Re: Sys 6.0.1 Technical Problems

[rubywand@swbell.net]

Jeremy Andrews writes ...
> 
> ....
> I have an original Woz IIgs with ROM Version 01.  I've been using system
> 6.0.1.  On occasion after a crash my computer won't restart, crashing into
> the monitor.  To fix this error I'd have to reinstall the Prodos file, and
> all was well.
> 
> But this time things have gotten more severe.  Now the problem is
> intermittant, and reinstalling Prodos doesn't help at all.  If I choose
> shut down from the menu and then shut down from the selections, finally
> clicking restart... all is okay.  No problems, it'll boot again no matter
> how many times I do this.
> 
> But if I select shut down, then shut down, then actually turn off the
> computer, I then have about a fifty percent chance that when I turn the
> computer back on I'll crash into the monitor.
> 
> After file by file weeding things out, I found an error in my
> sys.resources.  Unfortunately, the problem seems to be in all five copies
> I have on various disks...  Copy II plus 9 giving me a $4B error, while
> Copy II plus 8.3 gives me a $4A error.  Finally I was able to get a new
> copy in there, but it didn't seem to help things.
>.... 
> 
> When I crash to the monitor, I get the following values for the registers:
> 00/2000: 00 00                  BRK 00
> A=FF0E  X=00FF  Y=0004  S=0157  D=0000  P=72
> B=00  K=00  M=0C  Q=88  L=1  m=1  x=1  e=1
> 
> Can any one tell me what is wrong here?  Is there any particular file that
> is suspect?  What might have caused this?  (I was playing a few different
> games, launching them with the HD finder from their own particular
> games... this is most suspect;  hardball, thexder, warlock...)
> 

     Protected games or "deprotected" games which include remnants of 
protection can cause many problems, including completely trashing your hard 
disk file pointers. With at least one exception (the first release of 
Questron II), it is usually safe to play protected games so long as they are 
launched by booting the game diskette.

     Launching a game from a diskette under a hard disk-based System 6 could 
result in unwanted overwriting on the hard disk. If the game assumes it was 
launched under its on-diskette system, it may short-cut normal error 
detection as, for example, when updating a High Scores roster or 
incrementing a Games Played counter in a fixed block location. Other games 
and programs may screw-up your Desktop or some other ICONS/ file.

     The $4A and $4B errors reported by Copy II Plus may relate to 
recognition of file types and/or formats and may not be valid indications of 
error. If Copy II is launched under an older version of ProDOS, newer file 
types may not be recognized. 

     One thing to keep in mind is that a GS file should not be copied using 
Copy II+ unless you know the file does not include resources. The resource 
part will not get copied. 

     The crash info you list indicates that an attempt was made to execute a 
ProDOS system program but that zero's (breaks) were encountered. This seems 
to support your observation that bad things have happened to your copy of 
ProDOS. Since your system sometimes starts up okay, it seems likely that, 
sometimes, the pointers to file contents are getting messed around.

     A good quick-fix try is to scrap Desktop from all main directory /ICONS 
folders on your hard disk.

     If the above does not work, ProSel or some similar utility may be able 
to detect and repair damage. Then, replacing any lost files (like SYSTEM/P8) 
might get your system back on track.


Rubywand