🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Dec14.132258.11708@crc.ac.uk>, naffara@crc.ac.uk (Dr. N.A.
Affara) writes:
>I have just got a second hand Mega ST4 + hard disk (SH205).
>I am well chuffed with it!!!!
>
>But I have a few (ok, lots of) questions:-
>1. The desktop info says copyright 1986,1987. Is this TOS 1.0 or 1.2?
>2. What fixes will I need for this, and also for 1.4 which is in my ST?
>3. What programs/files do I need to keep the hard disk working?
>   (eg ahdi.prg (?) + HD???.???)
>   (The basic programs to make it work, and anything to format it etc.)
>4. Ratehd.prg tells me the SH205 has an Adaptec 4000/4070 controller, 88 ms 
>   seek rate (pretty crap!) and 299Kb/sec transfer rate. How does the transfer
>   rate compare with other hard disks (like a Protar which I am going to get)
>   and also floppies?
>5. It has a blitter, but I haven't opened it up (yet!) to see what else there
>   is. (eg VME (?) or whatever you call it). If it has got one, what can I put
>   in it?
>6. It is suprising how fast you can fill up 20 megs, especially when just the
>   fonts for Timeworks take up 5 megs!
>7. Will a cache of some kind speed up the HD? (I am still not satisfied!)
>   If so, which programs are recommended?
>8. Is it possible to upgrade the mega to TOS 1.4? (how, cost, is it worth it?)
>9. Anything else I should get or know?
>
>Thanks for taking the trouble to get this far :-)
>Phil
>(E-mail naffara@uk.ac.crc)
>(or maybe naffara@crc.ac.uk)
>-- 
>Kryten (When Cat says why don't we raise the defensive shields?) "A
superlative
>suggestion sir,with only two drawbacks: one,we don't have any defensive
shields
>and two,we don't have any defensive shields.I know that,technically,that's
only
>one drawback,but it was such a big one I thought I'd mention it twice".
Mega's original came with TOS 1.2, so that is what you have.  TOS 1.4's last
copyright date should be 1989, plus it would be hard not to see the rainbow
effect on the Atari logo (assuming you have color).

You'll need folderxxx.prg or else all folders on the HD will wreak havoc.

You don't have a VME, but you do have an internal DMA for things like internal
hard discs.  To tell you the truth, an Atari hard disc will have a lousy seek
rate...period.  If you can afford it, try getting a SCSI HD with an ICD host
adaptor; you won't be sorry.  Also, I would chuck Timworks in favor of
PageStream or Calamus... just my opinion, of course.

Yes, you can upgrade to TOS 1.4; I did it just a few days ago.  It cost me
about $60 installed.

I recommend you get an alternate desktop like NeoDesk.  It will make your life
a whole lot easier.  Get a floppy formatter like FCopy Pro that will allow you
to format MS-DOS, more that 80 tracks, etc.  The desktop disc formatter/copier
stinks!  Universal Item Selector would also help since the built in selector
smells even worse.

Get a boot up utility like Superboot so you can have different configurations
in not time.  You'll need it if you are going to use GDOS.