How to write programs to CF card so that Apple IIGS can launch them?

[christop...@gmail.com]

Hi everybody, I'm super inexperienced in the world of Apple II (my IIGS arrived yesterday!), so please excuse a silly question. I got a ReactiveMicro MicroDrive to install in my IIGS so that I could run programs that I've downloaded off of the internet (namely, asimov.net). The question I have is, how do I actually put these disk images (.2mg, .img, etc) onto the compact flash card in a way that my Apple IIGS can read and/or launch? I've got CiderPress and a general idea that I need to create new volumes on the CF card, format each volume with a given operating system, and then open the image for the program I want and copy it over, but I'm not sure if that's correct. Once I've got the programs on to the CF card, I also have no idea how to launch/run them from my IIGS (preferably from GS/OS, but thats a volume on the CF card too?).

I've been unable to find any documentation online, everything seems to assume you already know what you're doing, so I'd appreciate any help I can get. Thanks!

[James Davis]

On Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 8:48:36 AM UTC-7, christop...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi everybody, I'm super inexperienced in the world of Apple II (my IIGS arrived yesterday!), so please excuse a silly question. I got a ReactiveMicro MicroDrive to install in my IIGS so that I could run programs that I've downloaded off of the internet (namely, asimov.net). The question I have is, how do I actually put these disk images (.2mg, .img, etc) onto the compact flash card in a way that my Apple IIGS can read and/or launch? I've got CiderPress and a general idea that I need to create new volumes on the CF card, format each volume with a given operating system, and then open the image for the program I want and copy it over, but I'm not sure if that's correct. Once I've got the programs on to the CF card, I also have no idea how to launch/run them from my IIGS (preferably from GS/OS, but thats a volume on the CF card too?).
>
> I've been unable to find any documentation online, everything seems to assume you already know what you're doing, so I'd appreciate any help I can get. Thanks!

You need to learn how to use and work with DOS and ProDOS. Download the (appropriate Apple IIGS) DOS and ProDOS manuals from Asimov and read them. You can also get most of the Apple IIGS Users and Technical manuals there.

[frank_...@hotmail.com]

Use the "Volume Copier" in ciderpress to clone the images to each partition. You may have to format the CompactFlash using something like Davex or Copy][+ on the //gs first for the partitions to properly show up in ciderpress. Pretty sure the microdrive treats the CF as a raw block device, therefore it has no Master Boot Record/FAT32 and won't mount like a "normal" CF card on your desktop. Windows 7 will throw an error message asking if you want to format the card (click NO as this only does MBR/FAT formatting).

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[frank_...@hotmail.com]

Also, the microdrive does not work with 140k disk images if they're stand-alone. It only works with ProDOS volumes (up to 32mb), unlike the CFFA3000 which can also emulate a floppy drive.

My workaround for that was to use something like DiskMaker8 to write a disk image from prodos partition to a 5.25 floppy.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20111123123914%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.markpercival.net%3A80%2FDM8%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGc2dEL2AYkKD5wz_12c86FUACbtw

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[christop...@gmail.com]

Thanks! I went and found:
1. AppleII: The DOS Manual
2. DOS 3.2 Instructional and Reference Manual
3. The ProDos User's Manual
4. AppleIIgs ProDOS 16 Reference Manual
5. GS/OS Reference Volume 1

Am I missing any, and which one should I start with? Right now, I don't have the MicroDrive yet and I don't have any GS/OS disks, only the Apple IIGS ProDos 16 System 1.1 disk (the one that boots up to a little file selector think, and comes with DeskTop).

Thanks again!

[christop...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 10:02:36 AM UTC-7, frank_...@hotmail.com wrote:
> Use the "Volume Copier" in ciderpress to clone the images to each partition. You may have to format the CompactFlash using something like Davex or Copy][+ on the //gs first for the partitions to properly show up in ciderpress. Pretty sure the microdrive treats the CF as a raw block device, therefore it has no Master Boot Record/FAT32 and won't mount like a "normal" CF card on your desktop. Windows 7 will throw an error message asking if you want to format the card (click NO as this only does MBR/FAT formatting).
>

I think the MicroDrive comes with Copy ][+ on it (as one of the bundled programs), but how would I launch the program from ProDos? My System 1.1 disk boots up to a screen that looks like this:

https://i1.wp.com/apple2history.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/System-1.0-Launcher.jpg?ssl=1

[I am Rob]

On Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 9:48:36 AM UTC-6, christop...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi everybody, I'm super inexperienced in the world of Apple II (my IIGS arrived yesterday!), so please excuse a silly question. I got a ReactiveMicro MicroDrive to install in my IIGS so that I could run programs that I've downloaded off of the internet (namely, asimov.net). The question I have is, how do I actually put these disk images (.2mg, .img, etc) onto the compact flash card in a way that my Apple IIGS can read and/or launch? I've got CiderPress and a general idea that I need to create new volumes on the CF card, format each volume with a given operating system, and then open the image for the program I want and copy it over, but I'm not sure if that's correct. Once I've got the programs on to the CF card, I also have no idea how to launch/run them from my IIGS (preferably from GS/OS, but thats a volume on the CF card too?).
>
> I've been unable to find any documentation online, everything seems to assume you already know what you're doing, so I'd appreciate any help I can get. Thanks!

