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VK2HH > MAC 29.12.95 21:46l 206 Lines 10967 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Read: DL7ALE GUEST DK3EL
Subj: FAQ Apple Mac' 9-8
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To : MAC@WW
Shareware Solutions II (166 Alpine Street, San Rafael, CA 94901) is a new
Apple II magazine with the latest scoops, written by long time Apple II
writer Joe Kohn. "finger" (UNIX command) or mail joko@well.sf.ca.us.
Adam Barr (barr@railnet.nshore.org) and Cindy Field (former InCider/A+
editor) are starting a new Apple II newsletter, only this one is only
available via e-mail.
Redmond cable (206-882-2009) makes and sells all sorts of custom cables.
Quality Computers (800-777-ENHAnce or 313-774-7200, 313-774-7740 Tech
Support, 313-774-2698 FAX) not only sells Apple II products, but maintains a
list of user groups and publishes an informative newsletter geared towards
educators (called Enhance). They also published AppleWorks 4.0! To get a QC
catalog and a free subscription to Enhance, just call! Contact QC (on GEnie),
QualityCom (on AOL) or quality@pro-quality.cts.com.
NAUG, the National AppleWorks Users Group (313-454-1115, 313-454-1965 FAX,
615-359-8238 BBS) is a group devoted to that wonder program, AppleWorks.
The Big Red Computer Club, (402-379-4680) or BRCC, (formerly the Big Red
Apple Club, sells all kinds of good software that you can't get anywhere
else. (including discontinued games, etc.)
TMS Pheripherals (800-ASK-4TMS) also sells good stuff (discontinued games,
etdc)
Alltech (800-995-7773 orders, 619-721-2823 FAX, 619-721-7733 Technical
Support/inquiries) sells all kinds of replacement parts for Apple II's. They
are also pretty knowledgable about the II. and inquiries)
Sun Remarketing (800-821-3221) also sells used Apples parts and books.
A new ShareWare-Fee payment service has been established for info, write to:
Some Assembly Required shareware@uwo.ca OR
1132 Adelaide St. N. #719 hackett@gaul.csd.uwo.ca
London, Ontario N5Y 2N8
Canada
Parkhurst Micro Products (510-837-9098) sells ANSITerm, a GS-only
communications program that supports X/Y/Z-Modem (plus variants), Kermit,
VT-100, Color ANSI, and offers features like a text editor, a large
scrollback buffer, and macros.
Conversion Technology (801-364-4171) sells a drive that allows you to hook up
cheap IBM 3.5" and 5.25" disk drives to you Apple II.
Sequential Systems (800-759-4549 or 303-666-4549,800-999-1717 tech,
303-666-7797 BBS) announced software for the GS that will let you use many
(but not all) CD-ROMs. Audio, Still Pictures and searching text are
supported. Contact SEQUENTIAL@genie.geis.com
(More resources to be added as I think of them. Email suggestions to
dmag@umich.edu. as always, let me know of any mistakes, updates, corrections,
additions, etc.)
------------------------------
Date: 1/1/93
From: dmag@umich.edu
Subject: General guidelines on How To Troubleshoot
First, resist the temptation to install all your new toys at once. Take it
one step at a time and test everything after adding each item.
Leave the computer plugged in, but turned off when installing cards. Touch
the power supply before and often during your work. Better yet, use a
wrist strap tied to ground through a 1 Megaohm resistor.
When asking others for help, it is essential to know the EXACT error message
you are getting. Also, be as specific as possible. Saying "It did not
work" or "I could not get any farther" is not helpful. Exactly which
screen did it stop at? Does it respond to any input at all? What had you
done up to that point? Is it reproducible any other way?
Make sure you have the required components for the program. Does it require
an Enhanced //e? More RAM? A separate boot disk?
Never use your original disks. Make a backups and store the write-protected
originals in a safe place.
Be sure to keep your disks away from stray magnetic fields emanating from
phones, monitors and speakers.
If you have an accelerator, try to disable it or take it out entirely. It may
not be compatible with the new item.
Is the problem re-producible? If so, what are the MINIMUM actions to
reproduce it?
Check all your cable connections. Do not disconnect or connect any cables
with the computer on.
Try pulling out other cards and disconnect your joystick. If you have a lot
of cards, you might consider a Heavy-Duty Power Supply from A.E. It
supplies 6 Amps instead of a measly 2.5 Amps. Test the power supply with
a voltmeter while the computer is on.
Call the manufacturer to see if there is an upgrade or a fix.
Subtopic: Trouble shooting and good maintenance
================================
Try the system self-test: hold down the Control key, the Open Apple key, and
the Option (or Solid Apple) key. Then press and release Reset. Lastly,
let up on the other keys. Sit back and 'Watchen Der Blinken Lighten.'
Most RAM cards come with a memory tester. Try running it in continuous mode
for several hours, even if your RAM seems to be working.
Write down your configuration when you have it working (for future
reference).
Verify your disk(s) with Copy ][+ or the Finder to see if you have any bad
blocks.
