Re: Trackstar 128 Problems - Please Help

["Robert L. Doerr" <rdoerr@bizserve.com>]

Are you using a low-density 360K drive or a 1.2M Hi-Density drive?  The 360 drive
uses 40 tracks and is the one I use with mine.  You might have a problem with the
Hi-Density version that was installed in most 286 and above machines.  I also have
a monitor attached directly to the Trackstar card.  You can get old CGA or Monochrome
monitors for next to nothing these days.

Another thing you might run into on newer systems is that the Bus Speed of the PC
is too fast.  Some machines will let you change that setting in the BIOS setup
program.

Mine is installed in an old XT and works great.  I have an external Apple drive connected
which is required to run some copy protected programs since the IBM drives cannot do
1/2 and 1/4 tracks.

Regards,

Robert

Mike wrote:

> Supertimer wrote:
>
> > Mike <moose@rocknet.net.au> wrote:
> >
> > >So, I don't know if my PC's SVGA monitor hooked up to my PC's video card is
> > >sufficient.  Does a monitor need to be connected to the Trackstar card ?
> > >
> > >I also don't know about the role of my PC drives.  Do these need to be also
> > >connected to the Trackstar ?  If they are connected to the Trackstar, do they
> > >function exactly like an Apple ][ floppy drive or are there some
> > >incompatibilities ?
> >
> > I don't have a Trackstar, so my understanding of them is limited.
>
> Don't worry - mine is to !!
>
> > However,
> > I've read that the card confers video and drive functions through the slot
> > it sits in.  Thus, what your Trackstar is doing with the bootup screen is
> > waiting for an Apple II disk to boot, just as a real IIe would hang.
>
> No, the Apple ][ drive I have connected does not spin and the light does not come
> on at all.
>
> > The
> > Trackstar is supposed to be able to read regular Apple II 5.25" disks
> > through the PC 5.25" drive.  Now the 5.25" PC drives used to be drive
> > A: once upon a time.  I'd try finding an old PC 5.25" drive and installing
> > it in your system as drive A: and inserting an Apple II 5.25" disk in there
> > to see what happens.
>
> I have done that - thankfully, I scrounged an old 5.25 inch drive about 6 months
> ago.
>
> But, I haven't tried inserting an Apple boot disk it in after starting Trackstar -
> simply because the Trackstar program doesn't seem to complete loading - I don't
> get to see the menus, etc mentioned in the manual.
>
> > When it seems to be trying to run itself from
> > drive A:, it might actually be looking for an Apple II boot disk.
>
> This sounds reasonable !  However, my PC 5.25 inch drive loads Trackstar (STAR
> program), but it doesn't get past the "Please Wait" message.  The Apple ][ drive -
> connected to the Trackstar does not spin or light up.
>
> > Similarly,
> > you don't need a IIe monitor.  The Trackstar makes your SVGA monitor into a IIe
> > monitor.
>
> This is good news, although I remembered this afternoon that I do have an old CGA
> monitor lurking at home, which I believe could be connected to the Trackstar - at
> least I read something like that somewhere this afternoon in one of the Trackstar
> Help WEb sites.
>
> Thanks for your very helpful replies !  ;)
>
> Mike

--
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Robert L. Doerr (MCNE, MCP, A+)
26308 Cubberness
St. Clair Shores, MI 48081
Tel: (810) 777-1313
e-mail: rdoerr@home.com
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"Keeping Personal Robots alive!"
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