CSCHERRER@RUBY.VCU.EDU (06/08/91)
I want to set up an 800k partition on my RAM. I have an Apple //c with 1 Meg of memory on an AE Z-RAM Ultra II. I want to set up an 800k partition so I don't have to buy an 800k Unidisk 3.5 at about $300(new). Some people insist on ShrinkIt(ing) a 3.5 disk as a DISK and not separate files. So inorder for ShrinkIt to recognize an 800k drive in my RAM I need to know from one of YOU out there if it can be done. I have the AE utilities that let me change the size of my RAM partition, but it only seems to do it in 64k blocks. At that rate I would need 12.5 64k blocks. I don't think it can be done with the program PARTITION from AE. A friend of mine on said he could get an 800k RAM partition on his GS, but he did not know how to do it from ProDOS 8. Thanks for your time, Chris Scherrer ____________________________________________________________________________ |Chris Scherrer--------> Increasing his BITNET:cscherrer@vcuruby | | his loan debt daily! INTERNET:cscherrer@ruby.vcu.edu| |Medical College -------------------- | | of Virginia I am in debt. Therefore, I exist to be in debt. --Me. | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
whitewolf@gnh-starport.cts.com (Tae Song) (06/13/91)
|I have an Apple //c with |1 Meg of memory on an AE Z-RAM Ultra II. |I want to set up an 800k partition so I don't have to buy an 800k |Unidisk 3.5 at about $300(new). Some people insist on ShrinkIt(ing) |a 3.5 disk as a DISK and not separate files. So inorder for |ShrinkIt to recognize an 800k drive in my RAM I need to know from |one of YOU out there if it can be done. | | I have the AE utilities that let me change the size of my | RAM partition, but it only seems to do it in 64k blocks. | At that rate I would need 12.5 64k blocks. I don't | think it can be done with the program PARTITION from AE. | |A friend of mine on said he could get an 800k RAM partition on his GS, |but he did not know how to do it from ProDOS 8. | | Thanks for your time, | | Chris Scherrer The GS has the RAMDisk sizing controls in the Control Panel. Sorry, I couldn't help, but it looks like you'll have to either find some one to write a driver for you or write it yourself. INET: whitewolf@gnh-starport.cts.com UUCP: crash!gnh-starport!whitewolf ARPA: crash!gnh-starport!whitewolf@nosc.mil
rhood@pro-gsplus.cts.com (Robert Hood) (06/18/91)
In-Reply-To: message from whitewolf@gnh-starport.cts.com Hmmm - I was just looking over the "800K partition on a 1Meg card" problem and I think I have a solution. However, it's a kluge and would have to be manually adjusted...I think. (Chris Scherrer: I would have addressed this to you, but I didn't see your address.) The problem, IMO, lies in the bitmap. It is rather simple to make the RAMdisk into an 800K version as opposed to a 1024K version - all you have to do is alter the number of blocks available on the disk and adjust the bitmap accordingly. Any copy of _Inside Apple ProDOS_ should give all the information needed - and it works; I did the same thing to make my 5.25" drives run 320 blocks. Making the other 224K usable is another problem altogether. What I suggest, for maximum use of the RAMdisk at least work, is this: Use your AE utility to configure your RAMdisk to 832K. (This is really only needed if the AE utility will create a companion 192K RAMdisk with the rest of the RAM.) The 832K ramdisk will have 1664 blocks - exactly 64 more than you need. You'll have to go in and remove them - make the RAMdisk forget about them. The volume bitmap for that RAMdisk will be 208 bytes long, and resides in block 6 of the RAMdisk. Get a block editor and read that block. I believe free blocks are represented by 1, and used ones by 0. What you have to do is change the last eight $FF bytes (offsets $0C8 through $0CF) to $00 values. Now you have 1600 blocks available - minus the seven used by ProDOS. That's half the battle. Next you have to change the number of blocks recorded as being on the disk from $680 to $640. Unfortunately, there is where my knowledge runs out - it's been too long ago. Try scanning for a hex $06 and see if there's an $80 nearby - I think that's what I did at first. To check to see if those are the right locations to change (once you've found them), compare those values to the same locations on a 5.25" disk - the 5.25 will have $01 and $18 where the RAMdisk has $06 and $80. When you find the right pair, change the $80 to a $40. This will make the RAMdisk truly 800K - you'll lose 32K by this method, unfortunately. There's one other thing I'm worried about - Andy Nicholas can advise you on this, though. I don't know how ShrinkIt determines how to shrink a disk - the entry in the device list will list your RAMdrive _as_ a RAMdrive, and I don't know if ShrinkIt will shrink an 800K RAMdrive identically to an 800K 3.5 drive. (Andy, can you clear this up?) Oh well - if you have questions, email me. Or if you think the echo would benefit, post 'em. However, I answer email more quickly - and more reliably. :) ---- ProLine: rhood@pro-gsplus | "Wherever you go...there you are." Internet: rhood@pro-gsplus.cts.com | -- Buckaroo Banzai UUCP: crash!pro-gsplus!rhood | Wanted: An unZIPper for a II! ARPA: crash!pro-gsplus!rhood@nosc.mil | If you have one, let's chat!
andy@pro-palmtree.cts.com (Andy Stein) (06/21/91)
In-Reply-To: message from rhood@pro-gsplus.cts.com
It's not that hard to make an 800K RAM disk to unshrink a 3.5" disk to.
Just make an 800K RAM disk from the Control Panel, do a Warm Boot (Control
-Open Apple-Option-Reset), and then when the Finder loads, there'll be a
RAM disk on the desktop. Then, just launch ShrinkIt GS, and unshrink the
3.5" disk to the 800K RAM disk (it'll recognize it as if it were a 3.5"
disk drive). Then, either quit to the Finder, or select the RAM disk as
the boot slot from the Control Panel, and either Cold Boot the computer
(Control-Open Apple-Reset) or launch the program from the RAM disk. It'll
work, unless there's a memory conflict or you don't have enough memory.
The 3K used by GS/OS won't be a problem, since 3.5" disks use the same
amount for directory and format information.asong@pro-nbs.cts.com (Andi Song) (06/24/91)
In-Reply-To: message from andy@pro-palmtree.cts.com
What I do is this:
I make a 800K RAM disk before I boot up ProTERM. Then I download an
archive directly to the RAM disk, then I boot up ShrinkIt (8-bit, I only
have 1.25mg RAM) and just unpack from the RAM disk directly to the 3.5"
drive! Really simple. And it works, too! :)
----
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