Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!n8emr!bluemoon!slhood From: slhood@bluemoon.uucp (Stephen L. Hood) Subject: Re: Best hard drive combo Message-ID: Sender: bbs@bluemoon.uucp (BBS Login) Organization: Blue Moon BBS ((614) 868-998[0][2][4]) References: <16542@smoke.brl.mil> Date: Thu, 27 Jun 91 13:04:39 EDT gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn) writes: > In article <4774.apple.a2.net@pro-nbs> asong@pro-nbs.cts.com (Andi Song) writ > > How do you IIgs hard-drivers do it? Is there a way to instruct the > >CPU to wait for the hard drive to warm up and come on-line (maybe a few > >seconds pause), THEN look in the other slots? How can you make the hard > >drive boot up first if your hard drive is a bit slow getting out of bed? > > I use a Conserver, with my disks on one switch and the CPU on another. > I turn on the disks first, and when they are ready, I turn on the CPU. > Works every time. There is a program called SmartBoot out there somewhere that will do the trick. SmartBoot (usually packaged with the RAM-drive utility First Start) replaces the PRODOS file on a P8 floppy. You boot the floppy, and SmartBoot waits for your hard drive to spin up, and then reboots. It features many handy options, from a timer to ejection of the floppy (if it's a 3.5, naturally!). However, the two copies I have managed to get have been incompatible with my hard drive. I use an InnerDrive, and I believe that SmartBoot makes some SCSI-specific calls. The firmware on my InnerDrive originally compensated for the hard drive's spin up time, but when I replaced the firmware with the InnerExpress accellerator, I lost said feature. What I have done to fix this problem is mearly to boot off ProDOS 8 3.5" disk and run a short BASIC program that just does a "PR#7". By the time that ProDOS 8, BASIC.SYSTEM, and the program are loaded, my hard drive has finished spinning up! It works out rather well. I expect that some hard drives might take longer than this, but fixing that would be just a matter of using the good old for/next loop to delay the computer... Hope this helps... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Hood "WARNING: MOS circuits are subject to damage from static discharge!" Internet: slhood@bluemoon.uucp UUCP : ...osu-cis!n8emr!bluemoon!slhood