Okay, I've had a IIGS for about 15 years now and yet I don't know much about how it works so bear with me... I was messing around with CopyIIPlus and I noticed an option to copy files to a "RAM disk" (Slot 3, drive 2)--but it was listed as "/DISCONNECTED" and when I try to access this drive (copy to or catalog), the computer just beeps at me. Does this mean I have no RAM, or that it is simply disabled?
Basically I'm wondering if there is a RAM "disk" that I can write files to temporarily for the purposes of transferring(?) I'm hoping there's a way for me to copy a 400K-800K shrinkit file into RAM so that I can extract it from there directly to a blank 800K 3.5" disk (since I only have one 3.5" drive, it would eliminate an eternity of disk swapping!)...
Yes, the GS has a built-in capability for a RAM disk. Go to the control panel (Control-OpenApple-Escape) and poke around. You can set its size based on how much RAM you have to spare. As to why CopyII+ disconnected it, I don't know... but in general, you can use the volume /RAM to do the copying you suggest.
I generally prefer to do the un-SHKing using CiderPress on the PC, then send the unpacked volume directly to a floppy via ADTPro.
The weird thing is that I can't "see" it at all when I boot to the Applesoft System Utilities--maybe this is because this system disk is meant for 8-bit Apples, not the GS... As for setting the size in the control panel--I'm not aware of any "control panel" and assume you must be referring to a specific OS that I most likely don't have--perhaps "System 6"? If so, does anyone know where i can get floppy bootable images of this OS?--I have no hard drive for the GS, but I recall someone once saying that System 6 can be booted from floppy...
Nah, it should be able to see it if it's been created. See below.
No. I'm talking about the control panel of the GS iron itself. Hold these keys down in this sequence:
Control-OpenApple-Escape
And release. You'll see a control panel come up for the machine. Spend a little time browsing around - there are lots of fun things you can change there, like the background color, 40 vs. 80 columns on startup, slot assignments, RAM disk size, etc.
You can buy them here:
http://store.syndicomm.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=47
or download them here:
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/gs/os/gsos/System_6.01.zip
Thanks. I'll give that a shot when I get home. Good to know I don't have to get System 6 first--cause that in itself would be another disk swapping nightmare! Instead I'll activate the RAM disk first, then copy the images for System 6 (and anything else for that matter) to it, and then extract the images to a blank disk. This is going to make my life so much easier!