[CarmenLi]

Hi there,

I am trying to do serial bootstrapping to this Apple IIc Plus. I am at the formatting step. However, the computer keeps telling me to check the disk and the drive door. I have checked both and tried a dozen working disks but still failed

Any help is appreciated.

Carmen

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by CarmenLi 

Hi there,

I am trying to do serial bootstrapping to this Apple IIc Plus. I am at the formatting step. However, the computer keeps telling me to check the disk and the drive door. I have checked both and tried a dozen working disks but still failed

Any help is appreciated.

Carmen

Well, you won't have very much luck here, as this is mainly a Macintosh forum. You're asking about non-Macintosh computers. But, I think you'll have a lot more luck asking places like:

A2 Central
The Vintage Computer Forums

Good luck.

[Big Mac]

Pretty cool to get a question like this around here in 2009.

[CarmenLi]

Originally Posted by Person Man 

Well, you won't have very much luck here, as this is mainly a Macintosh forum. You're asking about non-Macintosh computers. But, I think you'll have a lot more luck asking places like:

A2 Central
The Vintage Computer Forums

Good luck.

Thanks!

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

Pretty cool to get a question like this around here in 2009.

I agree. I'm going to KansasFest (usually called KFest) again this year, which is the 20th year they've held it. It's the longest-running Apple II-related conference around.

[reader50]

Originally Posted by CarmenLi 

I am trying to do serial bootstrapping to this Apple IIc Plus. I am at the formatting step. However, the computer keeps telling me to check the disk and the drive door. I have checked both and tried a dozen working disks but still failed.

What do you mean by "serial bootstrapping" - are you connecting two drives, and trying to format/boot from the 2nd connected drive?

The Apple II's will map up-to-two 3.5" drives to slot 5, and up-to-two 5.25" drives to slot 6. Since the internal drive counts as one of the drives, only one more of the same size will be accepted externally. If memory serves, the IIc+ came with a 3.5" internal, so if you connect two more externally, only the first will work.

[CarmenLi]

I am sorry. I am just using the internal drive.

[reader50]

Could you explain then in more detail what you are trying to do? "serial bootstrapping" isn't ringing any bells for me.

[CarmenLi]

Originally Posted by reader50 

Could you explain then in more detail what you are trying to do? "serial bootstrapping" isn't ringing any bells for me.

I want to bootstrap an otherwise unadorned Apple II computer from no software whatsoever to booting images found on the internet using a serial connection.

ADTPro - ADTPro Project Page

I followed the steps and stuck at the disk formatting step.

Thanks for the help!

[reader50]

I assume you are following the steps to start from bare metal and are stuck at step #11? You have inserted a blank 3.5" diskette into the internal drive, and given the format command? At which point it tells you there is no diskette found, please check for disk or drive door being closed?

[CarmenLi]

Originally Posted by reader50 

I assume you are following the steps to start from bare metal and are stuck at step #11? You have inserted a blank 3.5" diskette into the internal drive, and given the format command? At which point it tells you there is no diskette found, please check for disk or drive door being closed?

The error I got is after I input Y for formatting the disk, it asked me to check the disk and the derive door. Thanks again

[reader50]

It's almost certainly a physical problem with the drive - they're around 20 years old now. Hopefully, it's just dust accumulation. Those drive types (3.5" or 5.25") did not have doors to keep dust out. You can try using compressed air to blow out the drive. They also used to make special head-cleaning diskettes, but those could prove hard to come by today.

If blowing it out doesn't do the trick, you might have to disassemble the drive to clean the internals manually. Or there may be an actual mechanical failure, which would force you to replace the drive or use an external. Let's hope it is just dust. Blow out the entire drive if possible - the heads certainly, but also the disk sensors which detect if a diskette is present. Both have to be clean for the drive to work properly.

[CarmenLi]

Originally Posted by reader50 

It's almost certainly a physical problem with the drive - they're around 20 years old now. Hopefully, it's just dust accumulation. Those drive types (3.5" or 5.25") did not have doors to keep dust out. You can try using compressed air to blow out the drive. They also used to make special head-cleaning diskettes, but those could prove hard to come by today.

If blowing it out doesn't do the trick, you might have to disassemble the drive to clean the internals manually. Or there may be an actual mechanical failure, which would force you to replace the drive or use an external. Let's hope it is just dust. Blow out the entire drive if possible - the heads certainly, but also the disk sensors which detect if a diskette is present. Both have to be clean for the drive to work properly.

There is an old game in a disk which I am able to play using the Apple2c. Does that mean that the reader is fine?
Thanks!

[reader50]

Sounds like the drive is able to read disks, but not to write to them. Formatting requires writing. I'd still suspect dust and/or damage. It could be head alignment too - where the write head no longer aligns with the read heat, so a track format fails verification.

Go ahead and blow the drive out. It's unlikely to hurt anything, and it just might work. If it doesn't work, things get complicated.