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From: roy@nlm-vax.ARPA (Roy Standing)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Levco 2Meg Monster Mac, Switcher 4.4, and Assimilation RAMDisk
Message-ID: <1072@nlm-vax.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 12-Nov-85 18:54:38 EST
Article-I.D.: nlm-vax.1072
Posted: Tue Nov 12 18:54:38 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Nov-85 03:00:35 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: NLM/LHNCBC, Bethesda, Md.
Lines: 48


 
 
Several people responded to my request for help to get Swicher to
automatically load a setup document, THANK YOU all.  In addition,
I received a question on how I set things up.  In brief:

1. To setup a boot disk which automatically creates a RAMdisk and
copies the system etc. to it.

The Assimilation Process RAMdisk setup program allows you to have
the RAMdisk created automatically at startup.  Given the 2Meg Mac,
I specified an 800K RAMdisk and automatic creation.  The setup
program requires you to select programs to be automatically copied
to the RAMdisk.  I chose the system files (system, finder, desktop,
imagewriter), switcher, and switcher.startup.  Desktop may not be
necessary.  The RAMdisk is automatically created during the boot
process and when the desktop appears the RAMdisk is the active system
disk.

2. To make Switcher the startup application on the RAMdisk.

After running the RAMdisk setup program, select switcher and select it
as the startup application via the 'Set Startup' option under the
Special menu.  Alternatively, from the RAMdisk desktop change the
active system disk by selecting and executing FINDER from the boot
floppy while depressing 'option' and 'command' keys.  Then make
Switcher the startup application via 'Set Startup'.  After booting,
setting up the RAMdisk, copying files to it, and making it the
active system disk, Switcher will be executed.

3. To make Switcher automatically load a setup document.

Name the setup document 'switcher.startup' (case insensitive).  The
setup file is loaded and Switcher automatically puts you in partition
1.

Restriction:  There is one unfortunate, albeit expected, drawback.  If
I eject the boot floppy it is immediately asked for.  The reason seems
to be that if overlays, etc. are needed the disk must be present.  I
had hoped to be able to load my desired application set, keep my RAMdisk
as empty as possible, and eject the boot disk giving me two available
floppy drives.  I will have to chose between copying the applications to
the RAMdisk or occupying a physical drive with the boot floppy.  All in
all not too bad a decision to face.

Summary:  This setup seems very useful.  I now have four Monster Macs and
am showing users how to take advantage of the extra RAM.