.3 FST has nothing to do with MS-DOS.
 
Q#80 Tips & Hints

 The AppleShare logon programs have always looked for a folder named
 "Mail" inside your user folder whenever you log onto a user volume. If
 there's any items in there, they present a dialog that says "You have
 mail." With the Sounds control panel, you can make it play a sound of
 your choice then.
 
 If you don't want to see your icons on boot, set bit 1 (i.e. the 2nd
 LSB) of BRAM Location $5F. Be sure not to mess with the other bits.
 Use the toolbox calls!
 
 The FinderExtras folder goes in the same folder as the Finder
 (generally the System folder).
 
 If you don't like yellow folders in the Finder you can change the byte
 at offset +65 in the Finder resource with type $C001 and ID 1. Change
 the $E0 to whatever you want (the first digit is the default folder
 foreground color, and the low nibble is for the outline color). Only
 folders that do not already have a color recorded in a Finder.Data
 file get the default color.
 
Q#81 If you have a RamFAST

 The RamFast and ProDOS 2.0.1 both try to do re-mapping of drives to
 unused slots. This can cause problems, mostly when launching and
 returning from ProDOS 8 applications (crashes or wants you to insert
 disk). Solution: Configure the RamFast not to re-map. If you have a
 RamFAST with a ROM revision less than 2.01a, you need to get a newer
 ROM from CVT. Otherwise, V2.01c allows setting Slot Priority
 Allocations to 0 which will let ProDOS deal with them. V3.0 allows you
 to choose between RamFast mapping (works now) and ProDOS 8 mapping. If
 you can't wait, you can Patch ProDOS 2.0 not to re-map slots. Look for
 "10 BF C9 A5 D0 07" and change the $A5 to $00 (should be byte $1A3 in
 the 5th block of the file). Hack at your own risk.
 
Q#82 If you have a Vulcan or AE High Density disk

 Due to problems with the Vulcan, when booting, it asks for your System
 Disk. Just put the Vulcan driver on your boot disk, boot it, and then
 launch the installer. Alternately, put the driver on the installer
 disk and boot it. (but you have to delete some of the installer
 scripts first) For the AE High Density Drive, be sure to remove
 Apple's 3.5" driver when putting on AE's.
 
Q#83 If you have ProSel as your program launcher

 Rename start to something else before running the installer, or else
 the Finder won't be installed. Also, ProSEL as a launcher will cause a
 bogus $0040 error on some programs such as the first DOTW release.
 
Q#84 If you have an AMR 3.5" drive

 If the computer hangs (mostly at the Standard File Save/Open dialog
 box) with no disk in the drive, try putting one in. What's happening
 is that GS is reading the status from the drive, and the drive won't
 return anything unless there is a disk in the drive. Just stick a disk
 in and all will be fine. If it really annoys you, either deactivate
 the 3.5" driver (get IR so you can double-click to re-activate it) or
 simply keep a disk in the drive at all times. This is not a problem
 under ProDOS 8.
 
Q#85 GSCII+ & HFS Note

 There is a problem with the HFS FST, but only GSCII seems to be
 affected. When de-binscii-ing files, put the output onto a ProDOS
 volume, not an HFS one.
 
 [ Mega-thanks to Dave Lyons & friends for these. ]
 
   _________________________________________________________________
                                    
Resources for the Apple II 8/31/96

 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.
 
 Nathan Mates has a set of WWW pages with all sorts of online
 resources, more Apple II FAQs and more; visit
 http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/index.html
 
Q#86 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 used to be a group devoted
 to that wonder program, AppleWorks. Joe Kohn and SSII have taken over
 distribution of their materials; see
 http://www.crl.com/~joko/naug.html
 
Q#87 Getting Parts & Software

 There is a larger set of lists with more WWW links available at Nathan
 Mates's set of Apple II Companies pages at
 http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/com/index.html. The following list is
 in alphabetical order by company name; no guarantees are made about
 the suitability of products listed.
 
 Alltech Electronics (http://www.allelec.com/, 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
 
 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..)
 
 The ARC (Apple Resource Center, http://www.thearc.com, (209) 832-4300,
 FAX (209) 832-3270, Orders (800) 753-0114, thearc@thearc.com, 1014
 Central Avenue
 Tracy, CA 95376, U.S.A.) has a number of replacement parts for Apple
 II items as well as some repair facilities.
 
 The Byte Works ( http://www.hypermall.com/byteworks/index.html) is
 still selling Apple IIGS assemblers, compilers, and utility programs
 such as a spreadsheet and a morphing program.
 
 Chuck Orem used to distribute a 5.25" disk with modem utilities, 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). Steve Cavanaugh (stevec1021@aol.com) has now taken over this
 service. Send $3 to cover postage and materials to Steve Cavanaugh, 8
 Ardsley Street, Brockton, MA 02402.
 
 Charlie's Appleseeds (619) 566-1297, sells ProSEL-8 and ProSEL-16,
 which includes disk fixing utilities for ProDOS disks.
 
 Compu-Teach Educational Software ( http://www.wolfenet.com/~cmpteach),
 1-800-448-3224, still sells various Apple II educational software
 titles.
 
 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
 
 Digisoft Innovations (digisoft@hypermall.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. They also have published
 Twilight II, a screen saver for the IIGS.
 
 The 'Duncan Institute' has a large library of educational software for
 Apple IIs; their web site is http://www.gate.net/~duncanin
 
 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.]
 
 Educational Resources (800-624-2926) sells educational programs for
 the II.
 
