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AOL File Library: 2,801 to 2,900
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TAWUG
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TAWUG Disk No. 66 (SHK)
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TAWUG66.shk
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PRODOS.INTRO
(
.txt
)
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AppleWorks Document
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1988-03-11
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14KB
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200 lines
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rofessional
perating
ystem):
K With the advent of larger disk drives and affordable hard disk drives J
Hfor the Apple II line, came the need for a more sophisticated DOS (disk K
Ioperating system), which could keep track of the vastly increased number M
Kof files which can be saved on an 800 K three and one-half inch disk, not M
Kto mention on even larger (10 Meg or more) hard drives. When you get that M
Klarge a number of files, it becomes hard for the human who created them to H
Fremember what the files contain, without a system of categorizing the +
files and keeping similar files together.M
K The easiest way to envision what ProDOS does is to think of each disk L
Jas a file cabinet into which a number of file folders can be put. Inside K
Ieach file folder would be a number of related files--for example, a file E
Ccabinet containing personnel files (analogous to the disk itself), L
Jorganized into folders (called directories and subdirectories in ProDOS), B
each folder containing a bunch of files about a single employee.I
G Each ProDOS disk, then, contains a root directory, similar to the E
Ccatalog on a DOS 3.3 disk or an index to the folders within a file A
?cabinet. Opening the file cabinet you would find file folders I
G(directories) and perhaps some loose files not yet stored in folders. J
HEach of the directories (folders) can contain one or more files and the H
directories (folders) can even contain other folders (subdirectories)
Iwithin them--inside of which would be found files. There is no law that G
Esays a folder MUST contain at least one file, but it would be rather K
Iinefficient to store empty folders (empty directories or subdirectories) #
in an actively used file cabinet.M
K OK, now let's assume we've set up this file cabinet (disk) with 30 or K
I40 folders (directories) in it, each of which contains several files and K
Isome of which even contain folders-within-folders (subdirectories) which J
Hthen contain some files. How do we find the one single file we want to M
Klook at right now. Simple: each file is defined by a pathname which looks
somewhat like this:
/MY.DISK/MY.FIRST.FOLDER/MY.INNER.FOLDER/JOE.BLOW.FILE/
FTo find that specific file, you must know the entire pathname for the L
Jfile, whether you are trying to locate it within another program, such as G
EAppleWorks or Apple Access, or even if "JOE.BLOW.FILE" is actually a K
Iprogram itself and you want to run that particular program. For example, L
JAppleWorks will oftentimes ask you to "type entire pathname" for a file. M
KOr, assuming JOE.BLOW.FILE is itself a program which can be run, to run it
you would have to type:?
RUN /MY.DISK/MY.FIRST.FOLDER/MY.INNER.FOLDER/JOE.BLOW.FILE/I
G If you had to type the entire pathname for a file nested several L
subdirectories deep, each time you wanted to use the file, that could get
Eannoying pretty fast, so ProDOS has a provision for setting PREFIX. J
HSupposing you are going to be working on several files contained within H
FMY.INNER.FOLDER, which is, itself contained in MY.FIRST.FOLDER on MY. -
DISK. As a shortcut, you could then type :
PREFIX /MY.DISK/MY.FIRST.FOLDER/MY.INNER.FOLDER/
HBy setting the PREFIX, you now only have to type in the the name of the E
Cfile you are interested in, so long as it is contained within that
particular nest of folders.L
J To get back out to the root directory (main disk catalog), you would
only have to type:
PREFIX /MY.DISK/G
EIf you can't remember what prefix you set, typing PREFIX followed by
RETURN will(
show the current PREFIX on the screen.
C While this business of directories, subdirectories, files and L
Jprefixes may sound complex initially, it really is a necessity even on an K
I800K ( 3 1/2 inch disk). Imagine trying to find JOE.BLOW.FILE if you had L
Jto sort through hundreds of unsorted pieces of paper just stuck at random
into the file cabinet!!