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Way too much false and poor information and incorrect advice. You don't need to know anything about Dos to use a Microdrive. With Prodos, you will need to know how to navigate directories.

A Microdrive is a block device and not like the CFFA3000 where you can mount disk images. .2mg and .do are emulator disk images. To transfer files from a disk image to a Prodos disk device you will need CiderPress on a PC.

Take the card out of Microdrive and put it in a card reader and plug it into your PC or Mac. Open CiderPress to view the the block device.

You will need to create folders on the block device as the root directory on a block device can only hold 51 files or folders.

Open a 2nd window of the disk image of your choice. In this window copy the files you want to transfer. Select the block device window and select a directory to paste in to. Right click and select paste.

Eject the block device volume and plug back into the Microdrive and boot up.

Your files should be present. Make sure to create lots of folders to keep all your information organized.

[I am Rob]

You can also use ADTPro to transfer files from a PC/Mac to your IIGS. Takes a little bit more to set up, but once you get it working, it is less hassle of removing and plugging in the flash card all the time.

[Bill Buckels]

There is less hassle removing the CF card from my external CF card drive box
for my Microdrive than there is running nauseating slow old serial cables
and using null modem file transfer that was obsolete 30 years ago.

Those of us who first bought Microdrives had the option of buying an
external CF card drive box. I have never regretted that purchase. It's too
bad that reactive micro/henry don't make those anymore.

[Bill Buckels]

"Bill Buckels" <bbuc...@mts.net> wrote:
>Those of us who first bought Microdrives had the option of buying an
>external CF card drive box. I have never regretted that purchase. It's too
>bad that reactive micro/henry don't make those anymore.

But wait! They are back :)

Here's the link...

https://www.reactivemicro.com/product/external-cf-drive-v2-0/

a.. No longer do you need to open your Apple II in order to remove your CF
Card for adding files, backing up, or exchanging for another CF Card.

[Bill Buckels]

"Bill Buckels" <bbuc...@mts.net> wrote:
>Here's the link...
>https://www.reactivemicro.com/product/external-cf-drive-v2-0/

The Wiki has a better description... here's that link:

https://wiki.reactivemicro.com/External_CF_Drive

[James Davis]

Did you get the statements above and the documentation list I emailed you, personally?

[James Davis]

The newest Microdrives come with a dual CF Adapter (from IDE peripheral card). With an IDE Extension Ribbon-Cable (Henry says: 3 ft. max.) the dual CF Adapter can be brought outside the Apple II. This can be put into a case/box with a wider slot to make a Dual External CF Drive. (So, anybody can make their own if they want to.) But, don't you still have to power down the Apple II to remove/insert CF Cards? There is a review on YouTube that says you do, and that they are not "hot-swappable!" In your experience, is that right? Or, is there some kind of power-switch on the original External CF Drives?

[Bill Buckels]

"James Davis" <JPD.Ent...@outlook.com> wrote:
>There is a review on YouTube that says you do, and that they are not
>"hot-swappable!" In your experience, is that right? Or, is there some
>kind of power-switch on the original External CF Drives?

Not much of an answer... In my experience, do not go by my experience. (Do
as I say, not as I do when I dodge bullets... take a precautionary approach,
wear a wrist band, etc. Static Kills.)

Since I boot with my CF card in my Microdrive, and I use my power saver to
turn my Apple II on and off which boots it, and I am a creature of habit,
and never except absent mindedly insert or remove my CF card from my Apple
II external drive unless my power saver is off and my Apple II is shut down,
I have been lucky enough to have avoided the dangers of ESD wiping-out a CF
card.

Here's the main page:

https://wiki.reactivemicro.com/Main_Page

Here's a cautionary on ESD (towards the end):

https://wiki.reactivemicro.com/External_CF_Drive

Regards,

Billl

[christop...@gmail.com]

Yes I did! Thank you!

[christop...@gmail.com]

Awesome, thank you, that approach worked perfectly, except for the fact that some programs can't be run of a hard drive, but that's my fault. I'm having another problem now, wich I created a new question about: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.sys.apple2/55bFJdJuOUo

Essentially, my new problem is that I have a bunch of disk images that I want to write to volumes on the CF card, but I don't know how to create new volumes. I know that ProDOS's maximum volume size is 32MB and that it can only use 8, so I've made a series of 8 32MB disk images with stuff that I want on them (including an installed version of GS/OS). I can write those disk images (and boot of the GS/OS one when it's in Volume 1) but the CF card I have only has three 32MB volumes by default, even though it's 512MB and I can't figure out how to add new Volumes. I get the idea that I need to do that from within ProDOS or GS/OS, but how? Advanced Disk Utility only recognizes individual volumes, not the whole "hard drive".