2600Lives Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Dunno honestly where to put this, so I'ma put it here. Ok, gonna lug the ol' Apple IIe with me to OVGE this year and need some help. It works fine, but It has been, literally, 20 years since I've used one. My question is, how do I look at what is on a floppy disk, and how do I get said program to run? I've looked on the web and found little, unfortunately. I'm wanting to put a game on it so the attendees can play something, but I can't seem to get it to do ANYTHING. It has 2 disk drives, if that helps. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 OK, here goes: It has been a while, so I have to think... what is the directory command? It's not "directory", and I know you gotta type it, but the only thing coming to mind is "LIST". LIST is for programs, though, to tell you what all the lines are. I think the command might be "MENU" but I am not certain. Anyway, to get the disk going, first it either has to have a certain format (it probably is) that enables it to load to a prompt, or you will need a DOS diskette. To be safe, try making a DOS disk anyway. OK, so now we've got the DOS diskette made. Throw it in the drive and hit the power. It'll take perhaps a minute to load, then you'll get a message that'll say something like "You're now in Floating Point BASIC" or some blurb. From here, get the list of files. I've never seen an actual folder on an Apple II disk, but I'm not gonna say they ain't there. Ours usually pulled up a list of programs with letters in brackets to the left of their names. They had no file extensions. Try typing RUN or LOAD for a program, followed by the program's name. If you get an error that says "File Type Mismatch", put a B in front of the RUN or LOAD command. Typically, homemade programs used the RUN command, games used BRUN instead. A typical command to load a game might look like this: ]BRUN Choplifter note that there are many disks that will auto load when you turn the power on. Miner 2049er does this, Microzine editions do this, Math Blaster, etc. Most commercial software does, including some DOS disks you can make. There's a way to make your disks auto load with the formatting (it's different than what I yakked about a minute ago). This would probably be the best bet. If it were me, I'd put a single auto loading game on each disk, then instert disk and turn on the power. I wish I could help more, but I studied Apple Basic when I was about 11 or 12, and I've slept a LOT since then. ]END Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord_mike Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 OK, here goes: It has been a while, so I have to think... what is the directory command? It's not "directory", and I know you gotta type it, but the only thing coming to mind is "LIST". LIST is for programs, though, to tell you what all the lines are. I think the command might be "MENU" but I am not certain. CATALOG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phuzzed Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 i used to be an Apple IIe user BIG TIME. I had one hell of a set up. I had all of my old programs imaged and saved to DSK format, so I can fire them up on the emulator. I remember pretty much everything hardware wise, and software wise, so if you need any help, PM me. Also, I'll be at the OVGE this year, so i can't wait to see that live IIe in action! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 OK, here goes: It has been a while, so I have to think... what is the directory command? It's not "directory", and I know you gotta type it, but the only thing coming to mind is "LIST". LIST is for programs, though, to tell you what all the lines are. I think the command might be "MENU" but I am not certain. CATALOG Thank you! That was driving me crazy!! ?Syntax Error Oops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 yep.. CATALOG to do a directory listing (or I think just "CAT" works as well) To run a basic program, it's RUN (e.g. RUN METEOR) To run a binary program, its BRUN (e.g. BRUN AZTEC) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600Lives Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 Well, problem solved. It was the drives. I guess the port they were plugged into was faulty (come on, the thing's ANCIENT), but I plugged the card into an adjacent slot and now both drives work great. Spent the last hour playing Temple of Apshai and Mouskattack. Wish my joystick worked better, though. It's REALLY wonky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 An online DOS command reference. Let's not forget the importance of PR#5 for booting (or #6 for 3.5" ) disks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 (edited) Wish my joystick worked better, though. It's REALLY wonky. you outta give AppleWin a try.. I think it's a really nice Apple emulator, and might at least give you the better control you want. When I used to work in an office I used to set it to full screen as well as monochrome green on my computer, then set it to run something like Visicalc or Apple Writer. People would pass by and say wtf Edited July 22, 2008 by NE146 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600Lives Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 Now all that's left to do is go through my library of disks and see what works and what doesn't. The machine and all it's software was given to me 11 years ago by a late friend, and I've had scant little time over the years to really sit down and play with it, but from what I've tested over the last week, it seems that most of the disks work great. I've used that particular emulator for years, but I'm wanting a working joystick because the IIe (along with my model 1 TRS-80) is going to be the centerpiece of my display at this year's OVGE convention. I'd like to have a game that uses the 'stick up and running for the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classic Pac Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 If you want to gives some BASIC programs a try, I have been scanning Enter Magazine and nearly every issue does have some programs for the Apple ll. Just PM me if your interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600Lives Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 Well, sweet. Got the joystick to work. Just needed a really good cleaning. It's got these two strange levers on both axes (is that the plural?), almost like adjustable potentiometers. You have to set them differently for different games, but the stick works like magic. Played Moon Patrol and Robotron for a long time (Moon Patrol is WICKED hard in this version). Now I'm gonna go...HUNT THE WUMPUS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 The levers set the center position of the stick. You may have some release switches on the bottom of the stick to let it move freely without centering in one or both axes (think Kaboom here, moving freely on the x axis). On our old one, you have to move the stick all the way to one corner before flipping the release switches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.