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From: Kapffer@UAIMZA.MATHEMATIK.UNI-MAINZ.DE
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Apple 5.25" Disk Questions
Message-ID: <9012141236.AA09057@UAIMZA.Mathematik.Uni-Mainz.DE>
Date: 14 Dec 90 12:36:14 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 31

>I have an old half-height Disk II type drive. Currently, it's hooked up to
>a Disk II controller card. If I get an adapter cable and hook it up to my
>Apple 3.5, can I set my GS to scan the slots (will the computer be able to
>tell if I have a disk in there or not)? Also, will it get rid of that
>annoying "Slot 6, Drive 2" that shows up in most device selection boxes
>such as the ones in ShrinkIt and Copy II+?
>
Booting with "scan slots" will be able to detect the absence of a disk in
the 5.25" drive and pass on to slot 5 (and a "PR#6" or similar reboot won't
try booting forever like the Disk ][ controller).

Slot 6, Drive 2 will still show up since there is no reliable way to test
for the existance of that drive (although the GS/OS 5.25" driver does
something in that direction). Under ProDOS 8 packages like Davex or ProSel
offer utils to remove unused drives until the next reboot (or return to
GS/OS).

It should be mentioned that the ROM boot code for the internal 5.25"
controller has a slight problem with disks using the multiple sector read
feature timing out to early. This is only a concern with a few disks which
have their own bootstrap loader. I have once thrown together a short
pre-boot program based on the contents of the ROM on the Disk ][
controller; most disks in question can be booted that way. (An alternative
is to reformat track 0 from the usual 2:1 descending to an ascending
interleave.)

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                        M a t t h i a s   K a p f f e r

email:  Kapffer@uaimza.Mathematik.Uni-Mainz.DE