[net.micro.apple] DOS 3.3 & Hard drives

D7314@UWAVM.BITNET (11/03/86)

Date:         Sun, 2 Nov 86 16:51 PST
From:         Patrick Ryan <D7314@UWAVM>
Subject:      DOS 3.3 & Hard drives
To:           Apple Mailing list <INFO-APPLE@BRL.ARPA>

================================================================================
> From:           CHRISTOPHER CHUNG <ST802414%BROWNVM.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
> Subject:      softerm II and hard drives.
> To:  INFO-APPLE@BRL.ARPA

> Does anyone know how to modify Softerm II to work on a hard drive?
> I called Softronics technical support and they said it couldn't be done
> because DOS 3.3 cannot be run on a hard drive.  This sounds very funny
> to me.  The problem I am having is that I cannot load any of the
> configurations once I get softerm to boot.  Anything that has to access
> the hard drive gives an I/O error.  Anyone know why this is happening
> or how it can be fixed?  Are there any other programs that you have
> encountered that do the same thing.

> Chris


Well, I don't know about how to fix it, but they weren't lying when they
said DOS 3.3 wouldn't work with a hard disk.  Usually, hard disks have their
own DOS's (ie Corvus DOS).  The reason is pretty obvious... DOS 3.3 accesses
153(?) K of disk space, since thats all a SSSD disk could handle when 3.3 was
invented oh-so-many years ago.  Softerm won't be the only program that has
this problem either... many copy programs won't do DOS 3.3 ---> hard disk for
the same reason.

                            Patrick Ryan
                            D7314@UWAVM.BITNET