Re: IIc/Appleworks 2.0/External Drive/Syntax Error - HELP !!!

[ddkilzer@iastate.edu (David D Kilzer)]

hinchlif@csuvax1.csu.murdoch.edu.au (Peter Hinchliffe) writes:
>detrolio@andromeda.rutgers.edu (David De Trolio) writes:
>
>>I have just recently started to get syntax errors from some of my
>>IIc disks.  I use it mostly for word processing and spreadsheet work.
>
>How old is your //c? I know quite a few people with //cs which are 1984-5
>vintage whose motherboards have had to be replaced, all within the last 12-18
>months. It had something to do with an auxillary RAM chip on the motherboard
>breaking down, as I remember. Whatever it was, it was the same fault in every 
>case.

Do you know if you //c has a self test?  Try doing a control-oa-ca-reset
(oa and ca are open-apple and closed-apple).  Wait for about 5 minutes.
If the colors on the screen keep going (and don't do anything), then
your //c doesn't have the self-test built-in.  Otherwise, you'll get
some kind of message like "System OK" or another diagnostic message.  If
you get something like "*RAM  0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0" (like I got the other
day), then an AUX bank RAM chip has gone bad.  Write me and I'll explain.

>>The disks are all new, and are stored away from the system when not in
>>use and are not near any telephones or any such equipment.
>
>I am not suggesting that this is necessarily the case with the machine, but it
>might be worth getting it checked out. Maybe it's just a disk drive speed 
>adjustment that's needed.

Copy // Plus 8.0 or higher (I believe) has an option to test drive
speed.

If you've formatted and saved files on the disk using the external
drive, and then try to load them back into Appleworks, it could be that
obscure bug that trashes your files when you run out of disk space on a
disk (and Appleworks asks you if it can delete the original file).  If
this has happened to you, you need Repairworks from Quality Computers or
Ressurection (a shareware program...write me if you want a copy of it)
to recover the file.  I remember this bug in AW2.0 caused many headaches
for a lot of people.

You should also be using a CURRENT version of ProDOS with your copy of
Appleworks (like version 1.8 or HIGHER).  If you're using a version of
ProDOS less than 1.8 or worse, 1.x.x, you could also be in big trouble,
since the very early versions of ProDOS had bug(s) in them that would
trash a file when it was deleted (so that it couldn't be recovered).  If
you're using an old version of ProDOS, you should update to the most
current version (2.0 or 2.1?).

>>Can someone tell me what this error can result from when using
>>Prodos, Appleworks 2.0, and the IIc system.  I would also be
>>interested in learning if there are disk recovery tools available
>>for Prodos and Appleworks similar to the Norton Utilities and
>>PC Tools for DOS computers.
>
>The best collection of diagnostic and repair software I know of is in Glen
>Bredon's ProSel package. You might also want to check out RepairWorks from 
>Quality Computers. I have had brilliant results with this program and have 
>recovered irreplaceable data from damaged disks a number of times. It only
>works with AppleWorks WP and DB files, though.

Dave
-- 
David D. Kilzer               \                ST:TNG _Relics_
ddkilzer@iastate.edu          /       Capt. Montgomery Scott ("Scotty")
Computer Engineer 3rd Class   \   "I may be a captain by rank, but I never
Iowa State University, Ames   /    wanted to be anything but an engineer."