Subject: Re: Wanted: answers for now...
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From: Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>
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Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 18:10:11 -0500
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firead writes ...
> 
> This has been x-posted to gno for reasons that will soon become
> obvious...
> 
> Hi,
>    So, to make along story short, i weas buying a new PC case at the
> local mom & pop shop when I noticed a IIGS manual in a box and after a
> few minutes the owner was practically begging me to take this IIGS off
> his hands. Bear in mind I really know very little about Apple 2's.
>    Well, now I have it set up on a table in a corner not doing much at
> all. It's a ROM 03 with 3.5 & 5.25 disk drives, RGB monitor, keyboard,
> mouse,1MB RAM and ImageWriter II.
>

     Pretty nice starting system!

 
> 1) I can't get 5.25 disk with apps to run. When I attempt to mount apps
> within GSOS 5.0 I get a message to initialize them. If I attemtp to
> start up off them I get the 'check startup device' message. Some misc.
> disks with just data on them mount from within the GSOS. IS the drive
> damaged or is there a trick to running apps off a 5.25 disk?
>
     GS/OS is part of GS System 5.0. As Eric noted, you get the Initialize
option because the format is not recognized.

     The explanation is that GS System uses a very restricted definition of
'DOS 3.3'. For example, it will will not recognize DOS 3.3 with the 36-track
mod (an easy, fairly common modification).  Naturally, the OS also chokes on
40-track 5.25" diskettes as well as just about any diskette with copy
protection.

     Booting the diskette gets around the limitations imposed by the GS OS
because it hands everything over to the OS on the diskette. Since the IIgs
looks very much like an enhanced //e to older DOS's, most old game, etc.
diskettes will boot okay.

 ....
> 
> 4) I noticed in another posting that there are only 60 MB drives being
> made anymore. If gno needs takes up more than that what's one supposed
> to do.

     Yes; Alltech does list only a 60MB Focus drive now. This is not too big
a problem. You get the 60MB Focus drive with System 6.0.1 and copy the
goodies to 3.5" diskettes in compressed form as .shk files.

     Then you shop around for a larger capacity 2.5" IDE HD module and swap
it in. You format the new drive for 3-4 32MB ProDOS partitions and the rest
as a single large HFS partition. Move your goodies to the new HD (first
ProDOS partition), possibly reinstall Sys 6.0.1, and you're back in business
with the big HD you want.


     You can run System 6.0.1 with 2MB; but, things will be pretty cramped
for applications like Platimum Paint, Convert 3200, and others that want lots
of RAM. Getting a Sirius RAM card with at least 4MB from Alltech will make a
big difference in what you can do with your IIgs.
  

> 
> 5) Are there any adapters to make the IIGS use Mac/PC monitors?
>

     There are some non-IIgs monitors that can be used (see
http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/Csa2MONITOR.html ).  In general, it's not
worth the bother. The standard IIgs monitor does a good job with the standard
IIgs display formats.


 
> 6) Why is it that a computer that people are practicaly giving away
> costs so much to upgrade?! It looks like it would take $200 to upgrade
> the RAM to 8MB and get a HD (assuming I can find someplace that has
> them).
>

     And, you have yet to search for a SCSI interface (to add CD-ROM and Zip
Drives) or an accelerator card! As has been noted, it's mainly 'supply and
demand'.

     Another factor is that, happily, a lot of thrift shops, etc. with Apple
IIgs's don't know that they are more sellable than all of those 5 year-old
PC's stuffing the shelves.

 
> 7) Should I just take it out and shoot it?
>
 ....

     You could; but, you would miss a fun adventure in computing.



Rubywand