[comp.sys.mac.misc] Swapping Internal for External disk contents

grant@cft.philips.nl (Joe Grant) (08/31/90)

Hello netters,

  I have a question concerning installing A/UX 2.0. I just received
  a call from our local Apple center to say our copy of 2.0 is on
  its way. The system that we have is a Mac II with A/UX 1.0 installed
  on the internal 80MB drive (it was preinstalled when we got the
  machine) and the MacOS related files on an external 80MB drive.
  What I am hoping to do is reverse the situation. I'd like to have
  A/UX on the external, that way I can take it to any other Mac in
  the area that's capable of running A/UX. What I had planned to do is
  reformat the internal as a standard MacOS drive. Copy the
  external to the internal by selecting all the top level folders on
  the external and dragging them to the internal. Change the name of the 
  external to some interim name, change the name of the internal to the old
  name of the external - so that the likes of HyperCard can find their stacks.
  Then follow the A/UX installation procedure with the external as the target.
  Does this sound like the correct way to tackle the problem or am I missing 
  something vital?

  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  Thanks,

  Joe Grant

-- 
Joe Grant,                       Telex     : 35000 phtc nl/nlmtfarr
Philips B.V., Building HKJ-p833, Telefax   : (31.40.7)37222
P.O. Box 218, 5600 MD Eindhoven, E-mail    : grant@nlccl.cft.philips.nl
The Netherlands.                 Telephone : (31.40.7)34382

russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto) (09/01/90)

In article <1461@philtis.cft.philips.nl> grant@cft.philips.nl (Joe Grant) writes:
>
>  Does this sound like the correct way to tackle the problem or am I missing 
>  something vital?

Your procedure sounded correct-- you need to back up important files on your
1.0 aux disk first, but fortunately, Apple's update software doesn't require
any of the old software (first step is to reformat the old hard disk, after
backing up your files).
But wouldn't it be simpler to just swap the physical drive mechanisms?
--
Matthew T. Russotto	russotto@eng.umd.edu	russotto@wam.umd.edu
      .sig under construction, like the rest of this campus.

herbw@midas.WR.TEK.COM (Herb Weiner) (09/01/90)

In article <1461@philtis.cft.philips.nl> grant@cft.philips.nl (Joe Grant) writes
> Copy the external to the internal by selecting all the top level folders
> on the external and dragging them to the internal.

This will ALMOST work.  If there are any references on your external drive to
other folders by Directory ID (DirID) rather than by path name (the Apple
recommended approach), these references will become scrambled, since the
Finder will assign new Directory ID's when copying the files.  I got (mildly)
burned by this when I backed up my disk, formatted with Silver Lining, then
restored (so that I could mount the HFS volume on A/UX).  The two things
that I've found (so far) that reference folders by DirID are SuitCase II
and AppleLink.  I will probably be finding others over the next several
months.  (Note: I used DiskFit's Disk Duplicate function rather than a 
Finder Copy, but I suspect a Finder Copy would have the same problem.)

If you DO use a Finder Copy, make sure you have plenty of memory.  (Don't
do this under MultiFinder, or you may run out of memory halfway through.)

Herb Weiner (herbw@midas.WR.TEK.COM)