Re: trying to get an Apple II GS going for fun...

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

wizard@direct.ca (Astro) wrote:

>"Greg J. Buchner" <buchner@tcfreenet.org> wrote:
>
>>You should really consider a Focus Hard Drive from Alltech.
>
>Yeah, I know... that would be ultimate. But wouldn't it come with
>system 6.0.1 installed which ideally also requires at least 4megs RAM?

It will shift-boot (shift while booting to prevent extensions and
sounds from loading) with only 1MB.  You will have trouble
running many applications, but a bare bones system will boot.

>Guess I could load system 5.0.4 onto the hard drive and use that to
>boot, huh?

Correct.  The Focus drive is really quite a deal considering
the price of a new SCSI card.  The Focus drive includes controller,
card, and software preinstalled.  If you do get the Focus drive,
you can easily install System 5.0.4 in place of System 6.0.1.  Indeed,
you can set them both up.  Simply install the Focus drive, then boot
NOT from the Focus drive but from a System 5.0.4 floppy.  Then
rename the System folder on the hard drive as System.old and
rename the "ProDOS" file in the root directory as "ProDOS.old"
then copy the System folder and the ProDOS file from the 5.0.4
disk to the root directory of the hard drive.  Next time you boot,
you'll be booting System 5.0.4.  If you want to boot System 6.0.1
again, just swap the System folders and ProDOS files.