A few basic tips for new IIe owner

[walterg74]

 

Hi all,

 

Picked up an Apple IIe enhanced, with two Apple 5.25 disk drives.

 

While I did get a CFFA3000, I want to play around with it as is first to learn the ropes...

 

I connected it for now to an LCD tv through the built in composite, shows up as "Apple //e" on boot so, so far so good

 

Some basic Questions for now:

 

1) after prompt and boot logo, seems to be all black and white. Is this correct?

2) cursor is not solid but chequered. What's up with that?

3) tried a very simple program (not even program, statements on a single line)that were supposed to draw color bars but instead of thag I get different chaeacters? What am I doing wrong? (See screenshot attached).

 

Thanks!

[Osgeld]

1) yes

2) the cursor is a checkered pattern on apple IIe and above its normal

3) type in GR first, there's text mode and multiple graphics modes, if you dont set a graphics mode or dont clear the graphics and go back to text mode you will see what you have above (to go back to text mode type in text and bang return)

 

what you will learn is the apple II is really a monochrome machine using bit patterns to fool NTSC into producing color

 

edit: also if you dont already have a super serial card consider one as its very handy to transfer 5.25 inch disk images to floppies, you can also use a network card, which is a bit harder to find but faster, or you can use the cassette tape ports which are built into the desktop models, but fairly slow... SSC's are fairly standard equipment as they were used for apple serial printers.

 

http://adtpro.sourceforge.net/

Edited March 6, 2016 by Osgeld

[walterg74]

Thanks for the reply!

 

While waiting I found more basic stuff and ine of the lines did have the command you said "GR" and using that routine managed to get some color stuff (attached new screenshot).

 

From what I see my apple has the monitor/memory expansion card, the floppy card and seems it has a serial card too.

 

Now for transfering images though, wouldn't thatne easier with the CFA3000 i already bought? (Or even rendering the need moot?).

 

What command do I use to for example list the disc contents of the main drive and then the second drive that is connected to the first one?

Edited March 6, 2016 by walterg74

[Osgeld]

some programs wont play nice on a cffa and its nice to have the option to run stuff from disk, but you are correct its not as needed

 

from dos 3x to list files

CATALOG

 

To change disks

cat,slot,disk so cat,S6,D1 should start reading 5.25 drive 1

 

dos 3.3 wont read prodos disks or drives, but most dos disks are self booting or are plain user data disks, doesnt support directories or mass storage so you wont have to do much more than boot and go

 

from prodos the commands are

CAT (produces a basic listing in 40 columns)

CATALOG (produces an expanded listing in 80 columns, to enter 80 column text mode type in PR#3 (aka print slot 3 where your expansion card should be)

To change disks

1) you can enter BYE which quits basic and returns you to the prodos File tree, arrow keys select files, enter runs them tab switches disks

2) cat,slot,disk so cat,S6,D1 should start reading 5.25 drive 1

 

prefix (directory name) changes directories in prodos as well

Edited March 6, 2016 by Osgeld

[walterg74]

Thanks for all the info!

 

I think I will either need to get a floppy disk or start with the cffa3000 because I only had one disk included and it seems it was damaged in transit (it was sticking out of the drive when I received it).

 

When booting I get "cannot boot prodos". First I thought it was prodos disk (as in the OS) but the lable said it was a copy utility. Now I suspect it's a prodos based program or something like that? Noobs...

 

Edit: had forgotten to attach screnshot before. Added now.

Edited March 6, 2016 by walterg74

[Osgeld]

that's where adt comes in handy lol, if you have the skills and the parts it doesnt take much to knock up a serial cable, of if you have audio cables, you can use the tape ports, ADT will bootstrap the machine without a disk and let you transfer stuff over

 

Also I have no problems making a starter disk and mailing it off, done it a dozen times