Re: Some IIgs questions

[Jeff Blakeney <CUTjblakeney@sympatico.ca>]

On 27 Jan 2004 10:19:56 -0800, michaelmaginnis@yahoo.com (Michael
Maginnis) wrote:

>First, file "associations" (for lack of a better word) - it seems some
>(many) of the files on the FocusDrive in my box are not set to open
>with the proper applications.  For example, opening a text-file by
>double-clicking launches the ProDOS 8 BASIC.System, and then I get a
>long list of Syntax Errors as ProDOS attempts to parse the text file;
>if I browse to the same file through the File-Open dialog in Teach or
>AppleWorks (for example), the file opens fine.  Other files,
>especially executables, complain that an application can't be found to
>launch the document.  Maybe I'm misunderstanding something... Is there
>anyway to modify this behavior?

There are several ways to change this behaviour.  One is to edit the
icon file for that file type (if one exists) and change the
application that is associated with it.  This can be more difficult if
the icon is one of the newer resource based ones stored in the
invisible "Desktop" file.

However, the easiest solution to your problem is listed in the
Shortcuts document that is on the System 6.0.1 install disks.  In the
section on the Finder it tells you that you can hold down the Option
key while double clicking a document file and Finder will ask you what
program to open the file with instead of the normal one.  This only
works for that one time and the old program will still be associated
with those types of documents.  However, if you hold down both the
Option and Control keys, then you will be asked what program you want
to be permanently associated with that file type.

>Second, sound "loops" - the systems sounds (system bells, etc) often
>get stuck in endless loops, requiring a cold-boot to clear up.  I
>don't have a sound card or digitizer.  The system continues to
>function, though more response is degraded.  This seems to start
>happening most often, though not always, during a File Open dialogue,
>or when a floppy is inserted into one of the 3.5" drives.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean here.  If the sound seems to
stutter when you use a File Open dialog or when you insert a 3.5"
floppy while in the Finder (or a few other places) then that seems
normal to me.  Whenever dealing with floppies, the IIgs has to put all
its attention into working with the drive so sounds can be interupted
if they need to have the CPU deal with them before they finish
playing.

I've never experienced "looping" of sound, though, so it might be
something else.

One thing that I stopped doing years ago was using the Sound Control
Panel to set up lots of interesting and fun sounds for different
events.  I found that doing that was eating up lots of my memory and
it didn't seem like the CDEV was freeing up the memory it used so I
just stopped using that feature of GS/OS.  I've been meaning to look
into it and possibly fix it or write a replacement program for it but
haven't gotten around to it yet.

>Third, what do I need to do to get my NEC 4x working?  It's currently
>the last device on the chain, and termination is on; device ID is 3,
>though this doesn't seem to matter.  A Zip 100 sits between the CD-ROM
>drive and the Apple HS SCSI card I have installed.  (DMA on the SCSI
>card is off to provide compatibility with the 8Meg Sirius RAM card
>installed).  The Zip works fine, but the CD-ROM drive appears to be
>inaccessible from the Finder.  On powerup of the CD-ROM, it's LCD
>reads "4x" and switches to "1" during the System 6.0.1 boot sequence. 
>Rebooting changes the display back to "4x" until the OS begins to load
>again, so I assume that at least some data is being exchanged.

I believe Ed covered this fine.  Putting the Zip as the last device on
the chain is something I've heard has needed to be done for a long
time.  If the Zip has a switch for turning termination on and off then
you can put it where you want.

>Fourth, every tenth boot or so, the system drops into the monitor
>about half way through loading 6.0.1, and won't boot back up again
>until I've cycled the power.  Could this be a Transwarp instability
>problem?

This could be caused by a number of things but you do have a fairly
loaded system so it could be power related.  It would take some
testing to isolate what exactly the problem here is.

-- 
 Jeff Blakeney - Dean of the Apple II University in the
                 Apple II Community on Syndicomm.com
 CUT the obvious from my address if you want to e-mail me