**<>**››       POWER USERS' CORNER›       by John Kasupski,  orignally  of› WNYAUG,  and  reprinted by OL' HACKERS› AUG, NY›››      In this article, we will  examine› hardware  and software that is popular› among Atari 8-bit power users. A power› user  is  anyone  who  has done one or› more of the following to  his  or  her› Atari 8 BIT computer system:›› *  Installed  a  RAM  upgrade (256K or› more) and USES the extra  RAM  (either› as  a  RAMdisk,  or for programming in› BASIC XE, or for running utilities  or› applications    that    require    the› additional RAM)›› * Connected a hard drive›› * Connected an MIO (or Black Box), one› of which is basically necessary to add› a hard drive anyway, but...››      Anyone  who  has  and uses one or› more (or all!) of the above is a power› user.  Simple?  Well,  not really. You› also need to have the proper  software› to  let you take advantage of all this› neat hardware.For  most  of  us,  this› begins  with the right DOS. By far the› most popular DOS among power users  is› SpartaDOS,   either   the   disk-based› version (3.2) or  the  cartridge-based› version  (SpartaDOS  X).  It   doesn't› matter  which version you use, as long› as you've been weaned  from  the  menu› environment  prevalent with most other› DOS   types   such  as  DOS  2.0S/2.5,› SmartDOS, MyDOS, etc.››      There is other software available› which  takes  advantage  of power-user› type   hardware,   and  "Power  Users'› Corner" will examine  theold  and  the› new  software, as well as the hardware› itself. And, believe me, there  is  an› unbelievable  amount  of  software out› there, if you know where to look.››      But for this issue,  we're  going› to  look  at  a  piece  of   hardware,› because  there  might  be  people  out› there  who  are  reading  this and are› feeling left out because  they  aren't› power  users,  and  we want them to be› able to  join  the  ranks.  So,  we're› going to talk about the MIO.›› HARDWARE REVIEW››      MIO  stands for Multi-I/O and was› manufactured by ICD, Inc., a  familiar› name  to  power  users since they also› manufatured   SpartaDOS,   the    U.S.› Doubler upgrade for Atari 1050 drives,› the R-Time 8 cart, and  several  other› neat toys that frequently show up in a› power user's computer room.››        ICD      unfortunately      has› discontinued  its line of products for› the 8 BIT, but the MIO  can  still  be› purchased as a used item (and now from› FINE TOONED Engineering),  and  it  is› well worth the investment of from $125› to $200 you  can  expect  to  pay  for› one.››      Why  is  a  MIO  worth  that much› money as a used item? The  key  is  in› what  it  adds  to  your system: self-› refreshed   RAM   (either  256K  or  1› megabyte, depending on the  model  you› get),  industry  standard  RS232   and› parallel  interfaces  (read:   printer› port  and  modem port), the ability to› reconfigure drives  from  an  internal› ROM-based  menu,  and  perhaps best of› all, a SASI/SCSI interface that allows› you  to  connect  a hard drive to your› Atari.››      The MIO has its own power  supply› and  connects  to  the  parallel   bus› interface  on the 800XL/1200XL, or the› cartridge ECI ports on the 130XE.  For› the  130XE  you  also  need an adaptor› board, which is about the  size  of  a› pack  of  cigarettes   and   has   two› cartridge  ports  on  it. The MIO will› connect directly to an XL without  the› adaptor. The 130XE adaptor for the MIO› used to cost about $20.00 from ICD,  I› got  mine along with my MIO so I can't› tell  you  how  much  it  costs  used,› however, if someone sells  you  a  MIO› and  they  have  an adaptor, make sure› you get it if you  have  a  130XE  (or› intend to get one!!)››      Since  the  MIO has its own power› supply, the contents of the MIO ram is› not lost when you turn off your Atari.› Only a total power failure (or turning› the MIO itself off) will erase the MIO› RAM's contents. You can leave the  MIO› on  while  the  computer  is  off (the› power consumption is negligible - only› a  watt  or  two in its active state),› and the MIO's refresh oscillator  will› keep  the  contents  of its RAM intact› while the computer is off.››      The MIO RAM  can  be  used  as  a› RAMdisk  or  as  a printer spooler, or› both. The 256K MIO can have either one› 256K  RAmdisk  with no spooler, or use› both the spooler and a  RAMdisk,  with› the RAM divided between the two in 32K› increments.   The   1-Meg  MIO  allows› partitioning the RAM into two or  more› RAMdisks, with or without a spooler.››       The    printer    port    allows› connecting  any  Centronics   parallel› printer,  which  can  be configured as› either P1: or P2: as desired, and  the› RS-232  port  allows connecting modems› that use in RS-232 port, allowing  the› MIO  to  also take the place of an 850› Interface, P: R: connection, etc.  