Subtopic: GS Trouble shooting
================================
Check your control panel settings: What is the startup slot set to? Is the
slot set to "Your Card"? Check your RAM disk setting. Is it taking up all
your memory? Try setting the speed to normal if it's a non-GS program.
Take out or disable your INITS, CDAs, NDAs, and CDEVS. (With System 6, just
hold down Shift while booting).
If you have a hard disk, try booting from a System Disk and/or re-install the
latest system software. Many random problems can be traced to corrupted
or improperly installed system software.
Never connect/disconnect an ADB device when the computer is on.
AppleWorks GS comes with a memory tester (try it).
The TransWarp GS has a continuous test on the CDA (try it too).
------------------------------
Date: 6/27/93
From: dmag@umich.edu
Subject: SCSI
SCSI is a protocol (kind of like serial or parallel) that lets you hook up
several devices (up to 8) on a SCSI bus (a bus is just a series of wires).
You must give each device it's own unique ID number from 0-7. The SCSI card
is usually set to 7. There are two types of SCSI cables: the 50 pin
Centronics-type (like on parallel printers) or the 25-pin "D" connector. The
50-pin is the SCSI standard, the 25-pin is the Apple standard. On a SCSI
chain, there must be a Terminator at each end. A Terminator is just a bunch
of resistors. Some drives have internal terminators (3 small yellow-orange
packs), and some drives come with an external terminator (a "plug" to put on
the back of the drive). Also, somebody on the bus must supply terminator
power (one of the SCSI lines). If There are any problems (multiple things
with the same ID, too much termination or not enough, or no terminator
power), you may be able to use the drive, but your data will get corrupted.
Most of the time, the computer will refuse to recognize the drive.
At first, there was the Apple Rev 'C' SCSI card (named after the final ROM
version--all previous versions MUST be upgraded to work with current
software). There were several clones from the likes of CMS and Chinook. Then
Apple came out with it's High Speed DMA SCSI card. This has the ability to do
Direct Memory Access to the RAM in your computer, which speeds things up.
This created a lot of problems with cards that were not DMA compatible. CV
Technologies also has a DMA SCSI card called the RamFast. This card has 256K
or 1MB of on-board RAM to make it even faster than Apple's card. It can also
supply terminator power if you drive does not supply it. Both of the new
cards support things like SCSI tape backup units, removable SCSI drives, SCSI
CD-ROM, and of course SCSI hard drives. Both the new cards also require an
Enhanced //e.
Subtopic: Tips on setting up a SCSI system:
================================
You can have multiple drives on one SCSI card, just make sure you remove the
termination on all the drives but the last one. This is because the newer
SCSI cards are terminated (and they count as a SCSI device).
Always check that the cords are plugged in properly. Never connect/disconnect
anything when the computer is on.
The computer will boot the hard drive with the highest SCSI ID, which should
be ID 6.
Try letting the drive 'warm up' for 15 seconds before turning the computer
on. The SCSI cards look for drives only at startup, and may ignore any
drives that are not ready.
Try turning off DMA. If this helps, you may have a non-DMA compatible card,
such as the early versions of the TransWarp, early versions of the GS
RAM, or any 8-bit accelerator.
Check that each device has a unique ID. Most drives have a thumbwheel on the
back to set the ID. Your SCSI card (yes, it counts too) is probably ID 7.
Number your drives from 6 downwards for best compatibility. The IDs have
nothing to do with what slot the card is in.
Is there a terminator at each end of the SCSI bus? (the DMA cards are
terminated, and some drives are internally terminated.)
Try the software that came with the card. It may give helpful diagnostic
messages (I.E. the Apple DMA SCSI utilities-- Does it say "No Apple SCSI
card found" or "No SCSI devices found"?)
Do you get the message "Unable to Load ProDos"? If so, it's booting your
drive but you have no system software on it. Try hitting Control-Reset,
then PR#5 (or PR#6) to boot a floppy. Then install the system software
(i.e. ProDos or GS/OS).
In extreme cases, try reformatting the drive, repartitioning, and
re-installing the System software.
If the drive access light blinks in a regular pattern before the computer is
turned on, it is telling you that it has a hardware malfunction. It needs
to be serviced.
Did you try re-installing the System software? Many times, the data on a
drive will get corrupted if you run the drive with improper terminators
or conflicting SCSI ID's. Sometimes you will not notice the corrupted
data until after you fix the problem. If re-installing the System
software helps, it was probably a software problem, not a hardware
problem.
The Apple HS DMA SCSI card requires an Enhanced //e. It will not work on the
older //e without an Enhancement Kit.
To really put a drive through it's paces, copy a LOT of stuff from one
partition to another (copy the entire partition if you can). If there is
a problem with DMA or SCSI ID's, it will probably show up as a strange
GS/OS error. (GS only)
Make sure you do not have the Apple SCSI drivers installed if you have a
RamFast. It may cause random problems (they leave an interrupt handler
dangling if they can't find their card.) (GS only)
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