Re: Auto-format RAMdisk on boot?

[david@wraith.cs.uow.edu.au (David E A Wilson)]

david@wraith.cs.uow.edu.au (David E A Wilson) writes:
>>> With the slinky-type memory card all that is necessary is to write the boot
>>> code to block zero - this can be done with a little assembly.

>This can be done in about 1 page of assembly code (probably < 100 bytes of
>object) and if step up as a system program with a quit call at the end it
>could be chosen as ProSel's startup program thus automating the process.

I was close - my current version takes 116 bytes.

>I will write this code over the weekend and post it when I get it to work.
>I have ProSel and a Apple slinky card so I can duplicate the original poster's
>configuration to a reasonable degree (I have a //e while he has a //c+).

I have written it and it appears to work. I am posting it to comp.binaries.a2
as an archive with the source and object code. It is written in Merlin assembler
and utilizes one non-standard ProDOS trick. It is installed as ATINIT with a
type of $E2 so that it is run automatically before PROSEL. As the original
user has a //c I think I am on fairly safe ground in assuming that he does not
need Appletalk. Anyway, with the source anyone can add the required code to
execute the next .SYSTEM file.

The program works by using the last disk accessed as the source and doing a
slot scan looking for a RAMdisk smartport controller as a destination and
copying blocks 0 and 1 to the first drive in that slot.

Any errors or no RAMdisk found result in a BRK to the monitor.
-- 
David Wilson				+61 42 213802 voice, +61 42 213262 fax
Dept Comp Sci, Uni of Wollongong	david@cs.uow.edu.au