Re: GS/OS upgrade advice needed

[nathan@cco.caltech.edu (Nathan Mates)]

In article <4odee3$1q9@earth.alpha.net>,
Ron Higgins <rhiggins@earth.execpc.com> wrote:
>I am about to install GS/OS 6.0.1 on my Apple IIGS at home. It is
>currently running 6.0 just fine, but would like to bring it up to the
>latest and greatest version.

>I plan on taking out the Rev.C SCSI card, and putting in the RamFast
>(Rev.C I think) controller from my old Apple //e. The ROM on the RamFast
>is somewhere in the 2.x range, but I've had no problems with it on my
>Apple //e.

   As long as you have no removable devices on your SCSI chain
(Flopticals, CD-Roms, SyQuest/Zip drives), that rom version should be
fine. With removable drives, please jump to at least 3.0l; the latest
and greatest(?) is 3.01f. ROM updates should be in the $15-25 range
from Alltech [(619) 721-7733] or direct from Sequential Systems [(800)
759-4549].

   In doing the switchover, remember that there's a DIP switch that
must be set for the machine type. The manual for my Rev C system says
that switch #2 _MUST_ be off in a GS, and ON in a //e. Having the
switch in the wrong place would probably be a BAD idea.

   Further, consult your RamFAST manual as to how to get a GS driver
for it. It'll provide a ROMDISK containing a driver that you can copy
to your */SYSTEM/DRIVERS directory, then you can dispose of that
ROMDISK.


>I would appreciate it if someone could let me know what pitfalls to look
>out for, and what patches to the system I'm going to need.
>I'm aware of a patch for HFS, but don't know where to find it, and I
>think I also heard about something in the Font Manager.

   Pointless 2.0.2 and up provide a fix for the Font Manager; if
you've got that installed, things are happy. Otherwise, there's the
free patch I wrote, available from ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu, pub/nathan.

   There's another Font Mgr/Teach/Window Mgr interaction bug that only
comes up with Teach 6.0.1 if you've got a non-empty file, go to
'Choose Font...' and click on the 'Plain' checkbox. I've got a patch
outlined for that, but haven't distributed it yet. [Hint: Email me,
and I'll spend the 10 minutes needed to do that :]

   If you've got a HFS volume >96MB, then the HFS patch is
recommended-- after a backup. What you should do is back up your HFS
partition(s) that are >96MB, install the patch, erase those partitions
and copy back (something like GSHK would be a good choice for the
backup). As to finding the patch, I have a copy in my account, but
apple2.caltech.edu is down for the moment, and ground.isca.uiowa.edu
didn't have the file located where it logically should be. I uploaded
the file to ground, but can email it if desired. HFS volumes under
96MB are apparently unaffected by the bug squashed in the patch.

Nathan Mates

-- 
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~nathan/      <*>
# And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the
# Kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in 
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