 EGO Systems ( http://www.hypermall.com/ego, (423-843-1775), our Fax
 line (423-843-0661) or via e-mail to diz@chattanooga.net), which has
 discontinued their GS+ Magazine, is still in business selling various
 Apple II hardware and software items
 
 Marin Macroworks, 1675 Grand Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901-2211
 
 MECC (800-685-MECC) is a well-known educational software shop.
 
 M&M Software has a large collection of mainly educational software for
 the Apple II, Macintosh, DOS and Windows. Their web site is at
 http://www.mm-soft.com; 800-642-6162, M&M Software, P.O. Box 15769,
 Long Beach, CA 90815
 
 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.
 
 Redmond cable (206-882-2009) makes and sells all sorts of custom
 cables.
 
 Scantron Quality Computers, http://www.sqc.net, (800-777-3642 or
 810-774-7200, 810-774-7740 Tech Support, 810-774-2698 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 5.0! To get a QC catalog and
 a free subscription to Enhance, just call! Contact QC (on GEnie),
 QualityCom (on AOL) or sales@sqc.net.
 
 Sequential Systems ( http://www.sequential.com, 800-759-4549 or
 303-666-4549, 800-999-1717 tech, 303-666-7797 BBS) has many products,
 including GS software that reads some (but not all) multimedia
 CD-ROMs, VGA display, Memory, SCSI, and other boards for Apple IIs.
 Contact inquiries@sequential.com
 
 Seven Hills Solution Specialist (1254 Ocala Road, Tallahassee, FL
 32304) publishes Graphic Writer III (GS Desktop Publishing) and
 Spectrum (GS Desktop Telecom program), among other programs.
 
 Shreve Systems ( http://www.shrevesystems.com/welcome.html has some
 Apple II parts, reconditioned, and other stuff
 
 Sun Remarketing, http://www.sunrem.com (800-821-3221) also sells used
 Apples parts and books.
 
 Vitesse, authors of the Harmonie series of printer drivers, can be
 reached at 248 North Orange Ave. West Covina, CA 91790-2018
 (818)813-1270 (818)813-1273 (FAX).
 
 Washington Apple Pi ( http://www.wap.org, 301/984-0300, BBS
 (301/984-4070 [12 lines, 9600 and up] and 984-4066 for the 2 line at
 2400), info@tcs.wap.org) 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 or at
 the email address above.
 
Q#88 Fun hardware add-ons

 SSH Systems, http://users.ids.net/~kerwood/shh.html (Write to: SHH
 SYSTEME, Dipl. Ing. Joachim Lange, Bergstrasse 95, 82131 Stockdorf,
 Germany) is selling a card, the Bluedisk, for your Apple that will
 allow you to use cheap IBM drives for storage. Price is around $100.
 Contact jlange@tasha.muc.de.
 
 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.
 
 Lightning Systems, (414) 363-4282 BBS, P.O. Box 4, Mukwonago, WI
 53149-0004 sells a 'Turbo ASP' addon to the Super Serial Card which
 lets it communicate at up to 230,400bps.
 
 Various companies sell cables for the Apple //c; check out Atlaz
 Computer Supply (516-239-1854) or LYBEN Computer Systems at (800)
 493-5777
 
 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#89 Periodicals & Books

 Steve Cavanaugh, ( http://users.aol.com/newblossom/, 8 Ardley Street,
 Brockton, MA 02402), publishes The Apple Blossom, "bimonthly
 newsletter reviewing new hardware and software for the Apple II
 computer as well as presenting original how-to articles and
 interviews."
 
 Howard Katz publishes the 'Appleworks Gazette'. 1104 Lorlyn Circle #
 2D Batavia, IL 60510.
 
 Adam Barr (barr@railnet.nshore.org) and Cindy Field (former InCider/A+
 editor) thought about starting a new (email) Apple II newsletter, but
 nothing apparently ever came of that.
 
 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.
 
 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.
 
 Juiced.GS is another Apple II newsletter started by Max Jones. As of
 9/4/96, a 1-year's subscription is $14. For more information, email
 Max at m.jones145@genie.com, or write to him at Max Jones, Juiced.GS,
 2217 Lakeview Drive, Sullivan IN 47882.
 
 Scantron Quality Computers (previously mentioned above) also publishes
 periodicals, such as II Alive
 
 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
 check out his WWW homepage at http://www.crl.com/~joko/ssii.html
 
 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 no longer published, but you may still be
 able to purchase back issues on 5.25" or 3.5" disks. Softdisk GS is
 available only on 3.5" disks. See http://www.softdisk.com
 
 Kingwood Micro Software publishes Texas II, a newsletter and disk for
 users of AppleWorks. 2503 Sherbrook Lane McKinney, Texas 75075.
 
Q#90 Misc Resources

 If you need a IIc upgrade, it used to be free, but that has expired.
 Try a few Apple dealers or call Apple to seek help. The number is
 1-800-767-2775 (SOS-APPL).
 
 Sequential Systems ( http://www.sequential.com, 800-759-4549 or
 303-666-4549, 800-999-1717 tech, 303-666-7797 BBS) 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              mhackett@alpha.vaxxine.com
 London, Ontario  N5Y 2N8
 Canada


   _________________________________________________________________
                                    
   Email suggestions to nathan@visi.com. As always, let me know of any
   mistakes, updates, corrections, additions, etc.
   
 There are a lot more questions with answers not included directly in
 this FAQ; please see http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq for more of
 them.
 
 Copyright 1996 by Nathan Mates ( Nathan Mates)

--- End Part 3 of 4
--
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/      <*>
# What are the facts? Again and again and again-- what are the _facts_?
# Shun wishful thinking, avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors
# think-- what are the facts, and to how many decimal places?  -R.A. Heinlein