J Aside from the hierarchical structure ( files within folders within H
folders...etc.), ProDOS isn't much different from DOS 3.3 (phew!!!).I
G The same commands (RUN, CATALOG, LOAD, SAVE, LIST, LOCK, UNLOCK, I
GDELETE, BRUN, BLOAD, BSAVE) still work, essentially the same as in DOS J
H3.3, so long as you remember to type in the entire pathname of the file L
Jyou want these DOS commands to apply to--either by manually typing in the K
Ientire pathname OR by presetting an appropriate PREFIX and then typing M
Konly that part of the pathname (called, appropriately, "partial pathname") &
which is not included in the PREFIX.
J Another command which is available under ProDOS but not DOS 3.3 is G
ECREATE which allows you to create the directories and subdirectories I
G(folders and folders-within-folders) into which you will eventually be
putting files.
ProDOS also has a few nice shortcuts built in. You can type:
H CAT instead of catalog and get a 40 column version of the catalog H
Fdisplayed on the screen. You can still use the command CATALOG under L
JProDOS (it will get you an 80 column version of the catalog) but CAT is a @
lot shorter and easier to type, especially for us non-typists.
I And you can use a dash (-) , followed by the program name, to run a
program.
For example:4
PREFIX /MY DISK/MY.FIRST.FOLDER/MY.INNER.FOLDER/
- JOE.BLOW.FILE {runs JOE.BLOW.FILE}
To initialize a ProDOS disk :
Boot up using a system master disk which contains ProDOS on it.K
I Enter the System Utilities and choose FORMAT DISK. Once the disk is H
Fformatted, it can be used as a data disk, but will NOT boot by itself I
Gunless you then (remember you have formatted it but not initialized it
yet):K
I Copy ProDOS to the newly formatted disk and then copy a .SYSTEM type F
Dfile to the disk--if you want the disk to be used for running BASIC -
programs then copy BASIC.SYSTEM to the diskK
I If you want the disk to boot up then run a greeting program like the F
hello program used in DOS 3.3 section, simply follow the same steps:
type NEW$
type 10 PRINT CHR$(4); "CAT"G
E type SAVE STARTUP {note that proDOS greeting programs must be .
called STARTUP, NOT HELLO--OR ANYTHING ELSE}
INote: If you are using AppleWorks, there is a command which allows you G
Eto format a disk (AppleWorks is a Pro-DOS based program) from within M
KAppleWorks. However, a disk formatted in this fashion can NEVER be made to E
Cboot on its own, not even if you copy ProDOS and BASIC.SYSTEM onto H
Fit--unless of course, you erase the disk by reformatting it from your M
KSystem Utilities disk--but then you would lose everything you had saved on I
Gthe disk before you reformatted it--a rather drastic solution. If you M
Kthink you might like your AppleWorks disks to be bootable (for example, to I
Genable you to catalog them to see what's on them without having to run M
KAppleWorks to check their contents) it is easier to follow the steps above H
Fand format the disk directly from ProDOS (using your system utilities H
Fdisk) , copying ProDOS and BASIC.SYS, and writing the startup program J
Hlisted above. A disk formatted in this fashion can always be used as a >
data disk for AppleWorks, but will boot on its own, as well.
I In the case of both DOS 3.3 and ProDOS most of the commands listed G
Eabove are available from within the System Utilities program on your M
KSystem Utilities disk. The System Utilities have some additional features, K
in addition, such as the ability to COPY files from one disk to another
Kor from one directory/subdirectory on the same disk into another directory M
Kor subdirectory on the disk, the ability to CONVERT files from DOS 3.3 to K
IProDOS and vice versa {files, especially programs, so converted may need L
Jsome modification before they will work--see your manual} and the ability K
Ito COPY (DUPLICATE) an ENTIRE DISK--this will work only with disks that M
Kare not copy-protected and involves reformatting the target disk, thereby (
erasing everything on the target disk.
G Note: for those people using the DOS 3.3 system master, the copy M
Kfiles function is done by running a binary program called FID ---type BRUN I
GFID at the ] cursor and the copy disk function is done by running (not K
IBRUNning) a program called COPYA --type RUN COPYA at the ] cursor. So, J
Hif someone tells you to "use COPYA" to copy a given disk or to "FID" a H
given file from one disk to another, you will now know what they mean.
