Re: making a boot disk on iigs

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

John K writes ...
> 
> forgive my newbie questions....
> 
> I just got a iigs and want to copy its system disks.  I can copy the files
> easily enough but the disk doesn't boot.  What do I have to do to
> a disk to make it bootable?
> 
> I have 20 years experience with PCs but the terminology & function
> of apple systems are completely new to me!
> 
> John


     The problem you're running into is the difference between a ProDOS
diskette which is "formatted" and one which is "initialized".

     Often, a "formatted" diskette will have everything necessary for saving
files, etc.; but, it will lack the ProDOS boot block code. An "initialized"
ProDOS diskette will be formatted _and_ have the boot block code. 

     The /RAM5 RAM disk you can set up on a IIgs is an example. When it's
created it will be formatted; but, it will not have the boot block code. To
add the boot block, you can take the extra step of Initializing it.


     The usual way to have a bootable copy of a bootable disk is to either

A- Make sure the target disk for file copies is Initialized

or

B- Do a whole-disk copy of the bootable disk (in which case the boot block
will be copied to the target disk).



Rubywand