ScuzzBlog: Diaries 2018 March 12: Entry 1818: scuzzblog: Post: 4 GEOS - I only wanted to create a backup disk OK this may end up getting a little confusing. I really wasn't having much luck today and by 5 o'clock I still hadn't had lunch. The reason... floppy drives and GEOS I guess. Mostly GEOS. The OS is great but at times the combination of computer, mouse and floppy drive can be critical to it working. I was having issues with the main System disk booting and so swapped out for the 1571. Then with a failed disk I used the backup which had been customised to use the 1351 mouse. So I pretty well had to swap out everything almost half way through. My aim today was to create a backup of the Applications disk. If you know how the 5.25" disks work they are double sided. You literally just flip them over. However to get a double sided working you need to cut a notch in the side of the outer casing so that the drive will write to it. Not hard. The GEOS disks are self notched but you cannot copy the actual GEOS boot disk. The problem I have with disks is that I didn't create a lot of them and they have been customised to suit differing folks set ups. Programs like GEOS were in their infancy in these days and the old pointy clicky interface was not widely used. Anyway, what should have been a 30 minute task to create the copy of the Applications disk took all afternoon. And I apologise if the following is a little garbled..... Trust me it was !! This all started cus I found this leaflet regarding the 1350 mouse for the 128 Computer. And trust me this is nothing like the Amiga mouse And this my 1351 Mouse in its box which holds a load of GEOS stuff You can run a NEOS also with GEOS Spare GEOS manual I make notes in The folder with my main disks OK Booting first the System disk That shouldn't happen.. Bugga Fortunately I have a Back-up I also have my GEOS from the 1351 box Don't worry I have loads of GEOS disks This is where I flip the disk over But first I tried to copy the GEOS System disk and gets the normal response Anyway to job in hand and I formatted a test disk and then attempted to copy the flip side Applications software from my System Backup disk.... I like the grey and not the blue. Don't ask This is what you should see on the GEOS Application disk. When accessing disks its best to close the current disk and then open the new one from the drop down menu. Amazing that there are spelling mistakes in the GEOS book and they refer to menu tabs as boxes Like I said I swapped out the floppy and mouse in the hope of making the process easier So with your formatted disk it really is just a case of copying the Application disk I called my Working disk EXTRAS and was successful in creating my own copy. The idea is that you boot with your GEOS System disk and then use your own working disk for the Applications and your own work Time to test out my new EXTRAS disk So far so good Time for lunch The problems I had lay in the System disk which is actually a copy created by someone else. The disk has a habit of falling over in a 1541 but normally works in the 1571. Anyway the System Backup worked but meant a hardware swap out mid way Also the Backup only worked with the 1351 connected. You can use a joystick but not with this config. I was also trying to set up the darn printer but need to create another disk I had had enough by then. I like GEOS... for the most Trust me as I walked away from the bench today I did not look back in anger.. least not today Nothing broken. Not even my spirit. That will never happen. Man I love retro. Cuppa tea me thinks.

If you can only see this CONTENT window
then click the image above for the full site

Last updated 12/03/2018

Chandraise Kingdom

Keep the Faith
scuzzscink 2018