//gs SmartPort Question

[markem@flash.net (Mark Manning)]

Hello Boys and Girls!

Gather 'round.  Cause there's a question to be found! :-)

My Apple //gs,
Has always done it's best.
But the other day,
(After I'd been away),
The thing won't read the SmartPort drive.
That trusty 3.5" on which I thrive.
You see I needed to install AppleTalk,
AppleShare, and some other things in bulk.
But when I went to install the thing,
My 3.5" disk drive wouldn't read a thing.
And so I've tried lots of things,
Until my head ached and my ears did ring.
But still I can't seem to get it started,
Installing things.  I'm broken hearted.  :-(

And you thought I wouldn't be able to do it all in rhyme.
For shame on you!  I said this in half the time.  ;-)


Any questions?  If so - e-mail me and I'll answer them.  If you have an
answer I'd appreciate an e-mail also as I'm working fairly heavily at work
right now.  :-)


Thanks ahead of time! :-)

PS: For those of you not poetry intensive - here it is in mundania:

My //gs set up is:

4megs memory
1-340mb hard drive - partitioned.
1-300mb hard drive - partitioned.
1-3.5" disk drive
2-5.25" disk drives
2400 baud modem
Joy stick
Inside cards:
    Slot #1 = Apple High Speed SCSI card
    Slot #2 = Modem card
    Slot #3 = Open
    Slot #4 = CP/M card for the //gs
    Slot #5 = SmartPort
    Slot #6 = 5.25" disk drive card
    Slot #7 = AppleTalk (hopefully)

Ok - the deal is, is that I want to hook the //gs up to my Powerbook 165c
via LocalTalk phone net cables.  I hooked up the cables, powered up the
//gs, and then found out that I had forgotten to install the Appletalk
FST, driver, etc....  So I powered down, got out my installation disks,
and tried to install everything.  The 3.5" disk drive came up and then the
system said the feared "Check System Setup".  Hitting reset, I did the
"pr#5".  "No device attached" was the returned message.  So then I went
through a LOT of various trials, disconnecting each item slowly but
surely.  No go.  I can not get it to work.

Finally, I went to a friend's house who still has an Apple //e.  I got him
to let me try using his internal card for the 3.5" disk drives.  Plugged
it in, booted up, went into the control panel, changed the settings to
look at the card, and viola!  It worked!  I went yeah!  It booted from the
card!  Only - it wouldn't then see the hard disk.  ugh....

Many more tries later - no go still.  So I'm wondering - any ideas?  My
main idea is that the battery might be going bad.  Although the date and
time are still correct.  Still, I had to unplug the //gs for about three
months due to the fact that the house we are living in has bad wiring.  So
I could have the Mac plugged in or the //gs, but not both.  We are moving
soon so this will not be a concern in the near future, but it is right
now.

Anyway - any ideas would be greatly appreciated.  Because I can't see any
reason why the SmartPort would turn on the 3.5" disk drive at start-up
(ie:the red light comes on when I turn on the system) and then refuse to
see it after that initial boot check (ie: the red light just blinks once
and doesn't stay on).

Thanks ahead of time!  :-)

-- 
A picture of faces in repose, showing their souls, who's light shines forth with the wonder of life. - Mark Manning '96