Re: Apple IIe boot question

["Chuck Morris" <nospam@nospam.net>]

Bill Garber <willy46pa@comcast.net> wrote in message
SySdnfkVk6IP22ijXTWJjA@comcast.com">news:SySdnfkVk6IP22ijXTWJjA@comcast.com...
>
> Won't an Apple lower than a IIe enhanced boot from
> anything but a 5.25 drive? I have a Liron with UniDisk
> attached but I have to boot to a 5.25 and then type
> "IN#5" to get it to boot it. Also won't boot a hard drive
> without the 5.25 booted first, or with the 5.25 controller
> removed and let it boot to the Basic Prompt. I'm not too
> concerned, just need to know for a doc I'm working on.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Bill @ GarberStreet Enterprises };-)
> Web Site - http://garberstreet.netfirms.com
> Email - willy46pa@comcast.net

I can't speak specifically to the issue of whether or not the Apple II can
boot directly from any specific type of controller/drive combination, but if
it is of any use, I can tell you this much.  From the II+ onward, the II
series machines have had the ability to boot directly thanks to the
autostart rom.  The rom code looks at the slots one at a time until it finds
an expansion card that it recognizes as representing a bootable device, and
then it boots from it.  It starts at slot 7 and works its way downward.  In
my IIe, I have a Sider drive attached to a controller in slot 7, and my 5.25
floppy drives are attached to a controller in slot 6, so the machine boots
from the Sider in slot 7.  If I swapped the controller cards then it would
boot from floppy instead.  Assuming that the controller card for the hard
drive you want to boot from is one that the autostart rom would recognize as
representing a boot device, all you should have to do is to place it into
the highest numbered slot.  Exactly what the autostart rom looks for to
recognize the card is something I don't recall though.  Hope this helps.