Re: External 3.5 Drive and //c HELP

[nparker@cie-2.uoregon.edu (Neil Parker)]

In article <E7J197.Fx6@nonexistent.com> nobody@aol.com (nobody) writes:
>
>  I just picked up an external 3.5 drive for Apples.  It plugs in to the back 
>of my //c and such.  When I go to init blah,d2 the light comes on but it 
>doesn't spin up.  Also the disk won't eject.  I assume that it's a cable issue. 
> Does anyone have any information on how to hook this to the //c???  

First, the only Apple II operating system that supports the INIT command is
DOS 3.3.  Unless you have a specially patched version of DOS 3.3, it
doesn't support 3.5-inch drives.  If you want 3.5-inch drive support, your
best bet is to use ProDOS.

Second, even ProDOS can only support 3.5-inch drives if the ROM also
supports them.  Early Apple IIc's have no ROM support for the 3.5-inch
drive.  To find out if your IIc can handle a 3.5-inch drive, type the
following command at the Applesoft prompt:

     PRINT PEEK(64447)

If this prints out "255", then you have one of the old models that doesn't
support 3.5-inch drives.  Any other number means the machine *does* support
3.5-inch drives, and all you need is an operating system that also supports
them.

Third, not all 3.5-inch drives are created equal.  The IIc can use a
Unidisk 3.5, but not an Apple 3.5 Drive.  Check the model name on the
bottom of the drive.

               - Neil Parker
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