HOW DO I GET STORE-BOUGHT PROGRAMS TO RUN ON MY APPLE?
K OK, you say, so now I know about all these fancy terms like RAM, ROM, G
EDOS 3.3 and ProDOS, but what I really want to do is simply run this +
program I just bought. How do I do that?
J 1) First, read the directions that came with the program (at least the M
Kpart about getting started)--this may sound like a drag, but some programs K
Irequire you to boot the back-side of disk one to start out or have some %
other quirk you need to know about.M
K 2) Insert the disk, label side up into drive one (or the internal drive
on your Apple IIc)$
3) Turn the computer's power on.
I Apple IIe/IIc owners have another method they can use to reboot, as L
Jwell. {Obviously, this one won't work on a II+, because the II + does not
have an Open-Apple key!!}:K
I If you have been working with one program and are finished and want L
Jto switch to another program, you don't really have to turn the power off !
and then back on, you can just:K
I 1) take out the first program's disk(s) and replace it with the second
program's disk(s)K
I 2)Then, simultaneously, press control-OpenApple-Reset {all three keys M
Kat once} and then release. This should cause the disk drive light turn on M
Kand the disk to start whirring. Soon, you should see the second program's "
starting screen on your monitor.
A FEW FINAL TIPS:M
K The power switch and the power supply on any computer are its weakest K
Ilinks. One way to avoid the annoyance of having a computer which doesn't L
Jwork simply because the on-off switch doesn't work, is to use an external K
Ipower strip between the wall socket and the computer. Turn the power on J
Hand off at the power strip, rather than at the computer {obviously this M
Kmeans that the computer's on-off switch must be left ON} and you will save J
Ha lot of wear and tear on your Apple's power switch. Whether you use a H
Fsimple power strip or one which has a surge suppressor built in, is a H
Fhighly moot point. Personally, I have never seen the need for buying K
Isurge suppressors, but I know some people who swear by them. It's up to
you....
F Another word of warning, never remove a disk from the disk drive M
Kwhile the drive's in use light is on-aside from potentially "trashing" the K
Idata on the disk, you may also tear/scratch the disk itself. A torn or L
Jscratched disk is useless--the data on it is probably irretrievably lost! M
K{I've seen disks get trashed to the point where some data is irretrievable M
Klost, but I've never ACTUALLY seen one torn/scratched by removing it while K
Ithe drive is on--but the folklore says you can do it--SO I WOULDN'T RISK
IT IF I WERE YOU.}
H Furthermore, never,never hit RESET, CONTROL-RESET, or CONTROL-OPEN M
KAPPLE-RESET while the drive's in use light is on, because you run the risk L
Jof "trashing" the disk--that is, so badly scrambling the data on the disk G
Ethat you may never be able to get it to work properly again--you can H
Freinitialize such a "trashed" disk and use it again, but the data [OR G
Eworse yet the program(s)] on it will be permanently erased if you do
reinitialize the disk.
C BEFORE YOU EITHER REINITIALIZE A TRASHED DISK OR THROW AWAY A L
JTORN/SCRATCHED ONE, IF IT HAS VALUABLE INFORMATION ON IT, CHECK WITH YOUR M
KAPPLE DEALER--HE MAY HAVE {SOFTWARE} TOOLS WHICH CAN SALVAGE AT LEAST PART H
FOF THE DATA. If you are a particularly adventuresome soul, you might L
Jconsider getting a program like Copy II Plus, which, when used in concert L
Jwith information from the books Beneath Apple DOS (for DOS 3.3 disks) and M
KBeneath Apple ProDos (for ProDOS disks), may enable you to salvage trashed K
Idisks or files. Just remember: if you don't know what you are doing and M
Kyou use this method of salvaging data, you may make things even worse--and J
Hmake the data totally irretrievable. I just mention these alternatives K
Ibecause I have found them useful in the past (and undoubtedly will do so H
Fagain in the future)--but I have also managed to royally mess up some J
Hdisks I was trying to salvage,too--so it is best to try this out before E
you need it on a backup copy of a disk--not your only copy of some
Kvaluable data. OR if you have any doubts, let someone who knows what they <
are doing try to fix the problem (e.g. your Apple Dealer).