Re: apple II + boot up

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

xray writes ...
> 
> I have an apple II + that I bought new in about 1981. Recently I
> decided to turn it on and play one or two of my favorite games. The
> machine did not boot fully but went into an error type screen. I was
> able to boot with a program disk inserted into the drive. Does anyone
> have any clue as to what I need to do to get it back to top shape again?
 ....

     There's a good chance that, after so long a time, the computer has a few IC's
and Slot cards which have some 'dirty' contacts. This can cause all sorts of
problems, including crashing into the monitor and various kinds of BASIC and DOS
errors.

     With everything turned OFF, remove the lid and make a note about the
locations of your Slot cards. Blow away any obvious dust.

     Then, pull each Slot card and clean the contacts with isopropyl alcohol--
i.e. alcohol you can get at Walgreens, etc.. If there are any socketed IC's on the
cards, scootch up and resocket each one. The idea is to have the socket contacts
scrape through grime and corrosion and make a fresh connection.

     Next, scootch-up and resocket every socketed IC on the motherboard. If you
find some IC's with super-coroded looking pins, you can remove an IC and lightly
sand the pins with fine sandpaper so long as you are not in a very dry,
static-prone area. Soaking in Tarnex is another way to remove corrosion.

     Whenever you are about to remove an IC, it's a good idea to mark the notched
or dotted end with whiteout as well as the IC's socket in order to avoid replacing
the IC backwards. Also, if you remove more than one IC, be careful to note which
IC goes where.

     Unplug and clean the power supply connector and, then, reconnect it.

     When everything is together again, there's a good chance your II+ will work
like it's supposed to.




Rubywand