The› modem  port  can be configured as R1:,› R2:, or R3: as desired.››      The MIO's internal ROM includes a› configuration  menu  that lets you set› the parameters  for  the  printer  and› modem    ports   and   RAMdisk/spooler› functions. It also lets you  configure› the  system  for  up  to  eight   disk› drives,  which  can  be floppy drives,› hard   drive   partitions,   or    MIO› RAmdisks.  Any  physical  drive can be› configured to respond as  any  logical› drive  number,  and  you can swap them› around at will.   This lets  you  boot› from  ANY  drive   in   your   system,› including  the  MIO  RAMdisk.  You can› easily swap  drives  around  and  boot› from  a  floppy drive one time, a hard› drive  partition  the  next,  the  MIO› RAMdisk another time,  and  so  on  as› needed by your system requirements.››      As  far  as   hard   drives   are› concerned,  the MIO menu lets you save› the configuration that you've  set  up› in  the  MIO Configuration menu to the› physical hard drive on LUN 0,0 (if you› don't  know  what  this   means,   you› needn't  worry  about  it...though you› can find out from  your  local  users'› group!),  so that you can safely power› down the MIO secure in  the  knowledge› that  the  next  time  you  boot  your› system,  the  MIO  will  load  its own› previously saved  configuration  right› off  of the hard drive during the boot› process...saving you  the  trouble  of› having    to    re-enter    all   that› information   in   the   configuration› menu.››      The  MIO  can  be  used  with   a› variety of disk operating systems, but› SpartaDOS   is   the    most    highly› recommended  (either  3.2  or  the   X› cart). The MIO will also work with the› better alternatives such as MyDOS 4.5,› BUT  there  is a reason wny most power› users prefer SpartaDOS...››      This brings us to  the  SCSI/SASI› port.  In  addition  to  all the above› features, the MIO  also  serves  as  a› host adaptor and interface that allows› you to connect SCSI or SASI type  hard› disk drives to your Atari 8 BIT! There› have  been  a  few  articles  in  club› newsletters in the past extolling  the› virtues  of  having   a   hard   drive› connected  to  your Atari, and we will› NOT repeat them  all  here.  We  will,› however,  point  out that a hard drive› represents   perhaps   the    ULTIMATE› addition  to  your  system,  providing› unbeatable    storage   capacity   and› instant access to  incredible  amounts› of software and data.›› SOFTWARE REVIEW›      There is also a ShareWare utility› called   MIO_INIT.COM    written    by› LVAUG's Ed Bachman, that lets you save› and load multiple MIO  configurations,› which  you  can  then  load   from   a› SpartaDOS  batch  file.   The   latest› version  of  MIO_INIT  will load a new› MIO configuration from  a  batch  file› WITHOUT    terminating    batch   file› execution, giving  you  the  power  to› load  from  batch  files,  custom  MIO› configurations    tailored   to   each› application.››      The value of this is not  readily› obvious  to  non-power users. MIO_INIT› makes it  possible  to  load  one  MIO› configuration  along  with  your  word› processor (setting up a print spooler,› for  example),  but  use  an  entirely› different configuration with your term› program  (such  as  a large RAMdisk to› save your capture buffer to). All this› can be done from batch files, once you› have     saved      the      necessary› configurations to your hard drive. You› may never need to enter the  MIO  menu› again!›› CONCLUSION››      There are countless MIO utilities› available as  P.D.  or  ShareWare.  Ed› Bachman  has written several of these,› and they're all useful items  to  have› around.  If  you  use  a MIO regularly› then   I   suggest   you  get  on  the› A.C.U.T.E.   BBS   and  download  Ed's› utilities if you haven't obtained them› already.››      Ed's  program  range   from   the› simple (a utility to call the MIO menu› from the SpartaDOS  Command  line)  to› the  complex (a HD directory formatter› that automatically maps  out  any  bad› sectors    on    that   partition   by› allocating   them  to  a  file  called› SECTORS.BAD),   with   a   number   of› excellent  utilities  in between. I've› found many of them useful.››      › Editor's   Note:   This   POWER  USERS› CORNERS is NOT a  proprietary  column,› and  I  do  NOT  expect to write every› installment. In  other  words,  others› are  welcome  and encouraged to submit› reviews, tips and  tricks,  and  other› articles  pertaining to the subject of› this feature. So, all you Power  Users› out   there,   fire   up   your   word› processors and WRITE!!!›                **<>**        ››