笳 Do you like this little hack? Send a nice postcard to:
Valentina Pavia
Via Mancini 19
10131 Torino
Italy
(don窶冲 forget to put your name and address on it, so I can add you to my registered users database).
窶「 Instructions
笳 Set Startup is an alternative to Apple窶冱 standard Startup Disk control panel. Its main advantage is that you can change your startup disk even if the new one is not currently mounted on the desktop. The disk is chosen by SCSI ID, where SCSI 0 usually represents your Mac窶冱 internal hard disk.
笳 The Highest SCSI button makes the Mac boot from the highest SCSI device that contains valid system software.
笳 The RAM disk button makes the Mac boot from its RAM disk if there窶冱 a bootable system on it. This has not been tested on all Macs; if your Mac doesn窶冲 boot from its RAM Disk, please send me the 窶徭ettings窶 numbers that you see in Set Startup after choosing the RAM Disk as the startup device in Apple窶冱 standard Startup Disk control panel.
笳 PowerBook hint: if you boot from the RAM disk and unmount your hard disk by dragging it to the trash, the disk will never spin up again and you窶冤l save some battery life (everything you need should be inside the RAM disk, of course). You can then use Set Startup to reset the startup disk to SCSI 0, and you窶冤l be back to the usual startup disk at next restart (this saves you one restart, because Apple窶冱 Startup Device control panel won窶冲 display your hard disk if it窶冱 not mounted).
窶「 Version history
笳 1.3 - Added support for new Macs and RAM Disks, and cool new online docs
笳 1.2 - Recompiled with latest version of the compiler and updated documentation
笳 1.1 - Fixed dialog and docs, first public release
笳 1.0 - Never released, just a hack for myself
窶「 Distribution
笳 Set Startup is ツゥ1994 Alessandro Levi Montalcini. It can be freely distributed as long as it is not modified and there窶冱 no charge for it, but it may not be included in any commercial package without my consent.
笳 You may find the latest version of all my shareware programs by anonymous ftp to ftp.alpcom.it, inside the /software/mac/LMontalcini directory. The complete ShareDisk package, which contains all my stuff and can be registered at a very low price, is also available there.
笳 All online services and bulletin boards may make it available to their users at no charge other than the normal connection fees.
笳 All non-profit user groups may distribute it at no charge.
笳 All magazines may publish it on floppy disk without asking me first, as long as I get a copy of the issue containing my software.
笳 All CD-ROM shareware collections and CD-ROM magazines may include it without my prior consent, as long as I get either a copy of the CD-ROM or an offer to buy the CD-ROM at a discounted price.
笳 All redistribution companies such as Educorp may distribute it, as long as I get a copy of each media containing my software and a catalog of the company窶冱 offerings (where applicable).
窶「 Disclaimer
笳 Set Startup shouldn窶冲 cause any damage, but you窶决e using it at your own risk. As an independent software developer, I can make no warranties whatsoever on it.