cohen@sunybcs.UUCP (Alexander Cohen) (04/19/86)
I have a Tecmar 10 mb Hard drive that I aquired through a macintosh users group. Somebody there had already massaged the system files in order to update it to what was then the most current system,2.2 I believe and included the Hard Disk 20 start- up system file in order to get HFS. This system works fine so far, but I'm beginning to wonder what will happen when I wish to update to the new ROMs which will require a new system. Does anyone out there know where exactly to patch the system, or what resources need to be pasted in with ResEdit in order to get a new system to recognize the MacDrive? I've fiddled with a few but to no avail. Additionally, does anyone know whether the new ROMs will work with the MacDrive. I've already experienced compatability problems due to the hard-wired print driver (there is no way to use the new imagewriter driver for my imagewriterII, as slight hassel but no big deal). I called Tecmar and all they said was it would work but you couldn't get HFS. When I told them I already had HFS they said: "sorry, can't support you on that...". Any help would be most appreciated. ...(bbncca,decvax,dual,rocksvax,watmath,sbcs)!sunybcs!cohen CSNET: cohen@Buffalo.CSNET ARPANET: cohen%Buffalo@csnet-relay.ARPA BITNET: cohen@sunybcs.BITNET ...Alex Cohen
ix21@sdcc6.UUCP (David Whiteman) (04/21/86)
In article <3065@sunybcs.UUCP> cohen@sunybcs.UUCP (Alexander Cohen) writes: > I have a Tecmar 10 mb Hard drive that I aquired through a >macintosh users group. Somebody there had already massaged the >system files in order to update it to what was then the most >current system,2.2 I believe and included the Hard Disk 20 start- >up system file in order to get HFS. ... > Additionally, does anyone know whether the new ROMs will >work with the MacDrive. The same massaging that is necessary to allow the Tecmar MacDrive to read HFS is used to allow the Tecmar to run on the Mac-Plus. You take a the system file which is used with the Mac-Plus (presumably 3.2) and then replace some of the resources which were originally in the older system file that came with the Tecmar using the resource editor. If I recall correctly you take the following resources from the old file and place them into the new system 3.2 file or subsitute if there is a corresponding resource. The actual text on what to replace is posted on Compuserve. INIT #31, the two FIXX resources, the driver named .Tdisc, the driver .print, and the icon resource which looks like the icon for the Tecmar. As the preceeding poster mentioned Tecmar refuses to support or even talk to anyone who does this, but my two of my friends who have Tecmars have sucessfully performed this conversion and have not have had any problems nor disc crashes. The only noted bug is that the print spooling feature will not work if you use the new Imagewriter print resource file meaning that you cannot use the Imagewriter II if you desire print spooling. There is a second way to convert a Tecmar MacDrive in order for it to be used by a MacDrive. Both types of drives that are used in the Tecmar, the Shugart 712-s and the Sysquest 5 meg cartridge, are both SD-506 drives. There is plenty of room in the cabinet for an SD-506 to SASI disk controller card, and this would convert the Tecmar to a SCSI drive which will plug into the MacPlus SCSI port. You now have a SCSI drive which is many times faster than the old Tecmar MacDrive, your Mac now boots automatically without the need for a floppy disc, and you freed up one of your serial ports, but you do lose the print spooling function and of course Tecmar won't support this configuration either. I know of one friend who has done this without difficulty. Of course the third route is to simply sell your Tecmar and use the money to buy another drive. By the way if anyone is interested in buying a slightly used Tecmar MacDrive I have one for sale. -- ---- David Whiteman, University of California, San Diego